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Craig Paul Smith

Position	Power forward
Nickname	Cookie Monster
League	NBA
Height	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Weight	272 lb (123 kg)
Team	Minnesota Timberwolves
Nationality	USA
Born	November 10, 1983 (1983-11-10) (age 24) Inglewood, California
College	Boston College
Draft	2nd round, 36th overall, 2006 Minnesota Timberwolves
Pro career	2006–present

Craig Smith (born November 10, 1983 in Inglewood, California) is an American professional basketball player. After playing for Boston College from 2002-2006, he was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2006 NBA Draft. He is 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m), and weighs 272 lb (124 kg).

Craig Smith (nicknamed Cookie Monster) averaged 7.4 points and 5.1 rebounds in his rookie year (2006-07) with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He earned a starting role for the last five games of the season and averaged 12.0 points and 10.2 rebounds while logging an average 34.4 minutes. He is expected to see an increased role in the 2007-08 season after his strong rookie performance and a stellar Vegas Summer League performance during which he averaged 21.8 points and 6.0 rebounds. Smith scored 2,349 points in his collegiate career, placing him second on Boston College's career scoring list (behind Troy Bell). In his senior season, he had per-game averages of 17.6 points, 9.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.8 blocked shots. He also attended Worcester Academy, a preparatory school in Worcester, Massachusetts for a year as a post-graduate student before college. He is listed at 6'8" but his actual height is said to be around 6'5". Although being extremely undersized for the power forward position, he has seen success in the NBA. Opposing coaches have been puzzled by his ability to rebound over much bigger players and get off quick shots in the paint. So far in his career, he has proven to be a steal in the second round of the 2006 NBA draft. Craig Smith has drawn comparisons to NBA legend Charles Barkley.

On May 8, 2007, Craig Smith was named to the 2006-2007 All-Rookie Second Team. His teammate, Randy Foye, was named to the All-Rookie First Team. [1]

On December 11, 2007, Craig Smith scored 36 points in a 88-102 loss to the Washington Wizards, logging 38 minutes and making 14 of his 22 field goal attempts.

• Craig Smith Player Info at NBA.com
• Craig Smith Statistics at Basketball-Reference.com

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