As Thursday’s trade deadline came and went, the Atlanta Hawks left a large amount of the sports world scratching their heads, as they decided not to trade Josh Smith amidst weeks of trade speculation.

Atlanta had reportedly garnered interest from several different teams, including Brooklyn, Boston and Milwaukee. However, none of them were able to make a deal sweet enough to wow Hawk’s GM Danny Ferry.

According to ESPN.com’s Chad Ford, the Hawks backed out of a deal at the last minute involving the Milwaukee Bucks. The deal would’ve reportedly sent Smith to the Bucks, with Atlanta receiving Ekpe Udoh, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Beno Udrih and a protected first-round pick.

Most fans were well aware that Atlanta had no chance of receiving equal value for Smith at this point, but would this proposed trade really have been worth it? Well first you would have to understand Smith’s value.

How valuable is he? Well, it’s debatable.

This season, he is averaging 17.2 points, 4.2 assists, 8.6 rebounds, 2.1 blocks and 1.2 steals per game. Smith’s statistics show exactly how much he affects games, as well as the rare versatility he provides. Those are great numbers, but do they tell the entire story?

Smith is notoriously known for his tendency to fall in love with his non-existent three-point shot. On the season, he is shooting just 34 percent from beyond the arc (40-for-117). For his career, Smith is only a 28 percent three-point shooter. Also, Smith hits exactly half of his free throws (Only 50.0 percent on the season), which is a very poor percentage.

How efficient of a player is Josh Smith?

ESPN Insider’s John Hollinger’s Player Efficiency Rating (PER) is an all-in-one basketball rating that measures a player’s per minute performance.  Josh has a PER of 17.2, which is ranked 66th in the NBA. To put that in perspective LeBron James has a PER of 31.50, which is the league’s best.

Despite Smith’s spotty play, The Hawks are currently the sixth seed in the eastern conference, and have been in the playoffs for five consecutive seasons. Conversely, the five recent playoff years were preceded by eight seasons in the NBA Draft Lottery.

Now that they have effectively changed the losing culture of their franchise, do they really want to risk falling back into ineptitude?

It’s no secret Atlanta will have plenty of money to spend this offseason, as they have nine expiring contracts on their roster. Clearly their main objective is to sign multiple big-money free agents this summer.

In a year that will see the likes of Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, Al Jefferson, Tyreke Evans, Brandon Jennings, Andrew Bynum and Andre Iguodala test the open market, they are going to want to make their team look as attractive as possible.

What do I mean by that?

With Smith still in the lineup, the Atlanta Hawks will most likely make the playoffs for a sixth-straight season. In addition, a playoff team that still has Al Horford, Lou Williams, Jeff Teague (restricted FA) and the possibility of a re-signed Josh Smith looks way better than a non-playoff team, with Smith being replaced by the likes of Ekpe Udoh and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute.

No disrespect to those guys but along with the expiring contract of Beno Udrih and a late first-round pick, they are collectively nowhere near the enticing selling point to lure a potential free agent as Josh Smith would be.

Another interesting aspect of this story was the misconception that Josh wanted out of Atlanta because he wanted a max contract, and that reportedly wasn’t something that the Hawks were interested in doing. According to Sekou Smith of NBA.com, however, Smith never stated he wanted a max deal.

“I never asked for the max. Those words never came out of my mouth,” Smith said. Smith maintained that he was asked in an interview if he was worth the max, a notion he asserted, but he never asked for a max deal from Atlanta. He went on to add, “Atlanta will be on my list in free agency.”

The Hawks did the right thing by holding on to J-Smoove. Despite his shortcomings in terms of offensive efficiency,  the positives of having him for the rest of the season and potentially having a shot at re-signing him, far outweigh the pros of obtaining marginal talent due to fear of losing him for nothing.

(All stats from ESPN.com and NBA.com)

ATLANTA, GA—The defending champion Miami Heat (36-14) walked into an electric Phillips Arena on Wednesday night and, after a furious fourth-quarter comeback, they were able to pull off a 103-90 victory over the Atlanta Hawks (29-22).

This was the eighth-consecutive win for Miami, and their sixth-consecutive win against the Hawks.

The most telling stat in this game (aside from the fourth quarter scoring differential) was the Hawk’s number of turnovers, which was 21. You can’t beat a championship team when you’re that careless with your possessions.

MVP front-runner LeBron James finished the game with 24 points, 11 assists, and six rebounds. Dwyane Wade contributed 20 points on 8-of-18 shooting. Chis Bosh had a very quiet night, as he only tallied six points and six rebounds.

Al Horford played a very efficient game for Atlanta as he led the team with 27 points on 12-of-15 shooting. Also, Josh Smith contributed 10 points, nine assists and nine rebounds.

The game started out rather slowly, as both teams appeared to be a bit rusty following the All-Star break. The first quarter consisted of many turnovers and ugly possessions for both teams. Miami finished the quarter with a 24-17 lead.

