well, maybe not WILL, but certainly how they COULD win the NBA title.
Rick Sund, if you are reading this blog right now, please do what every Hawk fan wants: Trade Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams to Toronto for Chris Bosh.
for those of you still reading, let me explain what I came up with yesterday on Score Atlanta Sports Sunday on Sports Radio 790 The Zone (and 4 callers agreed with before we changed topics. PS I got three texts and two more emails telling me I was a genius. One caller disagreed and nine people agreed with me, along with my two co-hosts and you have 15 people on board with this. For the record...), you call the Raptors brass who are telling EVERYONE that they will NOT trade Chris Bosh and instead will try and build around him for a playoff run this season, only to watch him leave Toronto faster than a fat couple leaves a Golden Corral when the bread runs out. You tell him that he can have Joe Johnson, a FOUR TIME ALL-STAR as well as Marvin Williams, a former No.2 overall pick that is FINALLY starting to show something and is locked up for a few more seasons. Bosh's expiring contract is off-set with Johnson's expiring contract so if you DON'T like JJ, he can be sent packing and you can start over, just like what you were going to do when Bosh left....though you'll still have Marvin. You get something for when Bosh leaves.
As far as the Hawks go, you lose Marvin Williams (and the peasants rejoice!) and you see Joe Johnson leave (kind of sad, I guess?) but you get Chris Bosh in return. Bosh returns to Atlanta (he went to Georgia Tech) and might just stick around but you know Johnson wouldn't stick around because he rejected the extension. If you know he's gone, why not try and get someone who MIGHT?
And as far as replacing JJ's numbers, just turn to 6th man of the year Jamal Crawford. JC was a starter and should be able to slide into the starting role with the Hawks. You're telling me he couldn't do the 20PPG at least in the starting lineup like he does off the bench? Of COURSE he could.
And here is where having Bosh helps you: Matching up with Shaq and Howard in May. In the playoffs you'll beat Wade and the Heat in the first round, no problem. In the second round though, you'll face either Boston or Cleveland. If you go against the Cavs, Josh Smith guards LeBron with some Al Horford help and Bosh guards Shaq. The Hawks are thisclose to beating the Cavs right now (it takes the NBA offices screwing the Hawks to get Cleveland wins) and if Bosh is guarding Shaq, that is ADVANTAGE HAWKS.
On the flip side, with Orlando looming in the ECFinals, who is going to stop Dwight Howard down low? You saw that he shredded five Hawks players the other night to 31 points. The way the roster is currently constructed, the Hawks don't have a shot at taking down Howard and the Magic. There is your roadblock with THIS team. But add Bosh and let Horford drop down to play PF like he should be doing and combat Howard with Chris Bosh, and the Hawks have a chance.
If the Hawks get Bosh, Horford slides down to the 4 and then perhaps you run into trouble with Josh Smith at the 3. He isn't you prototypical 3, but from what I've seen of him this season, if he puts his mind to it, I would imagine that he COULD be a decent 3, at least enough of one to benefit this team. He could turn into a Ron Artest-type shutdown 3. And you're telling me that if Johnson is traded and he's told that this is his team (along with Horford and Bosh's) that he wouldn't embrace that?
Maybe Bosh doesn't resign and he leaves for the Knicks to join Joe Johnson at MSG, oh well. However, you were losing Joe Johnson at the end of the season anyways. Maybe if Bosh comes aboard and you catch lightning in a bottle, perhaps Bosh resigns. Then you have the makings of a squad that could take down Orlando and Cleveland year after year.
Oh, and once you get to the NBA finals, you are going against LA, with Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum, being guarded by Chris Bosh! I like that a lot more than Zaza guarding them. And then you have Jamal Crawford against Kobe with JSmoove guarding Ron Artest. Horford guards the other Gasol/Bynum or even Lamar Odom. I think that is an OK matchup for the Hawks. It would go to at least 6 games.
With Bosh, it is possible; with Johnson, this team loses in 5 in the second round.
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