Josh Smith rumor / Atlanta interested?

[CelticG1]

Can someone please explain this whole Joe Johnson contract thing for me. I understand they signed him to a ridiculous contract but wasn't that just last year? Did he play that poorly this year? I understand when someone has a crazy contract that someone wants to get out of but it usually isn't a year after they signed the guy especially when the guy played pretty well and didn't bring guns and threaten people in a lockeroom.

At the time the Hawks signed Johnson did they think it was a stupid deal but did it anyway?

It's just weird that you here how the "hawks want out of JJ's contract" when his contract barely has even started yet

He is over payed.  He isn't the number 1 option in the crunch Atlanta wants him to be.  And he is in Atlanta which is a terrible sports town in terms of fans going to the games.



I think he could be more effective in Boston with Pierce to take the big shots, and Rondo setting him up. 

So did the Hawks realize they were overpaying him the second he signed that contract?

He's been on Atlanta for several years and they decided that all of a sudden the he isn't a crunch time scorer and is overpaid?

I just find it so bizarre. Instead of letting him walk or offer him something more modest they decided "Hey, he hasn't been our crunch time scorer, we don't have any fans, are losing money but let's offer JJ the max we can offer him"

Maybe I just don't understand this side of the NBA. I understand when GM's will over pay for guys but JJ was pretty established in Atlanta. Atlanta new exactly who they had and it's almost like they were signing him to something they didn't want to but did it anyway. Just odd

[Celticai]

Nope ... Ray and KG stay in green until retired.

My thoughts exactly. Give these guys one more year and let them retire as Celtics. They deserve it. They've done a lot for this team.

Alas, however nice that would be, those sentiments don't win us championships.

They both played superb ball this year, (easily the best they've played since '08 - maybe sooner), and have plenty more to contribute ... our best shot at a championship still remains with the Big Three as our core.

I'm confident that they still have another good year in them to make a run, but my concerns are the following:

1/ Is the team as a whole good & deep enough for another run next year?
2/ After 2012 we can't use their large expiring contracts anymore in a trade & the only way that we could rebuild a a contender then is by signing a FA of All NBA caliber.  That's a huge gamble to take, hoping that they'll sign with us and not 1 of the other 20 something teams.

Do they have another good year in them, most likely, but is the team good enough? What do we do after next season? They're not going to play forever.

I think one of the reasons Doc is so highly appreciated is his ability to lure free agents. So I wouldn't worry about free agency in 2012. I'd give our core another shot - But we do need to get a young, energetic, talented big man. Someone who'll give us a spark off the bench (Like Big Baby used to). And REBOUND.

[Edgar]

Offer BBD and Green for Josh
let Atlanta laugh
hear other offers and then came back
accpting if we include a pick or 2
 

Not a clue if it works salary wise

[Moranis]

Can someone please explain this whole Joe Johnson contract thing for me. I understand they signed him to a ridiculous contract but wasn't that just last year? Did he play that poorly this year? I understand when someone has a crazy contract that someone wants to get out of but it usually isn't a year after they signed the guy especially when the guy played pretty well and didn't bring guns and threaten people in a lockeroom.

At the time the Hawks signed Johnson did they think it was a stupid deal but did it anyway?

It's just weird that you here how the "hawks want out of JJ's contract" when his contract barely has even started yet

He is over payed.  He isn't the number 1 option in the crunch Atlanta wants him to be.  And he is in Atlanta which is a terrible sports town in terms of fans going to the games.



I think he could be more effective in Boston with Pierce to take the big shots, and Rondo setting him up. 

So did the Hawks realize they were overpaying him the second he signed that contract?

He's been on Atlanta for several years and they decided that all of a sudden the he isn't a crunch time scorer and is overpaid?

I just find it so bizarre. Instead of letting him walk or offer him something more modest they decided "Hey, he hasn't been our crunch time scorer, we don't have any fans, are losing money but let's offer JJ the max we can offer him"

Maybe I just don't understand this side of the NBA. I understand when GM's will over pay for guys but JJ was pretty established in Atlanta. Atlanta new exactly who they had and it's almost like they were signing him to something they didn't want to but did it anyway. Just odd

There are two things; 1.  JJ regressed last year.  Perhaps he was playing injured.  Perhaps he got lazy.  Perhaps he is just getting old.  Perhaps he just had a bad year.  Whatever it is, his production, especially his outside shooting, dropped off a lot last year from the year before.  That is certainly an issue.  2.  Atlanta knew the extra years on the back end it wasn't going to get value for, but knew it had to give them to JJ to keep him around. 

Had JJ performed like he had been then I think Atlanta isn't as willing to unload him, but a career 37+% shooter from downtown decided to shoot 29.7% last year by far the lowest since his rookie year, and he actually shot less threes last year then he had at any time in Atlanta (so it isn't a case of an increase in attempts meaning less good looks).  His rebounding was down.  His assists were down.  His steals were down.  Etc.  He just didn't live up to the first year of the contract, which I don't think anyone really expected.   

