The Dangers of Losing Josh Smith.

[Diesel]

There's lots of trade talks about Josh Smith and I'm not trying to talk about any specific trade of Josh. I just want to point out some of the considerations of Josh.

1. Scoring. This year, Josh's scoring went up. His FG% went down but his TS% went up. He made 33% of his three point shots which is a career high. However he shot 2 a game which is not great. Smoove have see sawed as a scorer but he still provides 16-17 ppg and in the playoffs he was more consistent than some of his teammates.

2. Rebounding. For a player that doesn't box out, he gets about 8.5 reb per game. This year, i say he was about 6'9" 240. (not 225). He had more weight to box out with.

3. Defense. I think we're seeing that Smoove's defense varies with weight and age. I don't think he's a shotblocker any longer. By the numbers, his shot blocks are the 2nd lowest of his career. Maybe that's a result of him playing more Sf. Either way, he doesn't blockem like he use to.

4. Assists. This in my opinion is the biggest plus for Smoove. Even though sometimes used recklessly, Smoove is a pretty good passer for his position. By the numbers, he actually had more assists playing for Woody the year before, I just think however, that he did make good passes in LD's system.

5. Heart. It doesn't show up on a stat sheet but I would characterize heart as doing what it takes to win. I can't help be see guys like Iverson and Jordan when I say Heart. Josh has some heart. He's willing. It hasn't translated to him conforming his game to matching the team's need yet but he's willing.

So is there danger in losing Josh Smith?

No

I think the main danger for ASG is watching your marketing cow go somewhere else.

I think the danger for the GM is losing the guy who may be able to convince Howard to choose us.

I think the danger for most fans is losing the guy who can bring excitement and change the way the team plays when he's on and focused.

Statistically...

17/9 and 48% FG shooting is not difficult to replace. However, replacing Hometown love will be hard. Still, those boneheaded shots make the love wax cold.

[Wurider05]

You forgot 6. Turnovers 7. Stupidity.

Players alot better than Josh Smith have been traded before. He talented but at this point let someone else "figure" him out. Having players that know their roles and are better fits for what you want to do trumps talent everyday. See Mavs vs. Heat.

We will never make it out the gutter with players like Josh. Trading him would signal to me that we are serious about becoming a legit organization. I am thinking that there is more to his locker room problems than what is known to us.

He is uncoachable.

You can't win a championship hoping that a guy who has been in the league for nearly a decade gets it.

[DrReality]

And he doesn't seem to learn from his mistakes. Guess that is stupidity.

[Blunt91]

I think that if we trade Josh it better be for someone who has some flash to his game or can help us to play more uptempo. For example, if we traded Josh for a center like Chris Kaman it better equal more wins and a longer playoff run, because that is the only way people in atlanta would except that trade.. The only way fans would be execpting of less flash and halfcourt play is if it takes us to the finals or at least the conference finals.

[Joker]

I think that if we trade Josh it better be for someone who has some flash to his game or can help us to play more uptempo. For example, if we traded Josh for a center like Chris Kaman it better equal more wins and a longer playoff run, because that is the only way people in atlanta would except that trade.. The only way fans would be execpting of less flash and halfcourt play is if it takes us to the finals or at least the conference finals.

Chris Kaman hasn't been good in three seasons. He's average right now. He would give us slightly more than Zaza. No to non impact players for impact players when we could use more talent.

[Crank]

Chris Kaman hasn't been good in three seasons. He's average right now. He would give us slightly more than Zaza. No to non impact players for impact players when we could use more talent.

Kamans been injured but to say he would be only slightly better than Zaza is ridiclous

He was 12 and 7 with a 1 block in 26 mpg last year

The year before he was 18 and 9

Hes been injured just like Chandler was injured before the Mavs got him as well as haywood had been injured early on as well.

Kaman/Al would be a great tandem if we could find ourselves a quality SF

[Blunt91]

Chris Kaman hasn't been good in three seasons. He's average right now. He would give us slightly more than Zaza. No to non impact players for impact players when we could use more talent.

I was just threw his name out as an example, not trying to say we need him. I do not think we necessarily need a star center to win in the NBA, but we do need a bondafide star on the team. For example a star player like chris paul and a decent center dalemberet or Haywood would work.

[Supporter]

Trading Josh would mean alot to this franchise but with the way the playoffs are going, one trade could be the difference for us

[Guest]

I don't care who we have to trade as long as it gets us moving in the right direction.

[AHawks89]

Yeah, I agree. I don't really care who we trade, but if it's either Al or Josh than we better be getting some good pieces. To me, it's harder to lose Josh just because he has a lot of heart and wants to play for this team; hometown kid. Met him a few times, so it will be a hard loss. Regardless, we need a change. I don't know if the change means trading Al or Josh or even just adding some key veteran players, but a change must happen. Whoever it is, both players will be missed.

[mrhonline]

It's gone a bit unnoticed, but we all need to remember that Josh has only two years left on his contract. Since a good portion of this season could be wiped out by a lockout, his time in Atlanta could be winding down.

