Spurs are interested in Josh Smith

[EricB]

Josh Smith is Drew Gooden and Ron Mercer. I'm praying this is all smoke...

[waisman]

I know Smith has High physical strength .
But, Can we expect Smih ? ,,,

[chazley]

Josh Smith is Drew Gooden and Ron Mercer. I'm praying this is all smoke...

[Mugen]

To say that trading, basically, Tiago Splitter for Josh Smith 'torpedos' our chances at a ring, you have zero clue about basketball. Josh Smith is a rare defensive talent. Having a defensive frontcourt of Kawhi/Josh Smith/Duncan would be, bar none, the BEST starting defensive frontcourt in the league. Tiago is an excellent talent, but he will never reach the upside that a Josh Smith has.

You'd have to give up Jack to make the trade happen. So, in addition to losing the best bigman next to Duncan since Robinson, you lose depth at the 3, another defender to throw at KD, and a proven playoff performer for a guy who shoots 42% in the playoffs (15% from the 3).

Spurs are currently top 5 in Offensive/Defensive rating. They're pretty damn dominant offensively/defensively when Tiago/TD start together. Yet, you want to risk all that for a proven loser like Josh Smith.

For having a "very good inside game", Smith has shot over 50% exactly once in his 9 seasons and has career averages of 15 & 8. Yet you want to trade Green, Jack, Tiago + a 1st rounder and throw max level money at this guy?

[Bong]

IMO i dont want splitter to be added in the deal, but if PATFO work their magic and have a deal like this to get josh smith http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine/?tradeId=af2y93j ---->even it will just resulted for a half year rental

i think JS play SF/PF - he could provide a back up for KL or play with KL as a 4, this combination could jack up our defensive efficiency and also help in our rebounding woes (which for me is our kryptonite) - we our always being killed by top teams who have bigmen in the boards leading to 2nd chance points that resulted to our demise

for tiago splitter - give the man what he's due, he deserve to have a good contract maybe around +/- $10m per year, he provide a good PnR offense and also provide good defense and his FT really improved i think his averaging 75%+ in the FT area and some games he is perfect the FT area, not like last year when his FT shots were just awful sometimes airballing the damn FT. in rebounding, IMO he really provide a good effort to the spurs to get the possession not in rebounding stat as an individual player per se (cause his just averaging about 5-7 rebounds a game). if you watch closely during games when his on the floor were not being outrebounded by our opponents eventhough splitter does not get the rebound his effort on box outting the opponents big really provide as the space for other spurs player to get the rebound, and when his out or being replaced by bonner or blair, the opponents big really killing us at the boards sometimes having more 2 offensive rebounds in one possession

but IMHO this al jefferson and josh smith to spurs are just simply rumors or maybe strategies used by GM or client's manager to increase a player's trading value, my guess is that PATFO were going to just stand pat at the trade deadline, and also i think blair wouldnt be traded at the deadline cause his trading values is not that good even for a 1st round pick, and its hard for our FO to part with blair for a 2nd round pick, cause he still provide a good solid playing time for 5-7minutes.

[EricB]

Well written response.

[TD 21]

I don't think this is just the Spurs trying to help Ferry (and Lindsay, in the case of Jefferson) drum up interest. That type of thing isn't necessary in the case of players the caliber of Smith and Jefferson.

What I think this is, is the Spurs doing their due diligence and seeing if they can get an All-Star caliber talent on the cheap (Jackson, Blair, Joseph, a 1st and maybe one other minor piece). There's virtually no chance of this happening, of course, but it can't hurt to try.

[dunkman]

The Spurs could give him an near max contract if they let Splitter go, ship Jax in a trade to Atlanta and let Manu retire or re-sign for cheap. The Spurs would lose some of the deep and flexibility to sign FA's until Duncan retires.

It's a risk and not 100% sure to function.

[CGD]

Smith must have the same agent as Jefferson...
Dont like this idea and would actually prefer big Al.
If there is any truth to these rumors however, it's interesting to see the spurs so willing to move Jax.

[timvp]

Between Al Jefferson and Josh Smith, I'd go with Al Jefferson. Al Jefferson at worst is an awkward/redundant fit. Smith at worst is a horrible fit. Plus Al Jefferson is about 10 times the human being, tbh.



(I can't write Al Jefferson without his first name. Good thing it's short.)

[palangi]

Your exactly right. Spurs don't have enough money to pay a player like Smith who demands big money. He would have to leave a substantial amount on the table, and you know that is not going to happen. It is however very interesting that the Spurs obviously know this and still show interest.

unless manu retires?

[spurraider21]

i can't emphasize enough how bad of a trade this would be for the Spurs. You pretty much torpedo this year's chance at a ring while simultaneously f'n up whatever plans you have for the post TD/Manu future.

Paying Tiago whatever he will make this summer is infinitely better than giving Smith a max contract. He's barely a year younger than Splitter and relies much more on his athleticism and a lot more inefficient. He's a decent defender but so is Tiago tbh. I don't see much of a difference in that regard.

A core of TP/Kawhi/Smith is a perennial 2nd round exit tbh. TP/Kawhi/Tiago isn't much better but you'll have more wiggle room financially minus all the headaches that come with acquiring a perennial loser like J-Smoove.

This. I'd rather have Tiago for 12 mil than have Smith for 18 mil

[mercos]

Bad idea, IMO. Defensively, Smith would be a great pickup. Offensively, I think he would be the second coming of Richard Jefferson. He just doesn't fit the Spurs style of play. Honestly, I feel fine with the bigs we have now. With the way Kawhi has been rounding into form, I'm perfectly satisfied with Duncan, Splitter, and Diaw mixed with the occasional small ball tandem of Leonard and Jackson. If the Spurs need anything right now, it is a better backup point guard in case Manu gets injured in the playoffs. That is more want than need though, as Neal can do the job.

