Atlanta Hawks Need to Maintain the Momentum With Changes

"Mortified."

That's probably the word that best described me around this time last year, as it became more and more apparent that my finally triumphant (if you call 37-45 and the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference "triumphant," and I do) Atlanta Hawks were not going to return from the offseason whole. One of the Joshes was going to go.

Josh Childress bolted for, of all places, Greece. Not to the Sixers or Warriors, not even to the damned Heat, but overseas. Whatever, Q-Tip.

Such an occurrence really just made me all the more anxious about my team signing the man better known 'round this house as J-Smoove. The Grizzlies signed him to an offer sheet, and I gritted my teeth. I was checking the wires every few hours for a period of about two days until...

Thankfully, Hawks brass matched Memphis and got the freak back. I could breathe again.

Now, with me having set the table for this piece with that...

Imagine me slowly dragging my feet towards the "trade Josh Smith" bandwagon here in Atlanta.

Wait! Allow me to explain (that and a few other concerns I have about the summer in the ATL)!

There Can Only Be One...of These Two Guys

It's actually fairly quickly become the general consensus down here in the Dirty that either Joe Johnson or Josh Smith must go. They simply do not team well. I mean, when was the last time JJ ooped it to Smoove, or Josh found Joe open on the perimeter after penetrating?

B/R Hawks writers have weighed in on this issue, and we've gotten conflicting opinions regarding who should go. As you might have guessed from my intro, I'm reluctantly coming to the conclusion that Smith is the one who needs to be shown the door. And to remember the ulcers I was giving myself over us possibly losing him last July!

The thing about Josh is, while he has matured greatly since he came into the league, he still for some reason is repeating the same few dumb decisions. After watching him in these past playoffs, I'm about ready to say he actually took a step back this season (whereas I felt like he'd moved forward in each of his previous years). The number of times dude pulled up for a 19-foot jumper made me physically sick.

Josh seems to have not realized what his strengths are, despite how well the Hawks play when he's doing the right things. An athletic marvel like him needs to play inside; I don't care if he's a bit undersized for a power forward, but this boy should never be outside of 15 feet. And it doesn't help his case that any time head coach Mike Woodson approaches him about making adjustments, he blows up.

Now, don't get it twisted: I do not worship at the altar of Woody. He does fairly little throughout the game and even less when the squad really needs him in the last two minutes. But he has tried to discipline Josh; Smoove just can't take it like a man.

Woodson is no genius. He largely tries to go hands-off (like Zen Master), but he simply does not have the rapport or personnel for that approach. Still, Josh is the only one on the roster who has a problem with him, and Mike is around for at least the next season, which may mean that Smith not being here is in the best interest of the team.

Yes, his contract has all kinds of crazy financial stipulations should we attempt to ship him before August, and yes, any move is pending his approval, per the terms of his deal. So we won't get the best offers once we finally are able to bargain. But that doesn't mean this summer isn't the time.

Remember how bad Philly seemed to want him last offseason? Think they might give us Thaddeus Young and a second-round pick?

Or maybe Memphis, the same team that caused me all that panic a year ago? Hakim Warrick could work as a stopgap tweener.

Smoove, it's not that I don't love you, because I do. Can't you see this hurts me more than it hurts you?

I just don't see us taking another step forward with Josh.

It's Summer; Do You Know Where Your Free Agents Are?

It may not be 2010 yet, but the Hawks need to be pretty on their game when it comes to the market anyway. There's just too many names of our own coming up right now. Allow me to simply address them one by one:

Marvin Williams should be re-signed. No, we didn't take Chris Paul in the 2005 Draft, dammit. Shut up about it, and realize that Marv took another considerable step forward last season and deserves some recognition.

No, he has not become an All-Star already like the two fellas taken after him, but hey, neither has Bogut (taken ahead of him), and we all know bigs and wings take longer to develop than the little guys.