[Prof. Clutch]

Josh Smith has long been one of the players I've coveted in the league.  He's incredibly versatile and loves defense.  I'd love to have him, but not at the cost of pushing us out of contention.

[LooseCannon]

So did the Hawks realize they were overpaying him the second he signed that contract?

He's been on Atlanta for several years and they decided that all of a sudden the he isn't a crunch time scorer and is overpaid?

I just find it so bizarre. Instead of letting him walk or offer him something more modest they decided "Hey, he hasn't been our crunch time scorer, we don't have any fans, are losing money but let's offer JJ the max we can offer him"

Maybe I just don't understand this side of the NBA. I understand when GM's will over pay for guys but JJ was pretty established in Atlanta. Atlanta new exactly who they had and it's almost like they were signing him to something they didn't want to but did it anyway. Just odd

Atlanta was in a standard [dang]ed if they do, [dang]ed if they don't scenario.  If they let him walk, they can offer his replacement about $6-7 million/year.  John Salmons, who signed for a bit more than that, was talked about as a possibility.  If they get into a bidding war, they may lose, so they offered a preemptive overpaying bid to keep Joe Johnson.  Atlanta took a risk-averse strategy, opting for the known quantity instead of gambling that they could do better with a less certain path.  Arguably, that's the opposite of the Ainge thought process that led to the Perkins trade.

[Eddie20]

A thought does occur to me.  Josh Smith went to high school with Rondo and has known Dwight Howard since pre-school.  A) Imagine if Smith was the axis of a troika attempting to assemble itself in Boston and B) Imagine the free throw shooting of that team.

That is interesting, and the article below delves deeper into their friendship. Ironically enough their AAU team was named the Celtics.

You have to think that if the opportunity to trade Allen for Smith presents itself, then you simply have to do it. Not just for the youth and athleticism Smith brings, but also for his impact in potentially signing Howard.

http://www.aolnews.com/2010/05/03/howard-and-smith-have-lifelong-history-together/

ORLANDO, Fla. -- They once called themselves "The Three Musketeers,'' the blood-is-thicker-than-water front line of the 2003 Atlanta Celtics, one of the finest teams in AAU basketball history.

They will wage battle again -- but against one another -- beginning Tuesday night when the Orlando Magic and Atlanta Hawks begin their best-of-seven, Eastern Conference semifinal playoff series.

Dwight Howard (Magic), Josh Smith (Hawks) and Randolph Morris (Hawks) were once inseparable teammates on that Atlanta-based, AAU travel team that was so dominant in its day. Yet that all-for-one, one-for-all mantra they preached together is long gone.

While the little-used Morris will watch from the sideline on the inactive list, Howard and Smith will be pushing, shoving, wrestling and likely determining whose team advances to the East final. They never before have faced each other in a playoff series.


"We grew up together, since we were four, crib midgets then, always competing against one another at everything,'' Howard said after practice Monday. "We always wanted to see who was the tallest, who could eat their cereal the fastest, or go to sleep the quickest, silly stuff like that.''

Howard and Smith, who were born three days apart in December of 1985, went to preschool together. They played at the same recreation center at age 10. They went to different high schools, then re-united with the Celtics, carving the reputations that brought them directly into the NBA.

"In AAU, we'd stay at these big hotels, split up into teams and played hide-and-seek,'' Howard said. "If you got caught you got beat up.''

Howard and Smith became the No. 1 and No. 16 picks, respectively, in the 2004 NBA draft. Morris went to the University of Kentucky and didn't reach the NBA until he joined the New York Knicks as a free agent in 2007. He still is trying to carve his niche in the league, playing just 28 games this season for the Hawks.

"It was me, him (Morris) and Dwight on that same team,'' Smith recalled recently. "I just remember the fun we had. We were young, didn't care about anything. We just went out there and played.''

Today the stakes are considerably higher. Howard has grown into basketball's best center, leading the league in both blocked shots and rebounding for the second consecutive year.

Smith has matured into an outstanding power forward, yet he hasn't developed the consistency or power or dominance of Howard. He was third in the NBA this season in blocked shots (2.14 per game), trailing only Howard (2.78) and Andrew Bogut (2.54). In the playoffs, it's Howard and Smith 1-2.

"This is going to be a totally different series for me. I'm not frustrated now. I'm looking forward to whatever [the Hawks] throw at me. I'm not worried.''
- Dwight Howard "I'm not going to get into that (about who is better),'' Howard said. "This is business now.''

The Magic held a 3-1 regular season edge against the Hawks, who struggled to contain Howard. He averaged 21 points, 16.8 rebounds and 3.5 blocks. Smith countered with 13.8 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.5 blocks this season against the Magic. More than anyone, Smith holds the key to Atlanta's chances of an upset.

