If you had to choose: Horford or Smith

[Admin]

Assuming that Horford is not going to be our 5 in the future and you could keep only one of them (since Smith isn't capable of being a 3 yet) which guy would you keep?

[HawkNJersey]

I'd take Smoove.....

[Basketballfan]

100% Al Horford.

When I watch him play (including the playoffs), I get this feeling and KNOW that he is the one player on this team who will never let ANYONE on our team underachieve or player below their level. I trust he will lead us to the NBA Finals in the next 8 seasons, and he will be an Atlanta Hawk for life

[Chris18]

Right now you have to keep Josh because Al isn't on his level yet.

[Packfill]

This is a tough one. Smith is the better player now - this makes sense because he has been in the NBA longer but they are the same age. I think we will have a much better understanding of each players long term potential after this upcoming season.

[AnakinJoe]

Horford is highly coachable and will never require the right coach or teammates to excel as an individual. And he is a proven W-I-N-N-E-R, which is the whole objective. You will never have to worry that his "head isn't in the game".

[exodus]

Interesting poll. I am kind of curious to see how it turns out.

I am not an advocate of trading either player but if i had to choose i would choose to keep Smith.

[Zone034life]

I couldn't vote because I don't see a problem with having two very talented players on this roster. The position debate is overrated in my opinion. They both are young talented basketball who still have room to grow. That is exciting to me.

My vote = Neither!

[HawksFan87]

Smoove, I love Al but he needs more work just like Smoove does.

[High5]

If I had to choose one I'd choose Horford. He's everything you want in a player and a much safer pick. He doesn't have Smith's ceiling, but there's little risk with him.

[coachx]

I would take Horford simply for the real world reason that we would then have $11 mill to spend on other players.

Horford + $11 mill to spend > Smith + $5 mill to spend

No need in playing the "what if game" What if they made the same amout of money ? They don't make the same amount of money at this time in their careers so why even bother ?

[crimedog]

As of today, Smith. He has the rarer skillset and until Al shows me he can consistently create for himself on offense or be a lockdown defender, I'm sticking with Smith.

That being said, I love both of them and see no reason to make it an either/or deal.

I can see why Smith's contract situation and the shiny new-ness of Horford would tilt it in Al's favor for some.

[AHF]

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I would take Horford simply for the real world reason that we would then have $11 mill to spend on other players.

Horford + $11 mill to spend > Smith + $5 mill to spend

No need in playing the "what if game" What if they made the same amout of money ? They don't make the same amount of money at this time in their careers so why even bother ?

When you say 11M on other are you talking about money spent on Marvin and JJ that we would not spend if we signed Smith? I am not sure what that $11M represents in your mind. I guess I don't see us spending much on other players if we resign Chills regardless of whether we sign Smith.

[AHF]

Assuming we decided to fill the center position with someone other than Horford, I would need more information to choose between Josh and Al. Who is the long-term C? Who is the long-term SF? After getting the answers to those, I could try to pick between Horford and Smith. If I was choosing one of them in the abstract to start a team, I would have a very hard time picking but would go with Smith. I love Horford, though, and it would take something significant for me to buy into the premise about not being willing to play Horford at center. He exceeded my expectations there last year and will only get stronger in future seasons.

[Hawk88]

Horford in a second. I can't believe how close the vote is?

Good grief, I thought it was a silly question.

Hawk88

[pound4pound]

I chose Horford. Josh plays like he has no limitations and it hurts this team in turnovers and airballs. Al knows his limitations and plays well within them to help his team win.

I love Josh's energy and athleticism but winning basketball is played when each possession is charished - Josh hasn't figured that out yet. If one or the other had to go - I would send Josh to Philly for Dalembert and their 1st.

[Frenzy]

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I'd take Smoove.....

Me too

[Admin]

This is a lot closer than I thought it would be and I am actually surprised that Al is getting more votes. I think that says A LOT about what he did as a rookie to come in and after one year be chosen as the keeper over the fan favorite and local boy Smoove thus far.

[OGRat]

This was tough.

Josh has been in the league a few years and has developed pretty well, though he still has a few holes in his game. He is also a tweener that gives flexibility, but probably could not play full-time at either PF or SF. That withstanding he is a homer, has flash, is better marketing material and he can change a game on both ends of the court. If he had a reliable shot, this would be easy. I sometimes question his decision making.

Horford is a good, big man which is pretty hard to find at the NBA level. He has a high bb iq, is a true PF that can play pt at C. I believe that with the same years in the NBA as Josh, he will be one of "the" dominant PFs in the league. He has heart, skill and a winning attitude. He is also cheaper right now.

I went with Al, because I think he will eventually get us more wins with his inside game. Also, I believe a team should have a better shooter at the sf position than what Josh has shown thus far.

[Joker]

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Assuming that Horford is not going to be our 5 in the future and you could keep only one of them (since Smith isn't capable of being a 3 yet) which guy would you keep?

Horford, I also would chose JJ over Lue.