Hawks courting Joe Smith?
Joe Smith (32) gave the Hawks all they could handle as he and his Cavaliers swept the birds out of the playoffs in May. The Hawks are in the process of recruiting him to help solidify their frontline rotation.
HAWKSVILLE - Who said the Hawks were done chasing big men this summer?
You didn’t hear it around these parts, at least not officially (from me).
Barring a last minute change of plans, veteran big man Joe Smith is scheduled to visit town on Wednesday, according to two of my best spies. And the Hawks are not out of the running for Ben Wallace, who has yet to agree to terms with Detroit (though, one of my best spies up north insists that it’s just a matter of time before Wallace returns to the Pistons).
A 6-10, 225-pound veteran of 14 NBA seasons, Smith showed he has plenty left in the tank against the Hawks in the Eastern Conference semifinals, averaging 4.8 rebounds, 3.3 points and 1.2 blocks in a little over 21 minutes per game. He’s got that “old man” strength that belies his seemingly slender frame. I watched him push the Hawks’ around in that series whenever he was on the floor.
Smith’s numbers (10.8 points and 5.5 rebounds) in the Cavaliers’ first round sweep of Detroit were even more impressive. He’s capable of that kind of production off the bench for a quality team, which speaks volumes for the type of veteran and pro that he has become since being the No. 1 overall pick in the 1995 draft.
Pair him on the frontline with Zaza Pachulia behind Josh Smith and Al Horford and the Hawks’ paper-thin frontcourt rotation suddenly takes on a different look. While it’s far from the “championship move” many have argued for around here, it’s certainly a move in the right direction (provided the Hawks are able to recruit him and sign him at some point between now and training camp).
The Hawks’ other big man options aren’t exactly ready to fade into the background. I mentioned Randolph Morris the other day and he’s shown well so far. Jeff Schultz caught up with him after Tuesday morning’s mini-camp practice for an interesting update on what he’s been up to this summer.
Another player to keep an eye on for a training camp invite is Othello Hunter. His minutes were sparse as a rookie last season, but the strides he made (physically and in his game) have been stunning to see from a year ago this time. It’s not clear right now what his future is with the Hawks. There are only going to be so many roster spots to go around. And without a guaranteed contract heading into camp, he’ll be gambling a bit if he comes to camp with the Hawks. But I like his game and what he brings in terms of a no-nonsense reserve that’s going to get to it whenever he’s asked.
I spoke with an Eastern Conference executive Tuesday afternoon that wanted to know what the Hawks were going to do with Solomon Jones. Funny, Jones asked me the same thing last week. I answered his question with the same question he asked me. He’s a restricted free agent, so you almost expect his summer to last a bit longer than most. Still, he’ll become an option for not only the Hawks but plenty of other teams looking to fill out the rotation with a long and athletic (even if he’s still a bit undersized) big that can play spot minutes when necessary.
Garret Siler has his chance to make an impression over the next 36 hours or so. He played well enough in summer league to get some looks from several other teams, so the Hawks will have to make a decision about what they want to do with him regarding training camp. One hilarious story that’s already made the mini-camp rounds is that it takes an entire roll of tape to properly tape up one of his ankles. I have to admit he is one of the largest human beings I can remember cutting corners in the hawks’ locker room during my time here. It’s on the floor, though, and particularly against Morris, Hunter and guys like Earl Barron, where we’ll be able to gauge Siler’s readiness for the rigors of the NBA.
There are still a few names left on the free agent radar, the most notable being Johan Petro. He hasn’t signed anywhere yet and could still be an option for the Hawks should things not work out with one of the other guys mentioned above.
Enough about these big men already. It’s time for some actual scrimmage action here shortly (the next time the Hawks have a mini-camp that has more drills than scrimmages in the first two days we should stage a non-violent protest in the name of the game). The blog will be open for business all night. I’ll be dipping back and forth between the blog and Twitter throughout the evening if you want to join the party.
