Josh Smith

LJ4ptplay

Starter
By Sekou K Smith | Saturday, July 26, 2008, 10:11 AM
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

There are at least two, blockbuster sign-and-trade proposals the Hawks are chewing on regarding Smith (one from a Western Conference power and the other from an Eastern Conference big dog) that could dramatically change the landscape in Hawksville.

It's been reported that Detroit is not the Eastern Conference big dog that has made an offer. They're interested, but haven't made an offer yet. I wonder which team it is? Cleveland, maybe? It wouldn't be Philly, Chicago, Boston, Toronto, or Orlando.

Atlanta management is so cheap. They have the makings of a great young team, but will let it slip away because they are too cheap.

I wonder if Donnie is thinking of a sign-and-trade offer. David Lee plus some others to make it work?

Josh Smith would fit nicely in D'Antnoi's sytem. Chandler at SF and Smith at PF would be impressive.
 
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Paul1355

All Star
It's been reported that Detroit is not the Eastern Conference big dog that has made an offer. They're interested, but haven't made an offer yet. I wonder which team it is? Cleveland, maybe? It wouldn't be Philly, Chicago, Boston, Toronto, or Orlando.

Atlanta management is so cheap. They have the makings of a great young team, but will let it slip away because they are too cheap.

I wonder if Donnie is thinking of a sign-and-trade offer. David Lee plus some others to make it work?

Josh Smith would fit nicely in D'Antnoi's sytem. Chandler at SF and Smith at PF would be impressive.

Smith is great expecially defensively and his D is good that he'd be fine at PF. Then when Gallo comes in put Chandler at the 2 and Gallo at the 3 or 4.
 

LJ4ptplay

Starter
Smith is great expecially defensively and his D is good that he'd be fine at PF. Then when Gallo comes in put Chandler at the 2 and Gallo at the 3 or 4.

Yeah. That would work well. Chandler and Gallo can play multiple positions and would be a nice rotation in D'Antoni's system.

Next, get Sean Williams at center, and the Knicks would be athletic, would run the floor well and would be great defensively. High flying dunks and blocking shots!

It's a pipe dream, I know, but nice to dream about anyway.

PG-Ricky Rubio
SG-Chandler
SF-Gallo
PF-Josh Smith
C-Sean Williams

That's the kind of team that could finally bring a championship to New York.
 

Paul1355

All Star
Yeah. That would work well. Chandler and Gallo can play multiple positions and would be a nice rotation in D'Antoni's system.

Next, get Sean Williams at center, and the Knicks would be athletic, would run the floor well and would be great defensively. High flying dunks and blocking shots!

It's a pipe dream, I know, but nice to dream about anyway.

PG-Ricky Rubio
SG-Chandler
SF-Gallo
PF-Josh Smith
C-Sean Williams

That's the kind of team that could finally bring a championship to New York.

agreed maybe not to the promise land but a definite contender. And that team would be very athletic and something that Mike D would take advantage of, a lineup like that would fit nicely. Of course the odds of Rubio coming to the Big Apple could be slim, i dont expect us to be in last so our pick will prob be a lottery. And Rubio looks like a potential top 5 to top 10 pick with his credentials and obvious skill that he shows on videos and such. All we need is a shotblocking center with some speed and stamina..the rest of the postitions are not as hard to find starters.
 

metrocard

Legend
Atlanta has to be stupid to let Smith go like this.
They're such an awful franchise.
Hopefully they let Horford go to, and we pick him up.
 

hometheaterguy

Knicks Guru
Smith is great expecially defensively and his D is good that he'd be fine at PF. Then when Gallo comes in put Chandler at the 2 and Gallo at the 3 or 4.

I would love to see Smith with the Knicks but not at the 4 spot!! Mike D's system worked with the Suns because he had Amare to play at the 5 spot and that helped Marion's transition to the 4 spot. Smith is too small to play the 4, he doesn't have to stature of Marion and he certainly doesn't have a player like Amare flanking him. If you are going to put him at the 4 spot, then you might as well just keep Lee and save the huge contract that Smith wants. This will be a key year for Lee, he is going to want a decent contract so he will play is butt off. I would say trade Lee for Smith if you are sure that Lee will not be able to equal his performance last season, which will bring his trade value down (strike while it is hot). If you are the Knicks you want to keep Lee and have Smith at the 3 spot; now that's the sign of the Knicks rebuilding and going in the right direction. I guess the quandary for the Knicks is, they can't get Smith with out including Lee in a sing and trade. I would explore all other options first, like expiring contracts and #1 picks before I trade Lee. I would also look into Battier from Houston! Now that they have Artest, I think you could get Shane Battier for a power forward (which the Rockets desperately need). I actually think Randolph would fit nicely into their system. Randolph could give Houston the second option in the post and help to beeld off the double teams that Yao gets. I like Shane over Smith, to tell you the truth. I think Shane is a more rounded player than Smith and a better all around defender as well. He would fit right into Mike's system and Shane could take on the 4 spot, like Marion did and much better than Smith would. If I could get Battier for Randolph (The rockets would have to include another player to match salaries), I would trade Lee for Smith and have Smith at the 3 and Battier at the 4.... They would be a force to reckon with!!!
 

