Cooler Talk NBA PM: The Best Josh Smith Trade?
Posted: Fri Sep 30, 2011 3:21 am
NBA PM: The Best Josh Smith Trade?
Tweaked from Bill Ingram
Senior NBA Editor
When the Atlanta Hawks succumbed to the Chicago Bulls in the second round of the 2011 NBA playoffs many thought we had seem the last of Josh Smith in a Hawks uniform. Smith had become the favorite scapegoat for a team that was perceived to consistently underachieve, despite his being the team’s second-best scorer at 16.5 points per game and their best defender. Smith’s tendency to play out of control and take ill-advised shots drew the ire of new head coach Larry Drew on several occasions, leading many to feel that it was best if the Hawks traded Smith and moved in a different direction.
One of the other key issues driving the trade talk around Smith is the fact that starting center Al Horford really prefers to [defend] power forwards, which he can’t do with Smith in the mix and as the Hawks’ roster is currently constructed. If the Hawks could deal Smith for a starting center it would allow Horford to move over to [defend] the four, which he’s been lobbying to do for some time.
The NBA lockout drastically cut short the time teams had to make trades, but before the lockout went into effect the Hawks were busily working the phones looking for a deal. When that became public knowledge, Smith himself went on the defensive, saying he really felt it was time for his career to move in a new direction. He was finished with the Hawks, as well. Smith even reportedly named his preferred NBA destinations, listing the Houston Rockets, Boston Celtics, Orlando Magic and New Jersey Nets as his top teams.
When the lockout went into effect the Hawks had had little success in trying to move Smith. They had some brief discussion Los Angeles Clippers about attaining Chris Kaman, but the Clippers were looking for a small forward and didn’t believe Smith could fill that role despite his versatility. The Orlando Magic and New Jersey Nets lack the expendable pieces to make a deal happen (they’re not giving up Brook Lopez or Dwight Howard to get Smith), the Celtics didn’t seem to be interested, and the Rockets weren’t offering the kind of package that would get the deal done for Atlanta. And so, Josh Smith is still an Atlanta Hawk.
Perhaps that’s for the best, and perhaps the lockout has provided some time for cooler heads to prevail. After all, in Smith we’re talking about one of the best [combo] forwards in the Eastern Conference, and someone who has been considered a grievous snub in his repeated absence from the All-Star ranks. Giving him away for an older player like Kevin Garnett, as has been suggested, would be a mistake, as it would be to give him away for lesser pieces in an effort to save money. The Hawks may be reeling from their decision to ink Joe Johnson to a ridiculous contract, but cashing in a top-notch starter is not the answer. In fact, it would be a major step backwards for the Hawks.
No, the best trade for the Hawks might just be the one they haven’t made. Keeping Josh Smith could ultimately turn out to be the absolute best decision. Horford doesn’t want to play the five? Well, he has 12 million reasons to play wherever the Hawks ask him to play each year for the next five years, whether that’s at center or at point guard.
Of course, there are some feelings that need to be soothed if Smith is to stay. The organization needs to sit him down and draw him a map of the big picture, and head coach Larry Drew needs to take a sterner hand to rein in Smith’s game. The best solution is to have Smith get back on the same page as his coaches and his teammates and feel like he has a stake in the team’s success. If the Hawks can do that they won’t need to worry about their front court, and can focus on the bigger issues . . .
*spreading the court for rising new point guard Jeff Teague and Joe Johnson without sacrificing defense
* finding how Smith, an inside scorer who defends best at SF can coexist with Horford a PF-C who defends PFs best but scores best at center and forces Smith to take the outside role.
* the bench, with no center and committed salary how do Hawks maximize their talent's potential mismatches
Tweaked from Bill Ingram
Senior NBA Editor
When the Atlanta Hawks succumbed to the Chicago Bulls in the second round of the 2011 NBA playoffs many thought we had seem the last of Josh Smith in a Hawks uniform. Smith had become the favorite scapegoat for a team that was perceived to consistently underachieve, despite his being the team’s second-best scorer at 16.5 points per game and their best defender. Smith’s tendency to play out of control and take ill-advised shots drew the ire of new head coach Larry Drew on several occasions, leading many to feel that it was best if the Hawks traded Smith and moved in a different direction.
One of the other key issues driving the trade talk around Smith is the fact that starting center Al Horford really prefers to [defend] power forwards, which he can’t do with Smith in the mix and as the Hawks’ roster is currently constructed. If the Hawks could deal Smith for a starting center it would allow Horford to move over to [defend] the four, which he’s been lobbying to do for some time.
The NBA lockout drastically cut short the time teams had to make trades, but before the lockout went into effect the Hawks were busily working the phones looking for a deal. When that became public knowledge, Smith himself went on the defensive, saying he really felt it was time for his career to move in a new direction. He was finished with the Hawks, as well. Smith even reportedly named his preferred NBA destinations, listing the Houston Rockets, Boston Celtics, Orlando Magic and New Jersey Nets as his top teams.
When the lockout went into effect the Hawks had had little success in trying to move Smith. They had some brief discussion Los Angeles Clippers about attaining Chris Kaman, but the Clippers were looking for a small forward and didn’t believe Smith could fill that role despite his versatility. The Orlando Magic and New Jersey Nets lack the expendable pieces to make a deal happen (they’re not giving up Brook Lopez or Dwight Howard to get Smith), the Celtics didn’t seem to be interested, and the Rockets weren’t offering the kind of package that would get the deal done for Atlanta. And so, Josh Smith is still an Atlanta Hawk.
Perhaps that’s for the best, and perhaps the lockout has provided some time for cooler heads to prevail. After all, in Smith we’re talking about one of the best [combo] forwards in the Eastern Conference, and someone who has been considered a grievous snub in his repeated absence from the All-Star ranks. Giving him away for an older player like Kevin Garnett, as has been suggested, would be a mistake, as it would be to give him away for lesser pieces in an effort to save money. The Hawks may be reeling from their decision to ink Joe Johnson to a ridiculous contract, but cashing in a top-notch starter is not the answer. In fact, it would be a major step backwards for the Hawks.
No, the best trade for the Hawks might just be the one they haven’t made. Keeping Josh Smith could ultimately turn out to be the absolute best decision. Horford doesn’t want to play the five? Well, he has 12 million reasons to play wherever the Hawks ask him to play each year for the next five years, whether that’s at center or at point guard.
Of course, there are some feelings that need to be soothed if Smith is to stay. The organization needs to sit him down and draw him a map of the big picture, and head coach Larry Drew needs to take a sterner hand to rein in Smith’s game. The best solution is to have Smith get back on the same page as his coaches and his teammates and feel like he has a stake in the team’s success. If the Hawks can do that they won’t need to worry about their front court, and can focus on the bigger issues . . .
*spreading the court for rising new point guard Jeff Teague and Joe Johnson without sacrificing defense
* finding how Smith, an inside scorer who defends best at SF can coexist with Horford a PF-C who defends PFs best but scores best at center and forces Smith to take the outside role.
* the bench, with no center and committed salary how do Hawks maximize their talent's potential mismatches