Flip Murray should also be picked back up. I don't remember the last time my ATLiens didn't have an undersized shooting guard coming off the bench for emergency scoring (first it was Tony Delk, then Tyronn Lue, and now "Ronald"); this role is big in our ability to win games. Joe cannot be counted on every night, though he's certainly good on most, and until Horf is putting in 18 a game, we need another option.

It'd be nice to have Zaza back, but it's looking more and more like it's not going to happen. Quality backup big men are drawing a lot of attention, be it from Toronto, Detroit, or whomever else. I've always loved the intensity with which Pachulia plays, and while dude doesn't exactly have a nose for the hoop, he certainly has one for the ball. I wish him luck in his next enforcer role.

And Mike Bibby? Well, that's all contingent on...

Shopping Time!

I'm sitting here scrolling down a list of this summer's availables, and my mind is already wandering to next summer, that of some guy named 'Bron. Not a good indication; we need to stand pat in this "talent depression," huh?

That depends. It's important to get a feel for how much money is expected for two specific guys: our own Bibster, and a certain Andre Miller.

Looking at the figures of their last contracts, things are somewhat comparable though Bibby has made up to $4 million more in a season. Take into account that both are getting older and that Mike seems to have slipped more than Andre, and I think we're talking very similar terms for either guy: They probably warrant around $5 or 6 million a year, and three- to four-year tenures would be fair.

I say to you, Hawks brass, take that which comes cheaper, and if they're the exact same price, opt for the freshness and more traditional PG play of Miller. Of course, if either will give you a two-year option, shoot, go for it.

In terms of other names, backup bigs like Anderson Varejao, Chris Wilcox, and Chris Andersen all catch my eye, but I've got a problem with each. Springhead is just too inconsistent, Wilcox just too complacent, and Andersen in just too high of demand after a fantastic regular campaign and postseason with the overachieving Nugs.

I'd take these guys, but only for the right digits. Failing to nab any of them means looking for a recovery project; Jamaal Magloire and Chris Mihm come to mind.

Delicious Fresh Meat

Excuse me if that subhead is a little creepy, but you must understand, we here in Hotlanta have been starving for draft picks since '07.

The 19th slot is kind of a weird place to be selecting in this draft simply because of the way the talent is stacked by position, but you know what? We'll take it, considering our needs.

I've seen a lot of boards proclaiming we'll take a point guard, and I'm cool with that, as long as we're not going to bury him alive the way we did Acie Law (I still believe he could kick it, by the way). VCU's Eric Maynor seems likely to be available, and I love how fundamentally sound he is. Admittedly, he's no athlete, but neither was Bibby.

Also at the one and in our range is Ty Lawson, and I wouldn't hate that, either. But I'd prefer the former Ram over the former Tar Heel based solely upon size. Remember that I'm pulling for a return of Flip; would two six-foot-flat guards coming off the bench really be optimal?

Of course, should we trade Josh Smith, the small forward position would also probably need a bit of buffering. I think it'd only be natural to snatch up James Johnson or Earl Clark should either one drop to us.

But if neither of them pan out, how about Sam Young? We haven't too often gone for guys judging straight on their college performance, but I think it'd work with this fella; he seems ready and willing to put in the work to make up for his lack of size, and he plays defense more aggressively than Johnson, Clark, or even Smoove.

The pool of big men will not be good come our turn. I cringe at the idea of us taking on the project that is B.J. Mullens (what has this guy done to prove himself worthy of a first-round pick?), and Psycho T in a Hawks jersey is the stuff of my nightmares.

Though we may end up needing one badly, let's pick a tall guy off the free agent bargain rack before we head down the Mullens or Hansbrough road.

It took us a long, long time to get back to respectability, and here I am already with that air of entitlement and the "we need change" attitude. Funny, I've never really thought of myself as the cut-throat, never-satisfied type, but here I am, believing we can be more.

I'll pull for this team whether or not Mr. Sund listens to my advice; I've just come too far not to. But hey, who would you trust more to make decisions for the bunch than the guy who lost hours of sleep over the retaining of a key player?