Paul1355

All Star
I would love to see Smith with the Knicks but not at the 4 spot!! Mike D's system worked with the Suns because he had Amare to play at the 5 spot and that helped Marion's transition to the 4 spot. Smith is too small to play the 4, he doesn't have to stature of Marion and he certainly doesn't have a player like Amare flanking him. If you are going to put him at the 4 spot, then you might as well just keep Lee and save the huge contract that Smith wants. This will be a key year for Lee, he is going to want a decent contract so he will play is butt off. I would say trade Lee for Smith if you are sure that Lee will not be able to equal his performance last season, which will bring his trade value down (strike while it is hot). If you are the Knicks you want to keep Lee and have Smith at the 3 spot; now that's the sign of the Knicks rebuilding and going in the right direction. I guess the quandary for the Knicks is, they can't get Smith with out including Lee in a sing and trade. I would explore all other options first, like expiring contracts and #1 picks before I trade Lee. I would also look into Battier from Houston! Now that they have Artest, I think you could get Shane Battier for a power forward (which the Rockets desperately need). I actually think Randolph would fit nicely into their system. Randolph could give Houston the second option in the post and help to beeld off the double teams that Yao gets. I like Shane over Smith, to tell you the truth. I think Shane is a more rounded player than Smith and a better all around defender as well. He would fit right into Mike's system and Shane could take on the 4 spot, like Marion did and much better than Smith would. If I could get Battier for Randolph (The rockets would have to include another player to match salaries), I would trade Lee for Smith and have Smith at the 3 and Battier at the 4.... They would be a force to reckon with!!!

As I said when Gallo comes in he can play the 3 OR THE 4, putting Josh Smith at the 3 spot
Sg- Chandler
SF-Smith
PF-Gallinari
 

LJ4ptplay

Starter
This just in...Memphis makes an offer for Josh Smith...

The Memphis Grizzlies have signed restricted Atlanta free agent Josh Smith to a $58 million offer sheet, the Memphis Commercial-Appeal is reporting.

The Hawks now have seven days to match or let Smith walk, but have said in the past they'll match any offer the high flyer may get from rival teams.

If Atlanta lets Josh Smith go, they're the dumbest franshise around. Even dumber than the Knicks.

Wow. Memphis would have a nice young squad to build on.

PG-Mike Conley
SG-O.J. Mayo
SF-Rudy Gay
PF-Josh Smith

Add a decent center and some veteran leadership off the bench, and they have a damn good team.
 

Paul1355

All Star
If the Grizzlies get Smith it'll be a huge turn around, plus their gonna be fast as hell on the court...looks like Mike D needs to match that with hsi run n gun lol.
 

GetRealistic

Starter
Theyll be the Hawks of last season. But hey it makes the Hawks worse so atleast we won't be the worst team in the East.
 

Paul1355

All Star
Theyll be the Hawks of last season. But hey it makes the Hawks worse so atleast we won't be the worst team in the East.

it was about time the hawks stepped it up with all the talented players they had in Joe Johnson, Smith, Horford etc just young talent had to evenutally gel together and they did last season, now that Smith is gone they can still make the playoffs but prob wont have as good of a regular season record.
 

Red

TYPE-A
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=ford_chad&page=smithhawks-080809

On Monday I put the Atlanta Hawks and the Memphis Grizzlies on the list of NBA offseason losers. The Hawks had already mishandled restricted free agent Josh Childress -- losing him to a huge offer from a team from Greece. And it appeared that they were in a no-win situation with free agent Josh Smith. Smith was desperately trying to get out of Atlanta and the Hawks weren't budging from a lowball offer of $45 million over five years.

On Friday, the Hawks got some semblance of redemption. The Grizzlies signed Smith to a five-year, $58 million offer sheet and the Hawks quickly matched the contract, ensuring Smith's return.

It was a smart move by the Hawks. Many teams would've waited the full seven days before deciding to match the offer. The Hawks' decision to immediately match sent a strong signal to Smith that they wanted him and wanted the healing to begin. Whether Smith feels the same way remains to be seen. Sources said that Smith was hoping to change uniforms this season. Smith's gripes have been with coach Mike Woodson and the Hawks' front office. But the group on the court this season isn't too shabby.