[Diesel]

I think that if we trade Josh it better be for someone who has some flash to his game or can help us to play more uptempo. For example, if we traded Josh for a center like Chris Kaman it better equal more wins and a longer playoff run, because that is the only way people in atlanta would except that trade.. The only way fans would be execpting of less flash and halfcourt play is if it takes us to the finals or at least the conference finals.

That's the fear.

The fear is to trade Josh for Either Damaged Goods or a player who cannot produce.

If we can find that needed skillset with Heart, then it's good.

[atlbraves93]

Josh definitely brings more positives to the table than he does negatives. If he does get traded, we better be getting some good pieces, as someone said earlier. A lot of the people who are calling to dump Smoove do not realize what we would lose if we did get rid of him. As it stands right now, I don't think another team is going to be willing to give equal value for him. At this moment, trading him would not be a good idea.

[gsuteke]

You forgot 6. Turnovers 7. Stupidity.

Players alot better than Josh Smith have been traded before. He talented but at this point let someone else "figure" him out. Having players that know their roles and are better fits for what you want to do trumps talent everyday. See Mavs vs. Heat.

We will never make it out the gutter with players like Josh. Trading him would signal to me that we are serious about becoming a legit organization. I am thinking that there is more to his locker room problems than what is known to us.

He is uncoachable.

You can't win a championship hoping that a guy who has been in the league for nearly a decade gets it.

8. He's uncoachable

[Plainview1981]

There's lots of trade talks about Josh Smith and I'm not trying to talk about any specific trade of Josh. I just want to point out some of the considerations of Josh.

1. Scoring. This year, Josh's scoring went up. His FG% went down but his TS% went up. He made 33% of his three point shots which is a career high. However he shot 2 a game which is not great. Smoove have see sawed as a scorer but he still provides 16-17 ppg and in the playoffs he was more consistent than some of his teammates.

2. Rebounding. For a player that doesn't box out, he gets about 8.5 reb per game. This year, i say he was about 6'9" 240. (not 225). He had more weight to box out with.

3. Defense. I think we're seeing that Smoove's defense varies with weight and age. I don't think he's a shotblocker any longer. By the numbers, his shot blocks are the 2nd lowest of his career. Maybe that's a result of him playing more Sf. Either way, he doesn't blockem like he use to.

4. Assists. This in my opinion is the biggest plus for Smoove. Even though sometimes used recklessly, Smoove is a pretty good passer for his position. By the numbers, he actually had more assists playing for Woody the year before, I just think however, that he did make good passes in LD's system.

5. Heart. It doesn't show up on a stat sheet but I would characterize heart as doing what it takes to win. I can't help be see guys like Iverson and Jordan when I say Heart. Josh has some heart. He's willing. It hasn't translated to him conforming his game to matching the team's need yet but he's willing.

So is there danger in losing Josh Smith?

No

I think the main danger for ASG is watching your marketing cow go somewhere else.

I think the danger for the GM is losing the guy who may be able to convince Howard to choose us.

I think the danger for most fans is losing the guy who can bring excitement and change the way the team plays when he's on and focused.

Statistically...

17/9 and 48% FG shooting is not difficult to replace. However, replacing Hometown love will be hard. Still, those boneheaded shots make the love wax cold.

Josh Smith is aware of his bonehead play. Remember, just a year ago he cut out almost all of his 3pt attempts. That tells you that he is in fact aware of the minuses of the 3pt shots he attempts. He just refuses to accepts his limitations.

The Hawks need to look into getting rid of Marvin Williams. He has become nearly worthless to this team. I can't stand the sight of him, and if he can't be traded he will continue to get minutes mostly due to his draft position.

[thecampster]

There's lots of trade talks about Josh Smith and I'm not trying to talk about any specific trade of Josh. I just want to point out some of the considerations of Josh.

1. Scoring. This year, Josh's scoring went up. His FG% went down but his TS% went up. He made 33% of his three point shots which is a career high. However he shot 2 a game which is not great. Smoove have see sawed as a scorer but he still provides 16-17 ppg and in the playoffs he was more consistent than some of his teammates.

2. Rebounding. For a player that doesn't box out, he gets about 8.5 reb per game. This year, i say he was about 6'9" 240. (not 225). He had more weight to box out with.

3. Defense. I think we're seeing that Smoove's defense varies with weight and age. I don't think he's a shotblocker any longer. By the numbers, his shot blocks are the 2nd lowest of his career. Maybe that's a result of him playing more Sf. Either way, he doesn't blockem like he use to.

4. Assists. This in my opinion is the biggest plus for Smoove. Even though sometimes used recklessly, Smoove is a pretty good passer for his position. By the numbers, he actually had more assists playing for Woody the year before, I just think however, that he did make good passes in LD's system.

5. Heart. It doesn't show up on a stat sheet but I would characterize heart as doing what it takes to win. I can't help be see guys like Iverson and Jordan when I say Heart. Josh has some heart. He's willing. It hasn't translated to him conforming his game to matching the team's need yet but he's willing.

