Throughout the off-season and continuing into the start of the regular season, Hawks forward Josh Smith has been engulfed in trade rumors. The Atlanta native had a disappointing year last year, and his name was constantly mentioned in potential Dwight Howard acquisition moves. But Smith hasn’t let it distract him on the court, and he is the only forward in the NBA to make the top 10 in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks among forwards.

How’s that for well-rounded?

When Al Horford came out of Wednesday night’s game against the Pacers with a shoulder strain, no one expected it to turn into this. The Hawks All-Star power forward has a torn pectoral muscle and could miss as much as four months– aka, the entire regular season.

According to Hawks GM Rick Sund:

“We are very disappointed for Al and our team and we wish him the best as he moves forward in the rehabilitation process. He has contributed greatly to our success since his arrival in Atlanta.”

So what does this mean for the Hawks moving forward? Either they may want to revitalize their efforts to acquire Dwight Howard, or say good-bye to what would be their 5th straight playoff appearance.

The Hawks lost a tough one to the Heat in three overtimes last night. Sir Charles called the game and ranted on Weight Watchers and why the Hawks should get Dwight Howard between the basketball:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOAPL5Td7uo&feature=youtu.be&mid=5707

According to a report by ESPN.com, the Hawks are also one of the teams interested in the Magic big man:

“Sources told ESPN.com that the aforementioned Hawks, meanwhile, engaged Orlando in trade talks for Howard earlier this month with an offer believed to be headlined by $124 million guard Joe Johnson and swingman Josh Smith. You have to figure that the Magic, though, would insist on Al Horford if such discussions ever got serious.”

However, it appears that Howard has little desire to play in his hometown, due in large part to the team’s disorganized ownership situation.

Hawks beat reporter, Michael Cunningham’s post headline says it all: “Hawks look the same, want different results.” Despite a brief stint as a part of the Chris Paul fanfare, the Hawks’ “offseason” moves have been relatively tame thus far. Among the team’s “major” deals are the acquisitions of veterans Tracy McGrady and Vladimir Radmanovic. Even the earlier talks about moving Josh Smith have died down, and the Hawks are resolute to work with what they’ve got.

“We can’t blame it on what we need,” said Joe Johnson. “We can get it done with this group and what we’ve got. We just have to believe.”

And according to a prediction by CBS Sports, the Hawks will end up 2nd in the Southeast Division, one spot above where they were in last year’s standings. CBS has Atlanta beating out the Magic, in large part due to the uncertainty surrounding Dwight Howard’s status.

In today’s edition of “Minor Moves that Probably Won’t Matter”…

The Knicks acquired Tyson Chandler in a major deal and Chris Paul and Dwight Howard rumors continue to swarm. Meanwhile, the Hawks have signed Vladimir Radmanovic who averaged 5.1 points per game and just under 16 minutes per game with the Warriors last year. Radmanovic is a ten-year veteran and is known for being a strong 3-point shooter. Great. So we can continue to be a jump-shooting team that’s scared of the paint. He was drafted 12th in the first round by Seattle in 2001.

The Hawks also lost guard/forward Damien Wilkins who signed with the Detroit Pistons. Wilkins 3.5 points in 52 games with Atlanta last year and is the nephew of former Hawks star, Dominique Wilkins.

Well, even if Hawks fans have trouble getting behind their team, at least Orlando doesn’t. The Sentinel is ranking the NBA’s top 10 players at each position over the course of five weeks (yes, lockout season is in full swing!) and Horford came out as the No. 2 choice by the Orlando newspaper. (No. 1 was of course their own Dwight Howard.)

Now, I love Al and everything, but that is a pretty bold statement. Especially considering that he’s not even what I would consider a pure center.

According to the Sentinel:

“Strengths: Horford offers a nice multi-talented package. He can shoot mid-range jumpers and jump-hooks as well as run the floor. A strong offensive rebounder, he can get out and start the break.

Weaknesses: Obviously, he plays out of position at center. Bigger players can shoot over him or muscle inside. His talents are more suited as a power forward.

The future: Horford is a cornerstone player for the Hawks.”

Well, I guess it’s a nice change of pace from the typical “Joe Johnson is the most overpaid player” (probably true) and “Josh Smith is the most overrated player” (also probably true) kind of press Hawks players typically have gotten of late.

