In the News

Lakers trade gives Smith chance at title
Changing teams yet again, from Nets to Lakers, is best gift Joe Smith could get.

Nets sign veteran forward Smith to one-year deal
The New Jersey Nets signed veteran free agent forward Joe Smith to a one-year contract and hired Milton Lee as director of basketball operations on Friday.

Nets sign veteran forward Joe Smith
The New Jersey Nets signed veteran free agent forward Joe Smith to a one-year contract and hired Milton Lee as director of basketball operations on Friday.

New Jersey Nets sign Joe Smith, hire Milton Lee as director of basketball operations
The New Jersey Nets have signed veteran free agent forward Joe Smith.

Nets sign veteran F Joe Smith (AP)
The New Jersey Nets have signed veteran free agent forward Joe Smith. The Nets did not disclose contract terms in announcing the deal Friday. The first pick overall in the 1995 draft, this will be Smith's 11th team in his 15-year NBA career. He appeared in 64 games with Atlanta last season, averaging 3.0 points and 2.5 rebounds.

Horford has career-high 31, Hawks roll (AP)

Al Horford and the Atlanta Hawks didn't allow themselves to fall into that trap of underestimating a losing team in disarray after making two trades in less than 24 hours. Horford scored a career-high 31 points in his 200th NBA game, and the Hawks sent the wheeling-and-dealing Los Angeles Clippers reeling to their sixth straight loss with a 110-92 victory Wednesday night.

Josh Smith's triple-double lifts Hawks (AP)

Josh Smith posted his second career triple-double and the Atlanta Hawks recovered in the fourth quarter to beat the Chicago Bulls 91-81 on Friday night. Smith had 18 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists as the Hawks recovered after trailing by six to open the final period. The Hawks took the lead with two 8-0 runs in the fourth.

Hawks win third straight, beat Wizards (AP)

Joe Johnson scored 24 points, Jamal Crawford added 22 and the Atlanta Hawks won their third straight game with a sluggish 94-82 victory over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night. Despite 25 points from Antawn Jamison, the Wizards lost their third straight and seventh in their last nine as the team tries to play through problems related to Gilbert Arenas' suspension.

Hawks end 4-game skid, beat Nets 119-89 (AP)

Jamal Crawford and the Atlanta Hawks used one of their best shooting nights of the season to end a four-game losing streak and beat the struggling New Jersey Nets 119-89 on Wednesday night. Crawford scored 29 points and Joe Johnson added 20 while sitting out the fourth quarter. The Hawks, coming off their worst offensive performance of the season, set a season high by making 13 3-pointers,...

Othello Hunter activated by Hawks - Othello Hunter (F) Atlanta Hawks
Othello Hunter has been activated for Thursday's game against the Raptors, largely because of Joe Smith's (dislocated thumb) absence.

Hawks score 146 in rout of Raptors (AP)

Al Horford had 24 points to lead nine scorers in double figures and the Atlanta Hawks enjoyed their best offensive night in 16 years to beat the slumping Toronto Raptors 146-115 on Wednesday night. The Hawks had their highest-scoring game since Jan. 30, 1993, when they beat Philadelphia 149-123. They had nine players in double figures for the first time since Dec.

Hornets snap Hawks' 7-game win streak (AP)

Rookie Darren Collison had 22 points and 11 assists for his first double-double, and the New Orleans Hornets won their third straight while snapping the Atlanta Hawks' seven-game winning streak, 96-88 on Saturday night. Fellow rookie Marcus Thornton scored 21 for the resurgent Hornets, who made 12 of 17 3-point attempts.

Johnson leads Hawks past Blazers in OT (AP)

Joe Johnson scored eight of his 35 points in overtime and the Atlanta Hawks solved Portland's defense in time to beat the Trail Blazers 99-95 on Monday night. The Hawks, who won at Portland on Nov. 3, swept the season series for the first time since the 1996-97 season. Josh Smith had 20 points and 16 rebounds for Atlanta, which extended its winning streak to five with the victory in the matchup...

Hawks add depth with Jason Collins (AP)
The Atlanta Hawks have added more depth and size to their frontcourt by signing center Jason Collins, who spent last season with Minnesota. The move comes about a week after the Hawks signed 6-foot-10 forward Joe Smith. Hawks general manager Rick Sund said the 7-foot Collins, an eight-year veteran, will add size "and a good interior defensive presence," to the Hawks.

