Would you pay Smoove 14.5 starting salary?

[macdaddy]

when they stop making huge improvements from year to year.

People keep calling ASG dumb for not dumping money on him last summer, but this past season he was vastly improved over the season before. That wasn't guaranteed to happen. Sure in hindsight a deal would have been good unless he sucked and pouted this past season and then we'd be complaining that his contract had killed our free agent chances.

[AtLaS]

I voted yes because even though that is a terrible contract for Smith, the Hawks wouldn't see the playoffs again for at least another 5 years. The East is getting stronger, and after losing Smith we aren't making the playoffs, and JJ expires the season after next. He's definitely walking in that situation. We'd end up losing everyone and have to completely start over, again. I don't want to do that.

[DeacKillsaDevil]

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If Smith signs the offer sheet, then we can't do an SNT: all we can do is match or let him walk. The issue then becomes if GS wants to play ball with us and trade? Its a very dangerous game right now for the ASG.

What is ironic is that Al Harrington

could

be a piece that comes back to Atlanta if Smith is offered the Max. I am not saying that Harrington will be traded, but from GS's perspective giving us back Harrington makes more sense than giving up Biendris. Plus the cap numbers work better.

Didn't JJ sign our offer sheet?

[HawkNJersey]

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If Smith signs the offer sheet, then we can't do an SNT: all we can do is match or let him walk. The issue then becomes if GS wants to play ball with us and trade? Its a very dangerous game right now for the ASG.

What is ironic is that Al Harrington

could

be a piece that comes back to Atlanta if Smith is offered the Max. I am not saying that Harrington will be traded, but from GS's perspective giving us back Harrington makes more sense than giving up Biendris. Plus the cap numbers work better.

Didn't JJ sign our offer sheet?

I believe he did, after a trade was agreed upon....

[TheNorthCydeRises]

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This is feeling more and more like AK-47 or Shawn Marion. Those guys, Smith included, are elite stat-stuffers who bring unique qualities to the court. But none of them are max-type players. It almost feels like anything less than max is almost considered disrespectful. It's stupid when a 5 year/$65M deal is somehow insufficient for a guy who still requires the "he's only XX" excuse, despite having played 300 NBA games.

I agree.

And I bet with all of this movement, that Shawn wishes he would've opted out of his deal too. Artest now says that he might have made a big mistake by not opting out.

But you're right, the stat stuffers aren't worth top dollar. When you talk about Marion and AK, the major complaint from their fan base, always comes at playoff time when neither guy can be a consitent major factor on offense.

Phoenix fans and the organization thought Diaw could make Marion expendible, with the wa he played in the '06 playoffs. Diaw's success came almost strictly from D'Antoni playing him as a point center, a position that no team in the NBA would dream of playing Diaw at.

Then when their REAL point center came back ( Amare ), people quickly found out that he can't take PFs and SFs off the dribble as easily as he could those centers. Add that to the fact that he was still a reluctant jumpshooter, and those Phoenix fans QUICKLY turned on the guy.

[AtLaS]

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If Smith signs the offer sheet, then we can't do an SNT: all we can do is match or let him walk. The issue then becomes if GS wants to play ball with us and trade? Its a very dangerous game right now for the ASG.

What is ironic is that Al Harrington

could

be a piece that comes back to Atlanta if Smith is offered the Max. I am not saying that Harrington will be traded, but from GS's perspective giving us back Harrington makes more sense than giving up Biendris. Plus the cap numbers work better.

Didn't JJ sign our offer sheet?

No, after signing an offer sheet a S&T cannot happen, a team can either match or let the player walk. We negotiated a S&T under the impression that PHX would match if he signed the offer sheet.

[Plainview1981]

Al Harrington is garbage.