So is there danger in losing Josh Smith?

No

I think the main danger for ASG is watching your marketing cow go somewhere else.

I think the danger for the GM is losing the guy who may be able to convince Howard to choose us.

I think the danger for most fans is losing the guy who can bring excitement and change the way the team plays when he's on and focused.

Statistically...

17/9 and 48% FG shooting is not difficult to replace. However, replacing Hometown love will be hard. Still, those boneheaded shots make the love wax cold.

I'm starting to sound like a broken record here. This has to be the 5th or 6th repackaged justification on trying to trade Smith. Let me make it very clear one more time.

Josh makes about 13mil this year. JJ will make 18. You need to get back a center. Center's come at a premium. Volume shooting guards who have low points per shot efficiency numbers do not.

Pretend you want to take back Andrew Bynum. He is set to make 15 million, 2 million more than Smith. You would need to add a player. Pretend you traded JJ instead...L.A. would need to include Salary to make it work.

You will not get back Center value for Josh Smith because he doesn't make enough compared to Center premium.

Per Yahoo, pure Centers by PPG are ranked as such

D. Howard

B. Lopez

N. Hilario

A. Bogut

R. Hibbert

C. Kaman

M. Gasol

A. Bynum

E. Okafor

Those are the biggest impact centers you are going to find. Only 4 averaged more rebounds per game than Josh (Howard, Bogut, Bynum and Okafor), only 2 averaged more ppg (Howard, Lopez), only 3 averaged 2 blocks a game or more (Howard, Bogut, Bynum), none averaged 3 assists per game, all averaged betwen 1.4 and 3.6 turnovers, only 2 had more than 1 steal a game. None shot over 80% from the free throw line. Only 5 shot over 50% from the field.

Your desire to trade Josh for one of these players runs into serious problems when salary and needs are discussed. No other trade helps. You aren't getting Howard. Brook Lopez is set to make only 3million next year. Hilario is a possibility but he rebounds and scores less than Josh. Bogut is possible but there is no way Milwaukee takes Josh after the playoff blow up last year. Hibbert....lol...no way Indiana parts with him. Kaman, too old/doesn't fit/not big enough to play Dwight. Gasol, no way they trade him. Bynum, need to add a player to make salaries work, oft injured, problem child. Okafor....possible but not probable and would only be a rental as he's aging (29) and a little undersized.

You aren't going to get the center you want...Josh isn't going anywhere unless management just wants him gone.

[Diesel]

I'm starting to sound like a broken record here. This has to be the 5th or 6th repackaged justification on trying to trade Smith. Let me make it very clear one more time.

Josh makes about 13mil this year. JJ will make 18. You need to get back a center. Center's come at a premium. Volume shooting guards who have low points per shot efficiency numbers do not.

Pretend you want to take back Andrew Bynum. He is set to make 15 million, 2 million more than Smith. You would need to add a player. Pretend you traded JJ instead...L.A. would need to include Salary to make it work.

You will not get back Center value for Josh Smith because he doesn't make enough compared to Center premium.

Per Yahoo, pure Centers by PPG are ranked as such

D. Howard

B. Lopez

N. Hilario

A. Bogut

R. Hibbert

C. Kaman

M. Gasol

A. Bynum

E. Okafor

Those are the biggest impact centers you are going to find. Only 4 averaged more rebounds per game than Josh (Howard, Bogut, Bynum and Okafor), only 2 averaged more ppg (Howard, Lopez), only 3 averaged 2 blocks a game or more (Howard, Bogut, Bynum), none averaged 3 assists per game, all averaged betwen 1.4 and 3.6 turnovers, only 2 had more than 1 steal a game. None shot over 80% from the free throw line. Only 5 shot over 50% from the field.

Your desire to trade Josh for one of these players runs into serious problems when salary and needs are discussed. No other trade helps. You aren't getting Howard. Brook Lopez is set to make only 3million next year. Hilario is a possibility but he rebounds and scores less than Josh. Bogut is possible but there is no way Milwaukee takes Josh after the playoff blow up last year. Hibbert....lol...no way Indiana parts with him. Kaman, too old/doesn't fit/not big enough to play Dwight. Gasol, no way they trade him. Bynum, need to add a player to make salaries work, oft injured, problem child. Okafor....possible but not probable and would only be a rental as he's aging (29) and a little undersized.

You aren't going to get the center you want...Josh isn't going anywhere unless management just wants him gone.

I think you misunderstand me. I am a proponent for keeping Josh if we can. I would much rather bring in a FA big and pay the Luxury tax (dalembert). Or at worst trade Hinrich for Dalembert and find a vet PG to replace Hinrich. But it would have to be a great deal to push Josh out the door IMO. I'm not a fan of the Bynum deal that has been rumored. He's Sam Bowie. Neither would I trade for Oden.

[NineOhTheRino]

Who's paying money to watch Joe Johnson dribble aimlessly?