ESPN's Stein: Mavs possibly targeting Smoove

[TheNorthCydeRises]

And Smith, as of right now, is on the frontpage of hoopshype.com

[pimp]

Cuban must be tring to move Josh Howard after all the weed/ partying/ poor play this post season.

[NJHAWK]

Yeah that guy that talked about the Knicks Hawks trade mentioned this in his thread. It wont happen unless Cuban sends ASG a boatload of $$$ under the table they can use to buyout Belkin.

[dig]

Yeah Stein mentioned the Mavs are interested in both J. Smith & Marion (who would have to opt out) in a S&T, but that's really unsubstantiated at this point. In the same article, he mentioned Cuban and Carlisle are still high on J. Howard (no pun intended) so I'm not sure what their plans are, or if this is pure speculation...

On a side note, Stein's article on Carlisle was terrific. He was my #1 choice all year, and it looks like the Mavs found themselves a gem. If you think about it, he was instantly successful in both places he coached and was only replaced in Detroit b/c Larry Brown wanted the job (after Carlisle molded each player's role, except 'Sheed who hadn't arrived) and then in Indiana he had another terrific team that was derailed after the brawl. He also mentioned how he adjusted his coaching to the personnel, and that's why he's perceived as a slow-it-down, grind-it-out coach.... if I was a Mavs fan I would be thrilled. If we fired Woody last year Carlisle may have listened... at this point most decent options are exhausted....

[ncthompson11]

The only way ill trade smoove is if we get dirk in return. Id do a trade of Dirk and stack for smoove and zaza or something along those lines.

[Admin]

Because of Smoove being BYC it would take Smoove, Speedy, and Zaza just to get Dirk and I seriously doubt they would consider trading Dirk anyway.

[Swish]

I don't trade anyone with Dallas for Smoove. Just about the only trade for him I liked was Marv/Smoove/Speedy for Brand/Magette. Smoove is too good and too dang marketable and too Atlanta to be moved. The new GM and ASG has to see this.

[dig]

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The only way ill trade smoove is if we get dirk in return. Id do a trade of Dirk and stack for smoove and zaza or something along those lines.

LOL maybe we can get Josh Howard in the deal, too, and completely rip apart their core. The reason they want J. Smith is to but beside Dirk and protect him defensively so Nowitski can focus on offense and rebounding. Plus, he can operate off the ball and be effective (someone needs to tell Smoove that, of course) with Dirk, Howard, and Terry spreading the floor, not to mention dynamite on the Jason Kidd fast break. And, oh yeah, Dirk is one of the league's best players and their franchise guy (they had him sit down and talk with Carlisle before he was hired, to give you an indication of his importance to the Mavs). He's pretty close to untradeable...

The only realistic thing I see is moving Smoove for Howard, with some variations on each side to make the salaries work.... they'll try to offer us JT or Stack (neither of which we want or need), but if we're to do it Howard would have to be they key -- he's an All-Star who fits at the 3, letting us keep Al at his natural 4 and going with Chill or Marvin as backups... he also does everything well, including play defense and shoot.

Ultimately, I think Carlisle and Cuban like howard too much (and for good reason, him & Dirk are their only promising young guys other than Brandon Bass). Plus, he's a sure thing while Smoove still has a lot to prove...

[NJHAWK]

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The only way ill trade smoove is if we get dirk in return. Id do a trade of Dirk and stack for smoove and zaza or something along those lines.

The only realistic thing I see is moving Smoove for Howard, with some variations on each side to make the salaries work.... they'll try to offer us JT or Stack (neither of which we want or need), but if we're to do it Howard would have to be they key -- he's an All-Star who fits at the 3, letting us keep Al at his natural 4 and going with Chill or Marvin as backups... he also does everything well, including play defense and shoot. I would not trade Smoove for the toker playoff evaporater Josh Howard. No thank you. Howard is already 28. Howard has not shown any signs of maturing and since he got paid just doesnt seem to give a fukkk.

[DrReality]

It would have to be a deal that we cannot refuse for us to part with Smoove.

[WraithSentinel]

Mavs traded away the only player on their team I would have thought about trading Smoove for. That is Devin Harris. They won't part with Dirk. Rest of that team is either high,role players, or on the verge of retiring.

[Seano]

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The only way ill trade smoove is if we get dirk in return. Id do a trade of Dirk and stack for smoove and zaza or something along those lines.

LOL maybe we can get Josh Howard in the deal, too, and completely rip apart their core. The reason they want J. Smith is to but beside Dirk and protect him defensively so Nowitski can focus on offense and rebounding. Plus, he can operate off the ball and be effective (someone needs to tell Smoove that, of course) with Dirk, Howard, and Terry spreading the floor, not to mention dynamite on the Jason Kidd fast break. And, oh yeah, Dirk is one of the league's best players and their franchise guy (they had him sit down and talk with Carlisle before he was hired, to give you an indication of his importance to the Mavs). He's pretty close to untradeable...

