Atlanta fans would be disappointed if they didn't get a big name player for him. Al Horford is their Luis equivalent.Horford is a better rebounder,defender and quicker than him. Scoring capability wize they are about even.Battier can defend and hit the corner 3. He wouldn't fit in with them very well.
Josh Smith will demand a lot of shots and will have trouble in a half court offense. He brings world class shot blocking,very good rebounding,athleticism, leaping ability, and the ability to finish on the fast break but Luis has more size and has the discipline to play with Yao Ming. Josh Smith would be a good fit for the Mavs,he could benefit from Kidd's passing and Dirk's shooting.
Josh Smith is a restricted free agent. If the Lakers traded Odom for him, it would be in a sign-and-trade where Smith got a VERY lucrative deal (likely in the $11-13M per year range). On the other hand, Odom has a large EXPIRING contract and is still a very good player. While I hate the Lakers as much as the next guy (probably more), trading Lamar Odom in a sign-and-trade for Josh Smith is a heck of a lot more realistic than any scenario involving the Rockets getting Smith.
We know how rational Laker fans are...some of them are crazy enough to believe Kobe is the best player of all time, but that's another story. If he goes anywhere it will be for a team that is going to pay him the bucks or the Hawks are going to try to get something for him in return. I could see Detroit, Dallas, and even Denver having a good shot at him, because they have enough players to offer. Atlanta, then may just hold on to Smith for a few season, since they don't have to pay for Childress. I think Atlanta will take superstar or nice well-rounded all-star for Smith and another piece.
Crazy Laker fans probably thought they could get Paul Gasol for.....oh wait..... they have cause to be delusional.
Frankly, I don't think the Houston front office has interest in trading for Josh Smith and paying him the mega-bucks that he wants. He will have to improve significantly from his current skill level to justify the kind of pay he would draw, and I am not sure if Daryl Morey is inclined to tie up that kind of money on a bet like that.
Josh Smith shoots 100+ threes a season and his career % is .263. He's gonna pass Charles Barkley as the worst volume three point shooter of all time.
scola + battier? a hell no. josh is a great talent, but he's still VERY inconsistent. he really grew up last yr and established himself as one of the better young talents. but you don't trade 2 starters for a 3rd option at best. he CANNOT play the 4 here in the west and scola is a very good 4 in the west. if we just give up battier, then you do it without hesitation b/c josh is a stud defensively himself. but not with scola. scola has stabilized the 4 position for us.
I would tend to agree with this statement. However, the real question is does Josh Smith get us farther in the playoffs. If he can improve his jumper he would be an improvement. His defense and rebounding is above Scola and Landry. He played KG very well and we all know that KG murders the Rockets 4. I would trade Scola, Head, and 1st Round pick for him.
If they are letting Smith go, Hawks need to bring back someone with star appeal to sell season tickets. Frankly, it wouldn't even matter if Scola and Battier might actually make the Hawks a better team next season they they would be with Smith. The Hawks need star appeal. A few misconceptions about Smith: 1. He is a better rebounder than Scola: No he isn't. Scola's rebounding %: 14.6 is higher than Smith's (13.5). 2. He is a great defender: He blocks a lot of shots, but ask Nuggets4 if blocked shots means great defense. He is a good physical match up against KG. His defensive fundamental needs work. He can also get banged around by more beefy guys. He is just 22 and can improve, but by how much? Enough to justify mega salary?
