Rumors, Rumors, Rumors. Its all we have really at this point in the year to get REALLY excited about. That is of course, besides the Oylmpics and some summer league stuff.
But what we all want to know is, will the top 7 guys currently signed to the Mavs, actually be the top 7 that we open the '08-'09 season with?
Maggette, Artest and now add Smith to the mix. Hoopsworld.com is reporting that a Josh for Josh needs to be looked at:
Some NBA pundits are proposing that the Hawks should re-sign Smith and then trade him to the Dallas Mavericks for Josh Howard. The notion makes sense for the Mavs, who are in desperate need of a defensive-minded power player. Smith can run with the best of the west and at only 22 years old is a solid long-term investment.
Howard would bring one of the more underrated offensive games to Atlanta. The question is, though, what would the Hawks do with their current three, Marvin Williams? They had developed an emerging combination of Williams outside the paint, Smith attacking the rim, and Al Horford defending the basket. How would the addition of Howard shake things up? This deal is all speculation at this point, but as the summer goes on without an offer for Smith, a sign-and-trade could become a more viable option.
Stein also commented about this on his weekend report.
I wonder, for example, if my coaching pal who asked me why the Dallas Mavericks aren't trying to assemble a deal that features former ACC player of the year Josh Howard going to Atlanta in some sort of package for Smith isn't onto something.