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922 comments Add your comment
whocares
July 25th, 2009
5:41 pm
all this talk about siler and morris and whatever doesnt matter. they are all scrubs who will never be on the court at the same time as the best big men in the league.
Ariose
July 25th, 2009
5:46 pm
Melvin, MJ better get on that lol. Brand Jordan/Air Teage lol!
Melvin
July 25th, 2009
5:56 pm
From Sekou Twitter page (keep in mind that the reports that Aroise posted was from a guy who didn’t think highly of Josh):
@sekousmith01 Any real expectations from J-smooves Team USA experience?
@decatur_g I’m curious to see what the general perception of him is after the camp. I’ve heard that he’s looked good.
Anakin Joe
July 25th, 2009
5:57 pm
Ariose, when you watch all of those YouTube videos on Teague, you don’t have nightmares about him becoming Lou Williams? I do, that’s why I try to avoid watching those videos. Please, basketball gods, don’t let him be Lou Williams.
Ken
July 25th, 2009
6:00 pm
My ideal hawks line-up(I know there’s no chance):
We already have
Bibby and Teague, JJ and Crawford, Mo Evans, Josh and Randmo,
Al and Zaza
One way or another we should get Marv inked up. I truly hope we get Joe Smith, as I think he’s our last shot at a decent veteran.
That’s 11 guys, now for tricky part trade Mo Evans and Randmo to Golden State for Brandon Wright. Sign Hakim Warrick to 2 yr deal w/ 3rd yr team option. Sign Siler for minimum for 2/3 yrs. Resign Flip for cheap or take a chance on that Korelev (Russian) kid. And I heard Solo is bout to take deal in Indi. This would make final roster look like so:
Bibby, Teague, Flip
JJ, Crawford,
Marv, Warrick, Korelev(depending on how many they want to keep)
Josh, Brandon Wright
Al, Zaza, Siler
Probably not enough money left to make this happen, not that they’d go to the trouble anyway, but this is my vision.
Ariose
July 25th, 2009
6:08 pm
“We got caught with our pants down in the playoffs against Cleveland because Al wasn’t healthy, Joe [Johnson] wasn’t healthy and Marvin wasn’t healthy”
Hahahahaha!!!!! LOLOLOLOL!!!! Is he supposed to say that!!!
Im happy Woodson is NOT happy about his contract situation. Hopefully thiswill push him twoards greatness, ans make his strive to better his coaching prowess……lol. GVE HIM ANOTHER TWO-YEAR DEAL AFTER THIS ONE SUND!!!!! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!!!
niremetal
July 25th, 2009
6:14 pm
Warrick = Not gonna happen. Assuming we sign a veteran FA, it needs to be a guy capable of playing 10-15 minutes a night at PF regularly and 20-25 minutes a night at PF and some spot duty at center if the need arises (ie if one of Josh/Al/Zaza gets hurt). Despite being 6′9, Warrick is too skinny and too weak to log significant effective minutes at PF. He’s basically Marvin without the D or the 3-ball.
Ariose
July 25th, 2009
6:19 pm
AJ, Nah I’ve seen enough of teauge to know he’s No Louis Williams
1) Lou was he main scorere on our HS squad for the most part(Mike Mercer). Non-stop offense(couldn’t be stopped anyway)…and Lou played SG, not point. Teauge has always played point…even though he saw spot minutes at the SG spot at Wake.
2) Lou is more athletic(He jumps higher for sure). He’s more of an athlete….never seen lou result to floaters much.
3) Teaue played with Courtney Lee and other good players in HS so he facilitated much more….Teauge is a Point guard. No doubt about it.
Thats no knock on Louis, I saw him last week in a pickup game and all he did was pass, I think he assited on like every basket that was made lol. Low might be ready for the limelight…..But until the season starts Teauge is a better PG prospect. He’s Bigger(muscle wise) thasn Lou too, so his Shooting shouldn’t take a hit like Lou’s did coming out of HS…
Ken
July 25th, 2009
6:19 pm
Ariose,
I’m with you as the greatest non-commercial ever. I think everyone’s seen that first sportcenter dunk, but the other facials were new to me. They were just as nasty, too!!