"He is so darn athletic, he can jump from one side of the goal to the other,'' said Magic guard Vince Carter of Smith. "You have to be aware of him at all times. His ability to block shots, create havoc, it's going to test our patience.''

While Smith was big in the Hawks' first-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks, Howard was strangely not much of a factor in the Magic's sweep of the Bobcats. He struggled with foul trouble, which limited him to just 26.5 minutes per game. He also shot just 37.5 percent from the free throw line.

 "This is going to be a totally different series for me,'' Howard promised Monday. "I'm not frustrated now. I'm looking forward to whatever [the Hawks] throw at me. I'm not worried.''

The Magic, the No. 2 seed in the East, haven't played since last Monday, while the Hawks just finished a grueling, seven-game series against the Bucks. The Hawks might be tired Tuesday, but the Magic also might be rusty from being away so long.

Both teams are loaded with scorers, which makes the defensive post play so important. Howard and Smith won't be guarding one another (Al Horford will guard Howard), but they surely will be gauged against one another.

"We just got history,'' Smith told Tania Ganguli of the Orlando Sentinel late in the regular season when speaking about Howard. "He's like one of my best friends. He's like a brother to me. He feels the same way.''

[cman88]

Our best chance at a championship this year is with the current core. I wouldn't trade ray or kg for anyone.besides sg is probably our thinnest position.

Its more likely orlando trades for him imo

[action781]

This trade might be overly favorable to the Celtics, but:

Boston trades:  Jeff Green, Avery Bradley
Boston gets:  Josh Smith

Atlanta trades:  Josh Smith
Atlanta gets:  Varejao, Avery Bradley

Cleveland trades:  Varejao
Cleveland gets:  Jeff Green


Obvious enormous upgrade of talent for Boston.  Atlanta gets a sufficient NBA starting center to push Horford to the 4.  Bradley should be ready to step into the role to backup Teague once Hinrich's contract is up.  Cleveland gets young talent and rids itself of Varejao's long contract.

Problem:  Does Atlanta want to take on Varejao's contract?  It's only one year longer than Smith's and is about $4M less

[stylo617617]

jeff green
glen davis
avery bradley
future 2nd rounder for josh smith ,its the best i can think of but of course we'll have to wait untill a new cba is in place to start negotiating

[Evantime34]

This trade might be overly favorable to the Celtics, but:

Boston trades:  Jeff Green, Avery Bradley
Boston gets:  Josh Smith

Atlanta trades:  Josh Smith
Atlanta gets:  Varejao, Avery Bradley

Cleveland trades:  Varejao
Cleveland gets:  Jeff Green


Obvious enormous upgrade of talent for Boston.  Atlanta gets a sufficient NBA starting center to push Horford to the 4.  Bradley should be ready to step into the role to backup Teague once Hinrich's contract is up.  Cleveland gets young talent and rids itself of Varejao's long contract.

Problem:  Does Atlanta want to take on Varejao's contract?  It's only one year longer than Smith's and is about $4M less

That does't seem that bad if we give Cleveland a first or two.

[Moranis]

Our best chance at a championship this year is with the current core. I wouldn't trade ray or kg for anyone.besides sg is probably our thinnest position.

Its more likely orlando trades for him imo

no it isn't.  Boston's core will not beat the Heat.  There has to be moves unless by some miracle another team knocks off Miami before Boston has to play them.

[toneskeet]

I would be crushed at first, but if Dwight did decide to some here then all would be forgiven and then some. We know he's close with Smith, and he obv. has interest in playing With Rondo. We give Ray, BBD, OUR 1st next year. Use the MLE on someone like J.R. Smith. I know it's still a long shot but think if Dwight signs here. . . 2012 lineup:

Rondo, Smith, J.R.,  Green, Smith, Howard

Pierce
Bradly
West?
2011 1st
2012 clippers

[get_banners]

Smith and Rondo are definitely buds, so I could see an obvious reason for him to want to play here (along with the winning culture and Doc and the HOFers on the roster). But...yeah, unless Atlanta is looking for a salary dump, I don't see this happening. Josh Smith is very good, but if we have to trade KG or Ray to get him (as in, Atlanta keeps them vs. a buy-out), we don't improve THAT much, and we lose some flexibility in 2012.

[cman88]

Our best chance at a championship this year is with the current core. I wouldn't trade ray or kg for anyone.besides sg is probably our thinnest position.

Its more likely orlando trades for him imo

no it isn't.  Boston's core will not beat the Heat.  There has to be moves unless by some miracle another team knocks off Miami before Boston has to play them.

If I'm not mistaken a dallas team with not as many "star" peices as us just beat the heat...our best player who runs our offense was injured and we got nothing out of our bench. We have rond and play team ball like dallas and we could beatthe heat

Ray was our best player last season. You don't create new holes to create others. Our sg spot is thin.