[Bryan88]

The games have begun | Hawks | ajc.com

We’re just days away from the start of the NBA’s annual free agent circus/frenzy and the rumors circulating about Hawks forward Josh Smith have already begun to percolate.

And this is only the beginning. Expect the rumors to increase before they subside, as Smith’s name will be tossed around from LA to New York and all points in between before it’s all over.

Both ESPN.com and SI.com have made mention of the fact that the Hawks have to either be willing to pay Smith a salary starting in the $11 million range or risk losing him to another team (Philadelphia) or others seeking a potential sign-and-trade deal to snatch away one of the Hawks’ major players.

It should be noted that the Hawks have stated repeatedly that their top priority this summer is to take care of contracts for both Smith and Josh Childress, the franchise’s first two draft picks that will have to be taken care of since the Atlanta Spirit group took over and began their painstaking rehabilitation of the franchise.

Talking about doing that and actually doing it are two very different issues.

The worst part of this whole affair is that the Hawks never had to get to this point. They could have cooked up an extension for Smith last October (it would have taken probably $55 million over five years) and avoided the nervous drama that will ensue between now and the deadline for the Hawks to match (or not) a deal thrown at Smith by another team.

The debate will rage on during that time about whether or not Smith is “worth” the money that will be tossed around. I think that’s a useless debate.

You are worth whatever someone is willing to pay for your services. In the NBA, like every other endeavor, the market decides what you’re worth. And the teams in the NBA determine the market (the Hawks could have determined Smith’s worth on their own last October and now they’ll have to react to the market).

Having watched teams pay dearly for evaluation mistakes of their own players (the Suns have spent twice as much money the past three years trying to correct the mistake of allowing Joe Johnson to leave than they would have spent just paying Johnson), I have no reason to believe the trend will suddenly end this summer.

It’s a delicate balance, trying to get a handle on the value of your own players. But if you draft them, develop them properly and foster the growth we’ve seen in both Smith and Childress, why would you allow either of them to go?

The logic there isn’t clear. Balk at price tags all you want but keep in mind that no one wins a championship, or competes for one really, without spending some cash. It just doesn’t happen (check the Celtics’ payroll if you don’t believe it).

Sure, you have to spend wisely. And you have to make tough choices along the way. But you also have to remember that your window for competing in the NBA with a particular group tends to be short. And you can’t afford major mistakes during that window of opportunity, at least not too many major mistakes.

The Hawks are at an extremely crucial stage of their development as a franchise. They’ll have tough decisions to make not only this summer but also every summer going forward (Marvin Williams, Zaza Pachulia and Joe Johnson will all be eligible for extensions next summer and Al Horford after that and so on and so on).

So the foundation has to be solid. It has to be (and there is no right or wrong decision regarding Smith and Childress because they are restricted free agents and if you have to part with either one of them you have the ability to get something in return, just make dang sure what you get in return works as well as what you gave up).

The bottom line is this; you pay either way. You can do it with your cash or possibly your future. But either way you have to pay.