And assuming we could actually get Warrick, I think he could play some 3 behind Marvin, but absolutely no three pointers.
Ken
July 25th, 2009
6:21 pm
We either need to sign somebody or for Sekou to come back soon, cause people are starting to lose it stressing over benchwarmer/non-factors Siler/Randmo like they matter…lol
Anakin Joe
July 25th, 2009
6:26 pm
nire, I dusagree on your Warrick analysis. We’re the only team without a back-up forward (sorry, Mo is a SG). Marvin, Smith, Al, Warrick and Zaza could easily hold down the 3 front court positions. I’d prefer Joe Smith because we need to increase our B-ball IQ more than we do our athleticism. But, I’d rather have Warrick than Diogu. Plus with Warrick, we may see more of Horford at PF… with Maryland Joe, we may see more of Josh at the SF.
Ariose
July 25th, 2009
6:43 pm
Found out That Mike Woodson is in Las Vegas Watching Josh Smith at Team USA mini-Camp(Via Twitter)…..his performace so far can’t be good for their relationship lol…
Ariose
July 25th, 2009
7:02 pm
I guess he’s in Town for the Big “offical” Blue vs. White Game tonight
niremetal
July 25th, 2009
8:05 pm
AJ,
With Warrick, we only see more of Horford at PF if your boy Woody is willing to give RandMo (or Siler) some minutes at C. And I highly doubt that we’ll see much of Josh at the SF – Woody never played Josh at SF last year, even when Marvin was hurt, and he actually logged more minutes at C than he did at SF:
http://www.82games.com/0809/0809ATL2.HTM
I highly doubt that the addition of Joe Smith would change that. He is unlikely to play more than 15-18 minutes a game at this stage in his career, nor would he be expected to barring injury – and some of those minutes undoubtedly will be at center.
I agree that Mo is far from ideal as an SF, but a higher priority has to be getting a vet who can give us 1) a good locker room presence and 2) our first decent vet at PF or C since Woody arrived (or since Harrington left town, if you count him as a PF). The fact that Josh had to play even 10 minutes at C last year should show that we need another reliable presence at PF and C before we even look at bolstering a perimeter position. I want Joe Smith, Tony Battie, or Adonal Foyle for $2M/yr, not Hakim Warrick at $4M.
PS – If your boy Woody didn’t have his SF stand around the perimeter waiting for bail-out passes all the time, which is the WORST possible use of Warrick (same as it was with Diaw), I might be singing a different tune.
niremetal
July 25th, 2009
8:08 pm
(And yeah, I know you advocated Joe Smith over Warrick, but I needed a straw man to show why Warrick makes not-so-much sense given our roster and coach)
niremetal
July 25th, 2009
8:12 pm
One last thing – the additions of Crawford and Teague mean that Joe will be seeing a lot more minutes at SF than he did last year. I’ll actually venture a guess that Joe will log more minutes at SF this next year than anyone except Marvin. And my guess is that that would be true even if we added Warrick.
Anakin Joe
July 25th, 2009
8:36 pm
Ariose, I just know that Lou Williams is a horrid shooter with no true point guard skills. I mean, how valuable is a combo guard who shoots less than 42% from the field? Oops, dammit, Lou Williams shoots better from the field than Crawford. Never mind.
nire, so what is Zaza doing in your scenario above? I think Woody could use Warrick in a very similar manner as he used Childress. But with every legit big signing elsewhere, I return to my previous premise. Dude MUST be planning on completed a trade in August. Because I don’t believe that we will enter the season with a minimum wage big sitting next to RandMo. No way, no how does this GM evaluate the team for a year and decides that a Lo Wright or Adonal Foyle is sufficient.
cp
July 25th, 2009
8:37 pm
A few of us have been asking for Clifford Ray for the past few years. Tyrone Hill just wont cut it.