[racm]

I think most of you should know by now that "Spurs want him" is shorthand for "we're trying to raise his trade value".

[jesterbobman]

I don't think there's a scenario where we're trading in a 2 team deal for any of the good bigs mentioned, as they're on Expiring contracts anyway so our expirings have no value to them. Al, Smith and Millsap are all expiring, so the other team gets no savings from taking on Jackson et al, they can just let contracts expire.

It means in general that we'll be looking at 3 team deals, where the 3rd team wants to trim payroll and has some decent long term deals, either as a replacement big (For the Hawks to pair with Horford) or guards(For the Jazz, as they'll have Kanter/Favors/Whoever of Millsap/Jefferson they keep).

Quickly scrolling through, I'd look at
Detroit: Stuckey to Utah (1 year left at ~8.5, option in Utah trade)
Toronto: Amir Johnson(2 years after this, 6.1 this year, option to Utah(or as a 4th big for us)
Dallas: Shawn Marion(1 year left, could be option in S-Jax swap)
Orlando(Nelson, Afflalo as main guys)
Sacramento(Thornton to Jazz)

Not an exhaustive list, and you'd have to evaluate whether those teams would give up more to get the players off their payroll(Going to Utah/Atlanta), or want assets to give them up(In which case it depends on how much the other teams wants them)

[rascal]

If this move gives us number five then you give up some future (Splitter) for it. If this move involves kawhi at all, you can't do it. Setting us back five years to improve our le chances by a slight percentage isn't worth it

Agree. You move Splitter but not Leonard.

[Brazil]

I'd prefer al rather than smith.

i'd love to land horford tough dude would be a great fit for the spurs. His passing skills are amazing

[exstatic]

To say that trading, basically, Tiago Splitter for Josh Smith 'torpedos' our chances at a ring, you have zero clue about basketball. Josh Smith is a rare defensive talent. Having a defensive frontcourt of Kawhi/Josh Smith/Duncan would be, bar none, the BEST starting defensive frontcourt in the league. Tiago is an excellent talent, but he will never reach the upside that a Josh Smith has.

It's a HUGE red flag when you're still talking about upside regarding a player who is 27 and in his 9th season in the league. It's not upside, it's potential that was never and will never be reached. He is what he is. He's a premier weak side shot blocker, but the rest of his defense is sketchy. He's often caught out of position or ball watching, and he almost never blocks out to get a rebound. Kawhi is already a FAR better defender than Josh Smith will ever be.

[look_at_g_shred]

Millsap > Smith

[chazley]

It's a HUGE red flag when you're still talking about upside regarding a player who is 27 and in his 9th season in the league. It's not upside, it's potential that was never and will never be reached. He is what he is. He's a premier weak side shot blocker, but the rest of his defense is sketchy. He's often caught out of position or ball watching, and he almost never blocks out to get a rebound. Kawhi is already a FAR better defender than Josh Smith will ever be.

Sorry, but at this point Kawhi is not better than Josh Smith defensively. That's not a slight towards Kawhi as much as it is a compliment to Josh Smith. The guy is 6'9 and can guard 3 different positions, and can switch out as good as any big man in the league on pick and rolls, which is exactly what this Spurs team needs defensively.

Also, to say a guy is 27 and has upside is absolutely not a bad thing. The guy is a year younger than Tiago, and I honestly think that playing under Pop he could have career best seasons.

[TJastal]

Smith would defenitely be a risk, and the more I think about it the more I come to the conclusion an unnecessary one.. 50% at the line this year. Can you say, "major liability in close games?".. he's really a project at this point, same as Splitter was when he started, worth no more than 8-10m per year if that.

[BatManu20]

Will likely never happen. As much as I'd love J-Smoove on the Spurs, it'd cost way too much to get him. Probably Splitter or Leonard and a couple other players and a pick. He'd be great to have defensively and could guard athletic bigs which would be a huge plus when playing teams like OKC, LAC, and Miami. But too much of a price tag for us, and he'd just be a rental. No way we'd give him a max deal in the offseason. I really want this team to make a trade before the deadline but the closer it gets, the more it seams like we're just going to try and ride this group again, for better or worse.

[Spur|n|Austin]

Millsap > Smith

On the Spurs? If your speaking common greater than, no.

[SpursIndonesia]

For a post season run rental, i'll take Paul Millsap >>>>>>>>>>>> Josh Smith, his rebounding will help a lot, toughness is certified, and can shoot from the outside & decent from the line. And i think Millsap is more cerebral, fact that he plays in the better structured offense in Utah, than the iso heaven of the Hawks, he will absorb Spurs game plan & plays on the fly MUCH BETTER. We know for sh!t that Smith wants a max deal in which the Spurs will NEVER agreed upon (what do you think TP's feeling gonna like if an underachiever like this getting much bigger salary than him, as a franchise player ?).

[Bruno]

http://sulia.com/ricbucher/f/e8d120e...-a131bb6dec27/

Ric Bucher
Source: Atlanta Hawks are looking to move Josh Smith, but Brooklyn Nets don't have the necessary pieces to make a deal without including a third team. The Spurs have also been rumored to be interested and, aside from having a built-in level of trust with Hawks GM Danny Ferry, have the kind of assets that would allow them to make a more "interesting" deal, according to the source. It also makes far more sense for the Hawks to move Smith to the Western Conference rather than put him where he would serve as compe ion.