In the second quarter the Hawks would get a dose of energy off the bench, by way of Ivan Johnson. Johnson scored ten points in the half, and really gave the Hawks a well-needed spark, as they would take the lead. In the final seconds of the first half, James would hit a buzzer-beating shot to cut the lead to four points heading into halftime 49-45.

In the third quarter, the Hawks seemed to be well on their way to a win, as Al Horford was having a field day in the post. Horford, until late in the third, was 9-of-9 from the field. Kyle Korver also contributed with four three-point buckets. Atlanta took a 10-point lead into the fourth quarter.

The final period of the game saw the role players of Miami step up and take over the game. Ray Allen and Shane Battier combined for 24 points in the fourth quarter, sinking numerous dagger three pointers. Couple that with the Hawk’s inability to take care of the ball, and you have what turned out to be a run-away fourth quarter thumping by Miami.

Miami outscored Atlanta 40-17 in the fourth quarter. The Heat also went 5-for-6 from beyond the arc in the fourth, while Atlanta went just 1-for-7.

This was a disappointing loss for Atlanta, in what could’ve been Josh Smith’s last game in a Hawk’s jersey. Smith’s name (which is the hottest name around the league at this year’s trade deadline) has been linked to as many seven different teams in trade talks.

“I haven’t thought about that,” replied head coach Larry Drew when asked about the Josh Smith trade speculation. “For now, he’s a Hawk. We’ll just have to see what happens,” said Drew.

The trade deadline is Thursday afternoon at 3pm. We’ll know Smith’s fate by then (at least as it pertains to this season).

The Hawks will return to action against the Sacramento Kings Friday night at the Highlight Factory. Friday is Hardwood Classics night and the Hawks will present their team of the 90’s.

Video courtesy of NBA.com

ORLANDO, FL—The Atlanta Hawks went into Orlando on Wednesday night and flat out dominated the slumping Magic 108-76.

The game was fairly close to begin with, as Atlanta only led by six after the first quarter. Though, in the second, the Hawks would take control by outscoring the Magic 32-17 in the period. The Magic never recovered and the game got out of hand quickly.

Atlanta’s big men really controlled this game from start to finish. Hawks forward Josh Smith had a monster game with 30 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and two blocks. It was Smith’s 22^nd double-double of his career.

Atlanta’s other “big” Al Horford was also able to impose his will, as he added 26 points and 12 rebounds of his own.

The Hawks led by as many as 38 in this game, as it was never even close after the first quarter. Atlanta has now won nine-consecutive regular-season games against Orlando.

This continues an abysmal stretch for the Magic as they have lost 24 of their last 27. The two leading scorers for Orlando (Nelson, Nicholson) only had 10 points each. None of their other players reached double figures.

Atlanta’s Kyle Korver has now gone 45-consecutive games with a three-pointer, which is the longest among active players.

Orlando was playing without Glen Davis (broken foot) and Hedo Turkoglu, who was suspended 20 games by the league on Wednesday for steroid use.

Heading into the trade deadline, it will be interesting to see whether or not Josh Smith has played his last game in a Hawks jersey. He has garnered interest from both Brooklyn and San Antonio, and after the recent tear he’s been on, it wouldn’t be surprising if more suitors came knocking.

Though, at this point, it’s all speculation. Who knows? The Hawks could elect to hold onto J-Smoove for the second half of the season for a playoff push.

With Wednesday night’s win the Hawks head into the All-Star break with a record of 29-22. They return to action on Feb. 20 against the defending champion Miami Heat at Phillips Arena.

ATLANTA, GA—The Memphis Grizzlies came into the Highlight Factory to take on the Atlanta Hawks Wednesday night and appeared out of sync from the onset, as they fell to Atlanta 103-92.

The 11 point margin doesn’t really tell the story, as the Hawks got off to a fast start and dominated this game from start to finish. This was a big win for Atlanta, as they had dropped two in a row, and three of their last four.

Atlanta guard Jeff Teague really controlled the game, and is starting to become the floor general the Hawks would love to see him be. Teague ended the game with 22 points and 13 assists. Teague scored 20 points for the seventh time in his last 11 games.

If the Hawks can continue to get this kind of production out of Teague regularly, it will help them immensely during their playoff push.

The Hawks also got double-doubles from both Josh Smith and Al Horford, as they both tallied 11 rebounds as well as 19 and 17 points respectively. The Hawks had an up-tempo style of play in this one, and scored 16 fast break points.

Also, Hawks forward Kyle Korver tied Mookie Blaylock’s franchise record of 42-straight games with a three pointer.

Memphis, on the other hand, often looked lost on the offensive side of the ball. The never really seemed to find any rhythm until late in the fourth quarter, when Atlanta began to coast. Memphis forward Zach Randolph put up a team-high 20 points, and center Marc Gasol had a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

The new-look Grizzlies appear to still be looking to find out exactly how they can play together, as their new players haven’t quite found a niche yet. Currently, they seem to still be missing the 20 PPG that Rudy Gay was giving the team on a night-in night-out basis. Newcomers Tayshaun Prince and Ed Davis didn’t do much, as Prince finished with six points and Davis finished with just two.