Anakin Joe
July 25th, 2009
8:55 pm
Clifford Ray, Antoine Carr, Rick Mahorn, Antonio Davis, Kevin Willis, Shareef Abdur-Rahim… heck, I’d offer an assistant coaching seat to Charles Shackleford.
A Tribe Called Quest
July 25th, 2009
9:03 pm
WHY HAS NO ONE BEEN ADDED SINCE THURSDAY WHEN I LAST CHECKED?
FREAKIGN SIGN JOE SMITH ALREADY
SH*T
A Tribe Called Quest
July 25th, 2009
9:03 pm
WE JUST LOST SOLOMON.
CAN WE PLEASE ADD SOME PLAYERS
Ariose
July 25th, 2009
9:26 pm
AJ, Nice One lol. Shoulda’ known that was coming eventually. Lou will suprise some ppl this year. Hopefully crawford will suprise us.
Ariose
July 25th, 2009
9:32 pm
*Nods Head* Nire , I agree. But IF we did add Warrick (just becuse) With Joe Smith, Korolev, and Slier, I’d be pretty satisfied…..but i’d rather have Flip than Warrick(obviously).
niremetal
July 25th, 2009
9:40 pm
Ariose,
Cap room/room under the tax threshold doesn’t grow on trees, man. Warrick won’t be looking for a 1 or 2 year deal at $2M a year. No way we sign him to what he’ll probably ask for and get and still have the money left to sign Joe Smith AND fill out the remaining roster spots. It’s a one or the other deal at this point.
niremetal
July 25th, 2009
9:45 pm
Anakin,
Basically, your entire response to me was a non-sequitur. First off, no one said Lo Wright. Wright is capable of providing neither quality minutes nor a quality locker room presence.
As for Zaza…uh, he’d be playing backup center. Same as he did this past year. Basically, the frontcourt rotation is Josh getting 33-35 minutes a night, Horford getting 33-35 minutes a night, Zaza getting 18-20, and Joe Smith or whoever is left taking the remaining 10-15 (and more when the inevitable injury occurs).
There’s no trade coming, man. A frontcourt rotation of Horford/Josh/Zaza/Joe Smith is more than sufficient going forward. Only you and Clyde don’t seem to think so.
Anakin Joe
July 25th, 2009
9:49 pm
nire, did you get some kind of inside tip on Joe Smith? Hey, I would be thrilled with Joe Smith, but here’s my concern… isn’t he the last man standing between the Lo Wright/Stromile Swift/Michael Ruffin collection?
Anakin Joe
July 25th, 2009
9:53 pm
Oops, hit submit too quickly. So if Joe Smith decides to play for a Western Conference contender, then what? I was not one of the bloggers suggesting Smith AND Warrick. I was suggesting Warrick if Smith goes elsewhere. And so I stand corrected, there is Joe Smith, Hakim Warrick and Drew Gooden. THEN, we get to Lo Wright, Stromile Swift qand Michael Ruffin. Whew, I feel oh so much better now.
Melvin
July 25th, 2009
9:54 pm
Aroise,
Check out this link. You can see Josh shooting jumpers in the background. Anakin, veiw at your own risk. I know you don’t want to see Josh praticing jumpshots (lol)… Although you can’t tell if he’s making the shots but at least his shot looks more fluid…
http://www.nba.com/video/channels/nba_tv/2009/07/24/nba_20090724_usab_triano.nba/
Melvin
July 25th, 2009
10:01 pm
If Miami sign Odom, will that be enough for them to catch the Hawks for the 4th spot in the east????
Ariose
July 25th, 2009
10:12 pm
Melvin, Thanks for the link. Yeah, his form doesn’t look bad in the clip, he needs to jump though lol. Tohse set shots are whats killing him lol.
Nire, I see. No wonder Memphis let him go he’s asking for more $$$ than he’s worth.