The only realistic thing I see is moving Smoove for Howard, with some variations on each side to make the salaries work.... they'll try to offer us JT or Stack (neither of which we want or need), but if we're to do it Howard would have to be they key -- he's an All-Star who fits at the 3, letting us keep Al at his natural 4 and going with Chill or Marvin as backups... he also does everything well, including play defense and shoot.

Ultimately, I think Carlisle and Cuban like howard too much (and for good reason, him & Dirk are their only promising young guys other than Brandon Bass). Plus, he's a sure thing while Smoove still has a lot to prove...

Yeah. I pretty much agree with you, dig. There's no way in hell Nowitzki's traded, and if he were- he'd probably cost quite a bit more than Josh Smith and a couple of scrubby-dubby doos.

I would hate to see Smoove traded, personally. If I owned the team, I would make his signing priority one, above all others. He's important to the franchise in ways that go far beyond just what he does out there on the court. He's extremely marketable, he's the hometown kid, he's a high flyer almost like Dominique was, always up there above the rim. Honestly, Smoove is the most exciting players we've had here in ages- exciting enough to sell lots of extra tickets. Even if I weren't a Hawks fan, I'd pay money to watch Smoove play. He brings that kind of excitement level, potential, and possibility- and that's acknowledged around the league. And he's just starting to scratch the surface. His flaws, he can so easily improve, because most of those flaws lie in his approach and decision-making and what's going on inside his head- and he has the capability to improve all of that, easily. He has no physical flaws in my opinion, in fact he is a world-class athlete.

And to trade a guy like that for such an obviously egocentric, selfish, STUPID idiot and jackass as Dwight Howard? That would make me feel like crying, and then vomiting. It would really make me sick. Howard is an absolute fool, and I would want no part of him.

[atlien]

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And to trade a guy like that for such an obviously egocentric, selfish, STUPID idiot and jackass as Dwight Howard? That would make me feel like crying, and then vomiting. It would really make me sick. Howard is an absolute fool, and I would want no part of him.

lol, i think you mean JOSH Howard.

I dont really wanna trade Smoove, let me make that clear. But imma play the devil`s advocate here.

I really like J-Ho`s game and Im not really worried about his "character" issues. He`s proven that he works hard and he comes to play every game. He`s a competitor.

The fact is, he`s EXATCLY what we need at the 3.

So what if we give them Smoove, make them take back Speedy, and throw in a Zaza type if need be to make the deal work.

They give us Josh Howard and Bass and a pick.

We then can use either Marvin or Chill to try and get another big guy. Not sure, they`d do it, but someone like Sean Williams comes to mind.

But, even leaving out the second trade. We`d have a depth chart like:

Bibby/Law

JJ/Chill

J-Ho/Marv

Bass/Marv/?

Horford/Solo

That line-up is one more decent big from being real elite. If we could do the Sean Williams trade, we`d start Horford at PF and move Bass to the bench. Lets assume it costs Marv (id want a pick coming back our way if we did):

Bibby/Law

JJ/Chill

J-Ho/Chill

Horford/Bass/Solo

Sean Williams/Horf/Solo

A lot of IFs I know, but its the best I could come up with. Getting rid of Speedy`s contract and getting back Josh Howard and Bass isnt so bad. Getting back another shooter like Stack would be gravy too, but is pushing it.

It`d be damn hard for Dallas to do it too though.

But yeah, I dont really wanna trade Smoove.

[dig]

I really don't want to trade Josh Smith, either. If we had a real coach who Smith respected (or feared) that could force him to play within himself, and play hard, even 85% of the time he would be a star with the potential to gradually develop into a superstar as his offensive game advanced.

Now, the question is are we ever going to get that head coach, or alternatively will Smoove mature on his own (our veterans are the mild-mannered JJ and even-more-immature Bibby, so I don't know who's going to push J. Smith). I don't see either happening with the coaches/players we have now, especially after Smoove lands a near-max deal.

So, if the incompetent ASG concludes that they can't re-sign Smoove, I would say a player like Josh Howard is pretty close to ideal. I say player because Howard comes with a host of character issues... and I'm not talking about getting high every once and a while I could care less about that. He's shown that he doesn't really respect or care about his teammates... Mavs fans feel that his stats come early in the game and he often hoards the ball and takes bad jumpers when he should attack and pass (especially when he has those skills). They feel like he had a bad relationship with Avery Johnson and often ignored what he had to say, especially after Devin Harris was traded... this is starting to sound like Smoove and Woody LOL.

With that being said, Howard would be a good fit as a player beside Al, JJ, and whoever plays the point & center. I think we could probably do better if we absolutely have to move Smoove... like maybe get a legit point like Calderon or even go after Brand, Richard Jefferson, Baron Davis, or Gilbert Arenas. Again, we should keep Smoove but if we have to move him it better net us a legit All-Star calibre veteran at a position of need...

[khaos7]

No way in the world I trade Josh Smith for Josh Howard. The only way I consider trading Smoove is in some type of package (that would make the salaries work) that would bring us a bonafied star/playoff player back. If Smoove is our best bargining chip, I want nothing less.