While not as strong as the playoff team that took the Celtics to seven games, they certainly averted disaster. Smith might be the most talented player on the roster. He's moody, inconsistent and can be a pain in the butt in the locker room. But he oozes potential and at times the past few years, he's capitalized on it. His 19.08 player efficiency rating (PER) last season ranked him among the top 40 players in the league -- and ahead of Andre Iguodala, Monta Ellis, Luol Deng and Emeka Okafor.

The Hawks still have a ridiculously young and talented front line of Smith, Al Horford and Marvin Williams. And they still sport a talented veteran backcourt with Joe Johnson and Mike Bibby. With a year of playoff experience under their belt, they should be a favorite to make a repeat postseason appearance this season.

In fact, it's fair to assume that Smith, Williams and Horford are still getting better, and all three could up their numbers from last season. That's sure to give the Hawks a significant extra boost.

The question now is about depth. Losing Childress hurt. Despite his sixth-man status, he was the glue that kept the team together. He didn't need the ball to be effective on the floor and was mature beyond his years. On many good teams in the NBA, he was a surefire starter. Now he's replaced by Maurice Evans, a 28-year-old journeyman who is coming off the best season of his career.

The Hawks also have center Zaza Pachulia, the injury-plagued Speedy Claxton and second-year point guard Acie Law. But all of those reserves combined, will struggle to deliver what Childress did.

As for the Grizzlies, on the surface, their decision to make Smith a big offer looks encouraging. I've been critical of owner Michael Heisley's unwillingness to spend money on the team. Everything they've done since January reeks of a team trying to cut costs -- at whatever cost.

For weeks the Grizzlies failed to make an offer to the likes of Smith or Iguodala despite being the only team with significant cap room. Their five-year, $58 million offer sheet to Smith has all the appearances of a savvy team taking advantage of a buyers' market and taking a shot at a young player who could be an All-Star someday at a position that they really need help with.

Look a little deeper and things aren't as clear. A source in Memphis told me on Friday that the team "already knew" that the Hawks were going to match the offer. The source held out little hope that Smith would actually wear a Grizzlies uniform. Why would the Grizzlies make an offer to a player that they knew they wouldn't get? According to one GM, it's all about appearances. "If you're getting criticized for being cheap and doing nothing this at least counts for something. Now Mike Heisley and [GM] Chris [Wallace] can beat back skeptics who question your commitment to the long-term health of the team. It happens all the time."

I'm not sure I'm willing to go that far. Smith would've been a great fit in Memphis. With Smith on board, I think you could've put the Grizzlies in the mix with the Blazers as one of the best young teams in the league. With Rudy Gay, O.J. Mayo and Mike Conley already on board, Smith would've been a great fit on an up-tempo, run-and-gun team. You have to believe that Heisley and Wallace honestly hoped the Hawks wouldn't match.

Now that Smith is a Hawk again, it will be interesting to see what the Grizzlies do next. They could make a similar offer for Iguodala, but he doesn't fit a need. Ditto for Ben Gordon.

If the Grizzlies really are trying to improve their team, what they really need desperately is some veteran help on the front line. Currently their front line has a still-disappointing Darko Milicic, Hakim Warrick and two rookies, Marc Gasol and Darrell Arthur.

Both Gasol and Arthur have a chance. Gasol was the MVP of the Spanish league this past season. He's very skilled, but there are serious questions about how his athleticism and game will translate at the NBA level. Arthur should've been a late lottery pick, but questions about his health caused his stock to plummet on draft night. And you can always hope that maybe this is the season Milicic finally uses his talent on a night-to-night basis.

The team could also try to play the trade market using their cap space and their glut of point guards as bait. They could go for a player with an expiring contract like Shawn Marion, Lamar Odom or Chris Wilcox. Or if they really wanted to roll the dice on a talented, but troubled player, I'm sure the Knicks would give them Zach Randolph.

The plan had presumably been to save their cap room and wait until the summer of 2009 when the free-agent class is a little stronger. That's still a possibility. If they go that route, this season's Grizzlies could contend for the worst record in the league. However a top pick in the 2009 NBA draft along with lots of cap room next year could turn into a bonanza if the team can lure a top free agent next year.
 
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Trin_Starr

Starter
Red - I had to edit your post.
you cannot copy/paste an article as your words...that is plagiarism unless of course if you're actually Chad Ford posting :)

Next time, include the link to the webpage to prevent that - thanks
 
it was about time the hawks stepped it up with all the talented players they had in Joe Johnson, Smith, Horford etc just young talent had to evenutally gel together and they did last season, now that Smith is gone they can still make the playoffs but prob wont have as good of a regular season record.


Their regular season record last year was horrible to begin with. they just palyed in the east..

And Josh Smith isn't gone. The Hawks matched the offer sheet.
 
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