Melvin
July 25th, 2009
10:56 pm
Footage of the pre-game layup (or dunk) line at USA mini camp …
http://www.twitvid.com/A8A75
kwooden1
July 25th, 2009
10:58 pm
Looks like Solo is gone:
Twitter:
sekousmith01Spoke with Solomon Jones yesterday. He’s going to be a Pacer as soon as this week. Two year, minimum deal. Good fit for Solo and Pacers.
That probably means that Joe Smith is taking the HAWKS offer very seriously and Solo saw that he wasn’t going to get much time this coming season. I hope he does well with the Pacers, I always thought he had good length and quickness.
GO HAWKS!!
Melvin
July 25th, 2009
10:58 pm
Ha,ha… That John Schuhmann guy will learn that Josh does his best work during the games….
From Schuhmann twitter page:
Blue Team layup line quickly turned into a dunk contest with Iguodala, Smith and Randolph showing off.
Melvin
July 25th, 2009
11:01 pm
USA team rosters
http://my.nba.com/thread.jspa?threadID=5700040612
niremetal
July 25th, 2009
11:04 pm
Melvin,
Two things. First, there actually was a similar video where the form on Josh’s jumper looked good last year and I was really optimistic because of it…wish I could find it now. The hitch was much less pronounced. It didn’t look like the form he was using in practice is the one he ended up using during games. That’s the rub…when you get into a game situation and you don’t have the luxury of slowing down and consciously thinking about your form, it’s easy for old bad habits to creep back in.
Also, as to Odom – no, don’t think so. Think about it this way – they’ll have traded Moon for Odom. We’ll have traded Law, Claxton, and Flip for Teague, Crawford, and Player X. Miami’s biggest problems last year were offensive consistency and perimeter defense. Odom helps with neither of those things – indeed, the biggest knock on Odom has always been that he’s incredibly inconsistent on the offensive end. One of our two biggest problems last year (besides offensive rebounding) was taking pressure off JJ (both in terms of minutes and defensive attention). Crawford helps with both of those things.
Also, the Lakers weren’t exactly world-beaters with Odom and Kobe and Phil Jackson. It’s tough to see him doing better with Wade and Spoelstra. The Heat roster now is certainly no stronger than the Lakers of ‘05-’07, when they won 45 and 42 games. And since Odom is three years older now and seems to have lost the touch on his jumper, I’m not sure they do better with him. Odom is a glue guy, not a #2 option…
That being said, Odom is very, very good glue guy who will help whatever team he goes to. I just don’t think he addresses Miami’s weaknesses as much as someone like, say, Hedo Turkoglu or Richard Jefferson or even Ron Artest would have…
Anakin,
There’s a few more after Smith and Gooden before you’re scraping the Lo Wrights of the world. Brian Skinner would be my next target if Smith goes elsewhere. After that, I’d aim for Mikki Moore or Adonal Foyle. Also, don’t forget that there are invariably a few people cut in early August as teams finalize their rosters going towards training camp. Anyway, we shall see. But Warrick is among the guys that makes the least sense on the current free agent market given our roster and Woody’s “system,” not that that’ll stop people from screaming bloody murder when some other team signs him…
Melvin
July 25th, 2009
11:04 pm
Okay bloggers, which starting team do you like best. I like the blue team…lol
Starters.
White: Rose, Mayo, Gay, Green, Oden
Blue: Westbrook, Iguodala, Durant, Smith, Lopez
Melvin
July 25th, 2009
11:12 pm
Nire,
You may be selling Miami a little short. Odom would give them a good Robin to Wade’s Batman. Keep in mind that Wade didn’t have any reliable help last year. Factor in a mature Beasley and Chalmers along with a full season of Jermaine O’neal. Miami could very well improve over last year team….
Ariose
July 25th, 2009
11:17 pm
Nice Links Melvin….
Najeh Davenpoop
July 25th, 2009
11:17 pm
I’m pretty late to last page’s Josh Smith discussion, but to me it’s like this: Josh is a power forward. If he fulfills his potential in the low post I couldn’t care less if his jumper ever improved. Using his right hand and becoming more reliable in the post should be his top priority, not working on jump shots that he shouldn’t be taking in the first place.