Josh Howard is nice. However, I don't see him as a significant improvment over what we have in Smooth. Plus, it's a shame we have to keep saying this, 1) his been stuck playing Woody ball, who knows how good he can be and 2) He's only 23!

Although he's a quasi-superstar, I'd prefer trading for Richard Jefferson (just me) more so than Howard.

[AHF]

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No way in the world I trade Josh Smith for Josh Howard. The only way I consider trading Smoove is in some type of package (that would make the salaries work) that would bring us a bonafied star/playoff player back. If Smoove is our best bargining chip, I want nothing less.

Josh Howard is nice. However, I don't see him as a significant improvment over what we have in Smooth. Plus, it's a shame we have to keep saying this, 1) his been stuck playing Woody ball, who knows how good he can be and 2) He's only 23!

Although he's a quasi-superstar, I'd prefer trading for Richard Jefferson (just me) more so than Howard.

Josh Smith is actually only 22 (won't turn 23 until December) and Josh Howard is 28 -- and Josh Smith is already better. Give me the better player and 6 years.

[frosgrim]

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No way in the world I trade Josh Smith for Josh Howard. The only way I consider trading Smoove is in some type of package (that would make the salaries work) that would bring us a bonafied star/playoff player back. If Smoove is our best bargining chip, I want nothing less.

Josh Howard is nice. However, I don't see him as a significant improvment over what we have in Smooth. Plus, it's a shame we have to keep saying this, 1) his been stuck playing Woody ball, who knows how good he can be and 2) He's only 23!

Although he's a quasi-superstar, I'd prefer trading for Richard Jefferson (just me) more so than Howard.

Josh Smith is actually only 22 (won't turn 23 until December) and Josh Howard is 28 -- and Josh Smith is already better. Give me the better player and 6 years.

QFT

Smith can only get better. His decission making is like a 22 year old's. It can, and should, improve. A trade of Smith is not a good move on the part of the Hawks unless they get something of equal talent and age back (Brandon Roy for example). I don't think giving Smith a 10-12 million per deal is that awful considering the market place and what Smith can do for the team. Cap space does NOTHING for a team but allow the team to sign players. Stars win games in the NBA, thus, use the cap to sign an up and coming star.

My whish list for Smith in the off-season is for him to develop a much better dribble around the basket. If he can get that wide stance and dribble down (ala Nique) then he would become a go-to guy around the basket. The other option is for him to develop a drop-step, which might be easier for him to get. A drop step would get him around anyone and his leaping ability would get him easy baskets. He does not need to work on shooting IMO, as he doesn't need to be shooting- ever. Just work on how to get to the basket from w/in 10'.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

I agree. You only trade Smith for another star caliber player. If the Mavs have something in mind, it has to be some sort of multiple team deal that sees us getting a very nice player in return. Marvin is pretty much progressing at the same exact rate as Howard, so it would be redundant to trade for a guy like Josh Howard. So if they want Smith, talk to another team that can send us a very good player, because Dallas has nothing we can use, outside of Dirk.

And I also agree that Smith should work on everything besides shooting in the offseason. Work on a go-to move in the post. Get stronger. And most importantly, get and plat tougher.

[frosgrim]

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I agree. You only trade Smith for another star caliber player. If the Mavs have something in mind, it has to be some sort of multiple team deal that sees us getting a very nice player in return. Marvin is pretty much progressing at the same exact rate as Howard, so it would be redundant to trade for a guy like Josh Howard. So if they want Smith, talk to another team that can send us a very good player, because Dallas has nothing we can use, outside of Dirk.

And I also agree that Smith should work on everything besides shooting in the offseason. Work on a go-to move in the post. Get stronger. And most importantly, get and plat tougher.

A three team (or more) deal is going to be hard to pull off. But you have to listen. I am of the opinion that very few players are un-tradable in sports. Smith is in the get max value realm, but not untouchable. Gregg Maddux in his prime was untouchable (why did the Cubs let him go?). Jordan/Bird/Magic/ all the same. In the current NBA the only guys I would not trade are:

LeBron

Kobe

Wade

Dwight Howard

Horford

Chris Paul

Deron Williams

Duncan

Parker

Other than that, as a GM you have to listen but be overwhelmed for guys like

Greg Oden (needs a season to see what he can do, may move to untouchable)

Brandon Roy

KG

Arenas? (if healthy he may go up a notch)

Amare

Mota Ellis (that kid is amazing)

Devin Harris (horrible trade by Dallas)

Loul Deng

Brand

Bosh

Deliberate Omissions from the 2nd tier:

AI (old)

Carmelo (headcase?)

Dirk (box of Klenex)

I can't think of more guys right now, but I am sure this sort of listing could be expandanded greatly

Does anyone think that Dallas may offer Kidd as part of a deal for Smith? Kidd is not nearly enough IMO due to age, but Kidd would certainly be a GREAT addition to the Hawks.

[TheTrueSiete]

You have got to be kidding me... Jason Kidd? I thought we needed shooters...

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