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Josh Smith wants out of Atlanta

9 Mar

The Atlanta Hawks have watched Josh Smith grow from a teenage headache to a reliable player. Smith is having his best season as a pro and should’ve been recognized as an All-Star this season. Despite all the good the team has done this year, with injuries to Al Horford and Joe Johnson, Smith wants out of Atlanta. If not by the March 15 trade deadline then he could possibly walk in free agency.

That puts the Hawks in the unenviable position of trying to find themselves the best deal or just outright losing Smith for nothing. The reasons Smith wants to be traded are that he thinks he needs a fresh start elsewhere and believes the Hawks aren’t committed to winning a championship. I would have to agree with Smith on the latter opinion. Smith also has said that he could reach his potential on and off the court by playing for another team.

Let me translate that last sentence. I want to play for a winning franchise and get some of the endorsement money being handed out.

Smith has been the subject of trade rumors before and he brushes all of it aside when asked about it.

“I really don’t pay any attention to it,” he said. “I just go out there and play the way I play and not worry about anything else. I know this is a business. Whatever happens, happens in the long run. But I know as long as I’m with the Hawks, I have to put my best foot forward.”  


If Smith is unhappy, he’s not showing it and is giving his best effort which should help him on the open market if he doesn’t sign an extension.

Teammate Jerry Stackhouse believes it would be a mistake if the Hawks trade Smith.

“His talent, that’s what you can’t give up on with Josh,” Stackhouse said. “It’s easy to say, ‘All right, let’s just move him.’ And then he goes and clicks at the next stop and you’ve got to look at that every night and you had it in house. That’s kind of the dilemma with Josh. You know you are going to get some uneasy moments from time to time but, for the most part, he’s really about winning. He wants to win. He’s competitive. I relate to that.


“How he handles his emotions and frustrations, sometimes he rubs people the wrong way and bruises them. But I think he’s happy-go-lucky. He thinks, ‘It was just heat of the moment’ and we can move on from it but he can bruise people. I think he’s learning that. He is learning to control his emotions a little better and it’s good for our team. The better Josh Smith is, the better the Atlanta Hawks are.”


If Smith is traded it would hurt the Hawks in the short term. It all depends on who they get in return. If they can get a good haul for Smith they might be better off for it, but all in all this is a risk that I think Hawks management doesn’t really want to take.

McGrady Set To Fly With The Hawks

8 Dec

Let the NBA free agent frenzy begin. Well kind of.

 According to a report on ESPN, Tracy McGrady has signed a one year deal with the Atlanta Hawks. McGrady played last season with the Detroit Pistons and had a pretty good season for someone considered nearly done. He averaged 8.0 points per game in 23.4 minutes. Not bad for someone that was thrown on the NBA scrap heap.

McGrady can’t officially sign with the team until Friday when free agency actually begins. But teams have been allowed to speak to agents for more than a week and could negotiate directly with players as of Monday.

More than likely he’ll be backing up Joe Johnson and will be the primary scoring option off the bench since Jamal Crawford will more than likely wearing another uniform this season.

If McGrady still has something left in the tank without getting hurt, it could be a bargain for the Hawks.