The Hawks got guard Devin Harris (ankle) back for Wednesday night’s game, but were still without center Zaza Pachulia, who is nursing an Achilles injury. Guard Deshawn Stevenson also did not play, as head coach Larry Drew stated that due to his knee issues he doesn’t like to play Stevenson on back-to back nights.

Atlanta sweeps the season series with Memphis and will return to action Friday night when they take on the New Orleans Hornets (soon to be Pelicans) at the Highlight Factory at 7:30pm.

INDIANAPOLIS, IN—Tuesday night the Atlanta Hawks traveled to take on the Indiana Pacers, who have been on fire since they last met the Hawks on Dec 29th, going 11-6 during that span.

After getting off to an excellent start the Hawks were unable to match the firepower of Indiana, as the Pacers pulled away in the second half to secure a 114-103 win.

Atlanta had control of the game early, as they led by as much as 12 in the second quarter. However, late in the first half Indiana would come alive, closing the gap to one as the two teams headed into the intermission.

The Hawks put forth an admirable effort, as they kept it interesting. Though, every time Atlanta would attempt a comeback, the Pacers would answer. The Hawks were just unable to match Indiana’s scoring power, as the Pacers were scoring on seemingly every possession late in the game.

All-Star forward Paul George had a monster game, as he dropped 27 points—mostly in the second half. David West and George Hill also contributed, as they both scored 15. Lance Stevenson (14 pts) also played well, and seemed to be all over the court. Indiana had seven players score in double figures.

Indianapolis native Jeff Teague had a great game, scoring 24 points and dishing out eight assists in his homecoming. Al Horford, who got in early foul trouble, ended up with 15 points and eight rebounds. Josh Smith also contributed nine points and ten rebounds.

This is the 15^th straight home win for Indiana and the third loss for the Hawks in their last four games.

Atlanta was without a couple of key players Tuesday night as both Zaza Pachulia (Achilles) and Devin Harris (ankle) were still nursing injuries.

Reminiscent of the Super Bowl blackout Sunday night, there was an unusual ten-minute delay as the referees scrambled to get a foul call corrected. The play involved guard D.J. Augustin elbowing Al Horford in the groin while driving for a lay-up, as Horford fell on top of him. A call that could understandably go either way, though, there just isn’t any excuse for a foul call to take ten minutes to review.

Atlanta falls to 26-21, and will head back home tomorrow night to face the new-look Memphis Grizzlies (30-17) at the “Highlight Factory”.

ATLANTA, GA—On Wednesday night the Atlanta Hawks were able to outlast the Toronto Raptors in the final seconds of regulation 93-92. The Hawks, who were coming off of a gut-wrenching defeat in New York on Sunday, really wanted to bounce back with a win as they headed back home to Phillips Arena.

Much like the game Sunday in New York, this game would come down to the final seconds.

After Toronto took the lead on a three-point shot from forward Alan Anderson, Al Horford would score four straight points in the final minute. First, after a couple of Horford free throws, the lead was cut to two. Then, after a timeout and a terrific pass from Josh Smith, Horford would slam it home for the go ahead score with 21.5 seconds remaining.

On the ensuing possession, Toronto would get stripped of the ball, regain it after a mad scramble, only to have the ball stolen by Horford as time expired. Raptors head coach Dwayne Casey was livid as he believed Horford committed a foul on the final play.

Nevertheless, the Hawks prevailed and improved their record to 26-19.

The Raptors (who were short-handed after guard Jose Calderon and forward Ed Davis were traded a couple hours before tip-off) gave the Hawks all they could handle, and even held a 13-point lead in the second quarter. Despite also missing their second-leading scorer Andrea Bargnani, they were able to get production from other areas. DeMar DeRozan was Toronto’s leading scorer with 23 points. John Lucas also contributed with 19 points of his own—a season high. Toronto put up a valiant effort but came up short in the end.

Hawks head coach Larry Drew said he warned his team prior to the game not be distracted by the Toronto trade. However, the team still came out flat, falling behind to an under-manned team at home. Though, after a sluggish start Drew was able to rally his troops in the locker room as the team responded in the second half. Atlanta would come out in the second half as a different team, opening the half on a 13-3 run, which erased the early deficit.

Horford led the Hawks with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Josh Smith added 20 points, and Kyle Korver contributed 17 points (with five three-point FGs). Korver also passed Dell Curry for 34^th on the NBA’s all-time three point list.

Toronto will now look to move forward with a new look team, after they traded Calderon and Davis in a three-team deal for Memphis’ star forward Rudy Gay.

The Hawks are off until Saturday at 7:30pm when the Chicago Bulls will come to the “Highlight Factory”. The Hawks will want to avenge their embarrassing loss in Chicago two weeks ago, when the Bulls held them to a franchise-low 58 points (20 in the first half, also a franchise low).