After months of speculation and wondering, Magic center and Atlanta native Dwight Howard has stated he will enter the free agent market at the end of the 2011-2012 season. Howard claimed he would not sign a two-year contract extension to remain with Orlando– the longest deal he could sign under the current CBA.

“I want to win a championship,” Howard told NBA.com “I think the owners have to really know that. That’s been my goal and my mission since I’ve been in the NBA– to win a championship. I don’t have side goals or agendas. My main goal is to win a championship. I want to have 14 other guys who feel the same way.”

While Howard concedes that the team’s current mix of players has shown a similar intensity at times, he also says:

“It’s off and on. Sometimes guys are there whole-heartedly and then sometimes I’ve had teammates allow people getting in their ears and things like that effect [sic.] the way that they play and approach the game.”

Howard has played with the Magic for the entirety of his six-year career after being drafted in 2004. Could Howard be following in LeBron’s footsteps as yet another franchise player choosing personal glory over loyalty to a team? LeBron’s come under a lot of heat for it (hah, no pun intended) and is quite possibly the most hated person in Cleveland, but it’s kind of hard to blame him for his ultimate Decision. Besides, I can’t help but feel a little sorry for someone like Allen Iverson who had to have felt frustrated wasting away for years in Philadelphia without a title.

But maybe Orlando will make some major moves and build a championship-caliber team around their superstar. I mean hey, it worked for the Mavs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8xlyp3vP7s

3,000 hits. 300 wins. 600 home runs.

You hear these lofty goals thrown around all the time. And whenever anyone comes close, month-long countdowns ensue, bets are placed for the day it will happen, ESPN jumps all over it. Derek Jeter’s “Countdown to 3,000 Hits” page on Facebook is “liked” by over 6,000 people. Does Kobe Bryant have a Facebook page counting down to his 30,000th point? (No, although he probably has Facebook pages dedicated to some other less appealing attributes…)

Derek Jeter

Career milestones in baseball are practically ingrained in us from the time we first hear the words “Play Ball!” But what about basketball? 20,000 or 25,000 points? 10,000 or 15,000 rebounds?

How are we supposed to compare players’ worth nowadays? How am I supposed to make snap judgments about whether someone belongs in the Hall of Fame or not?

Baseball-reference.com has a whole “Hall of Fame Statistics” section detailing a player’s likelihood for induction into the Hall of Fame based on an elaborate statistical comparison. Chipper Jones has a pretty good shot; Andruw Jones does not.

Basketball-reference.com provides no such analysis. What if I want to see how Joe Johnson compares to current Hall of Famers? Ok, maybe Joe is wishful thinking, but someone like Chris Paul?

[Sidenote: CP3 and Dwight Howard were actually nominated for the International Bowling Hall of Fame last year.]

Come on, NBA. Get your act together. Directionless fans like myself need a more precise method for player comparisons.

Ever wonder if, financially speaking, the Hawks could trade Josh Smith for Chris Paul? Or what players they would have to give up to get Kobe Bryant? What about how to create the “Atlanta Heat” and what players it would take to get Dwayne Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh?

There are a number of rules, regulations, exceptions, and exemptions embedded in the CBA that make certain trades financially feasible based on player salaries, team payrolls and contract restrictions.

I recently discovered ESPN’s NBA Trade Machine, a tool that allows you to play GM. You can see what trades are possible based on a team’s payroll and players’ current salaries. The tool also provides the rationale for why a trade is not feasible based on the CBA and what would need to happen to make it work. Some of  Hollinger’s stats are also incorporated to determine the likely affect of the trade on wins and losses.

So for example, the Hawks could trade Kirk Hinrich and Zaza Pachulia for Dwight Howard for an increase in 17 wins.

If the Hawks wanted to get LeBron, Wade and Bosh (but still keep Joe Johnson), they’d have to give up Horford, Smith, Hinrich, Pachulia, and Williams. This would give them +26 wins according to Hollinger’s formula.

However, trading Josh Smith for Chris Paul would not work: the trade would put the Hawks over the salary cap, their incoming salaries are greater than 125% plus $100,000 of their outgoing salaries. The Hawks would need to cut $215,153 from the incoming value to make this trade possible.

Of course, this is all based purely on the contracts and economics rather than an owner or GM’s desires. And it’s all based on the current CBA, for that matter. Who knows what will happen with all the negotiations in the air? Or even if there will be an NBA season next year? But at least I’ve found a new toy to keep myself entertained with the “what-could-be’s” in the meantime.