Melvin
July 25th, 2009
11:18 pm
I may have to change my vote. Look like the white team is putting in work.
Rudy Gay gives White a 4-0 lead with a jumper and an assist to Jeff Green. Iguodala with 2 early TOs.
Highlight so far: Mayo lob to Gay on the break. Blue answered with a Iguodala lob to Lopez.
Gay leads all scorers with 8 points. Jeff Green has 5.
Josh Smith missed a dunk. Ronnie Brewer didn’t. Sick reverse off feed from Green.
Najeh Davenpoop
July 25th, 2009
11:19 pm
I agree with niremetal on Odom though, and to add to that he would just limit Beasley’s minutes the same way Marion did last year. Boozer makes a lot more sense for them than Odom.
Melvin
July 25th, 2009
11:20 pm
White leads Blue: 23-15 after one. Player of the game so far is Jeff Green.
nunna yo bizznezz
July 25th, 2009
11:25 pm
with all of this crawford talk,i see u all are fogetting one important piece..
there will be a log jam at the guard position and u will see in pre-season that thomas gardner(if given his minutes)will out shine and out perform both crawford and mo evans and will have to get a serious look for playing time folks..
don’t worry about what happen this year in summer league play,he was in a system that he was not familiar with.
but,this atlanta system is what he is honed to now..and he will shine..
he and othello..TRUST!!
u may say that if u are a professional u must fit in and adapt and always play your a-game..that is true..
but,that only applies to those who get real game minutes and play against real gamers like gardner will do in the pre-season..
i’ll tell u something else..joe will not be joe this year..
u think he will be the player he was 2 years ago,but,woody is killing joes legs like he and the pistons coaches did ben wallace..
joe’s play declined last year compared to the year before..
and his minutes really increased..
the time is now to trade joe johnson..
his game will decrease this year no matter how much time he has to rest compared to last year..his legs,confidence,and his skills are starting to go..
u will be screaming at the tube for gardner to play more,as he will show u his skills in pre-season..and when he makes the team,u will see more of his skills in the regular season that u will like..
it won’t suprise me..
i already know..
Melvin
July 25th, 2009
11:27 pm
Najeh,
I think Miami would play Beasley along side Odom. I see Beasley playing more at 4 than 3. I can’t see him defending effectively at the SF position….
Melvin
July 25th, 2009
11:34 pm
Joe Johnson will not be his ususal dependable self and Thomas Gardner will be the Hawks saver. Damn finding the batteries for the alarm NIRE, just hit me over the head with it. Maybe I will comeback to reality Soul II Soul style….
Anakin Joe
July 25th, 2009
11:36 pm
And if Gardner signs with another team, we can trade Crawford for Gardner. Go Hawks!
Melvin
July 25th, 2009
11:42 pm
I willing to bet this Schuhmann guy is clearer not a Josh fan.
Josh Smith gets dirty. Offensive board turns into 2 FT for Durant.
Anakin Joe
July 25th, 2009
11:44 pm
Brian Skinner, Mikki Moore or Adonal Foyle. Wow! I wish I could come up with something pithy but all I have to offer is, well… wow!
macaroni tony
July 25th, 2009
11:53 pm
Forget Schuhmann, I bet he can’t dunk himself.
Ariose
July 26th, 2009
12:00 am
Yeha , I asked Schuhmann about that
Me: Dirty? Lika a Block?
lol I really wanted to cuss him out…..if he says anything else negative about Smooove over the couse of his coverage it’s going to get UGLY lol.
I’ve been hearing his dribble about Smoove for the last couple of days now and i’m getting irritated.
APPARENTLY, Sekou’s sources are giving him a differnt perspetive on Josh’s performance at the camp…..whatever i’ll wait to hear waht Sekou’s sources have to say….or Woodson.