AP Photo/THE CANADIAN PRESS, Nathan Denette
The Atlanta Hawks might be one player away from contending for a championship, and that one player just might be Dwight Howard.
Following one of the grittiest comebacks in the history of the franchise on Friday night — a 123-111 double-overtime victory over the Boston Celtics in a game where a 27-point Boston lead was erased — the Hawks’ record sits at 25-18. They’re 4.5 games behind the Miami Heat in both the Southeastern Division and the overall Eastern Conference standings. If the postseason began today, the Hawks would be the No. 6 seed in the East, facing the No. 3-seeded Chicago Bulls in the first round.
For the last half-decade, the Hawks have been a strong force in the East that always seems to lack one piece: a big man to dominate under the hoop. It’s no surprise that the basketball world isn’t taking Atlanta seriously. They’re too small, and you have to rebound the ball to win in the playoffs.
It’s precisely the reason why the Hawks should take a long look at center Dwight Howard if they have any intention of making noise this year.
(Also read: Braves add a second Upton)
Let’s put a few facts on the table. In Howard’s first season with the Los Angeles Lakers, things haven’t gone as planned. They’re a putrid 18-25 going into Sunday’s game — a really bad mark for a franchise used to winning 55-60 games per year (they’re on pace to win about 35 games this season). Howard has put up numbers that are basically on-par with his career averages, even while battling a pesky shoulder injury.
It’s just not working out, and Howard went to L.A. to win a title. That won’t be happening in 2013, if he stays with the Lakers.
2,177 miles to the east, the Hawks are dealing with their own issue — Josh Smith’s contract is up at the end of this season. The morning after their gutsy win over the Celtics, Smith was telling the media he deserves a max contract and will walk if the Hawks don’t offer one. He’s not wrong, if he can find a team that will offer him that deal, but the Hawks might balk at re-signing the near-All-Star because of the way they were burned when they gave Joe Johnson a similar contract.
Atlanta can’t afford to let Smith leave without getting anything in return, so why not reach out to the Lakers to see if they can sketch up a deal?
Keep in mind that Howard is a local boy, and he would probably love the opportunity to return to Atlanta and play in front of friends and family full-time. What if the Lakers were willing to take Smith and, say, a youngster like John Jenkins in return for Howard? Wouldn’t the Hawks be dumb to reject that deal?
I believe in the mission GM Danny Ferry has for this team, and I’m sure he has a vision for molding the roster into an even stronger bunch. But I can’t stop thinking about what a handful the Hawks would be if they had Al Horford and Dwight Howard fighting for rebounds.
It might be the perfect plan.
As much as I would love for that to happen. Word is that Dwight has already told those in his inner circle that Atlanta isn’t even one of his options. A trade for him wouldn’t be worth it unless he signed and extension and I don’t see that happening. I’d just assume trade Josh Smith at the deadline for some draft picks and a player or two. If we could somehow get another another first round pick out of the deal we could land a few impact players to go along with Teague, Lou Williams and Horford going forward.
Yeah, that would be cool, too. If we rebuild for next season and wait to get Lou Williams back, I’d be fine with that. Although, it would be nice to try to make a run this year.
I would love to make a run this year but I’m afraid that Howard would hurt the team this season more than help it considering we’d have to give up Teague and Horford to get him.
The Hawks should never give up Horford or Teague. They should be building around those guys.
I’m afraid that the Lakers would ask for Teague in any deal that involved Howard. They still feel like they can resign him and won’t let him go for a Josh Smith rental. If someone gives Josh Smith a max deal this summer, they are out of their minds. He isn’t worth max money. He isn’t a guy who can carry a team. He has a lot of intangibles but he is limited offensively and therefore isn’t worthy of max money. I agree that we should trade him but the Lakers would be a last option if I were Ferry.
People who deserve max contracts should make last-second shots in New York, like the shot he missed last night. And had he stepped up and taken a closer shot for the tie, he would have had a better chance of making it. Max-contract guys know these things.
Not to mention the illegal screen he set in the closing seconds, getting beat by Melo two straight possessions in the final minute and that awful over and back violation. His mental lapses in the final minute or so lost us the game last night.
You speak the truth, Mr. Crowe.