Hawks ink 14-year veteran power forward Smith
Free agent forward Joe Smith is the Atlanta Hawks' free-agent answer to the team's lack of inside depth. The Hawks have signed Smith, a 14-year veteran and unrestricted free agent. The 6-foot-10, 225-pound Smith will join center Zaza Pachulia as the top inside backups behind starters Al Horford and Josh Smith for the Hawks, who advanced to the second round of the playoffs last season. Terms of the deal were not released on Tuesday.

Atlanta Hawks add to frontcourt, sign old pro Joe Smith
The Hawks added depth by signing veteran forward Joe Smith.

Source: Joe Smith signs with Atlanta Hawks for veteran's minimum
Joe Smith has agreed to a one-year deal with the Atlanta Hawks for the veteran's minimum, a source told ESPN's Ric Bucher on Friday.

2009 NBA free agency tracker
2009 NBA Free Agency Tracker Team Free agents Signed with Atlanta Mike Bibby Thomas Gardner Othello Hunter Solomon Jones Flip Murray Zaza Pachulia Mario West Marvin Williams Hawks — — — — Hawks — — Boston Glen Davis Stephon Marbury Mikki Moore Leon Powe — — — — Charlotte Raymond Felton Juwon Howard Cartier Martin Sean May Sean Singletary — — — — — Chicago Ben Gordon Aaron Gray Lindsay Hunter Pistons — Bulls Cleveland Joe Smith Wally Szczerbiak Anderson Varejao Lorenzen Wright — — Cavaliers — Dallas Brandon Bass Gerald Green Ryan Hollins Jason Kidd James Singleton Magic — — Mavericks —

McGrady helps Rockets hold off Thunder (AP)

Tracy McGrady scored 26 points and made two critical free throws with 8.2 seconds left to help the Houston Rockets win their second straight road game by holding off the Oklahoma City Thunder 98-96 on Friday night. McGrady, who had missed two of the Rockets' previous three games due to a left knee injury, helped extend Houston's winning streak over the franchise to 10 straight games, including...

Durant, Green lift Thunder over Knicks (AP)

Kevin Durant had 27 points and 12 rebounds, Jeff Green scored 27 points, and the Oklahoma City Thunder held off the New York Knicks 107-99 on Tuesday night. Oklahoma City (5-30) continued its recent offensive surge, shooting 52.7 percent from the field, including an 11-for-16 performance by Durant, but nearly blew a 23-point, second-half lead before recovering.

Grizzlies earn first back-to-back wins (AP)

With high-scoring rookie O.J. Mayo in the mix, backup Mike Conley rarely gets a chance to shine for the Memphis Grizzlies. When he got one, he made the most of it. Rudy Gay had 22 points, and Conley scored 14 of his season-high 16 points in fourth quarter to help the Grizzlies beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 108-102 on Wednesday night for their first winning streak of the season.

Cavaliers sign veteran center Wright
The Cavaliers signed center Lorenzen Wright on Friday to help offset the loss up front of forward Joe Smith. Cleveland has been looking for some frontcourt size since Smith was traded as part of the three-team deal with Memphis and Milwaukee that brought guard Mo Williams to Cleveland. The 6-foot-11, 255-pound Wright played 12 games for Atlanta and five for Sacramento last season, averaging less than a point and 2.1 rebounds. Wright has averaged 8.1 points 6.5 rebounds in 761 career games.

Cavs sign F-C Wright to help void left from Smith
The Cavaliers signed center Lorenzen Wright on Friday to help offset the loss up front of forward Joe Smith.

Cavs sign F-C Wright to help void left from Smith
The Cavaliers signed center Lorenzen Wright on Friday to help offset the loss up front of forward Joe Smith.

Cavaliers sign F-C Lorenzen Wright (AP)
The Cavaliers signed center Lorenzen Wright on Friday to help offset the loss up front of forward Joe Smith. Cleveland has been looking for some frontcourt size since Smith was traded as part of the three-team deal with Memphis and Milwaukee that brought guard Mo Williams to Cleveland. The 6-foot-11, 255-pound Wright played 12 games for Atlanta and five for Sacramento last season, averaging less...

Report: Pacers to deal O'Neal to Raptors (AP)

The Toronto Raptors have agreed in principle to acquire forward Jermaine O'Neal from the Indiana Pacers for point guard T.J. Ford, center Rasho Nesterovic, the 17th pick in the draft and a player to be named, Yahoo reported Wednesday. While Yahool reported the deal, citing an unidentified NBA executive, Raptors general manager Bryan Colangelo told The Canadian Press that he was in the midst of...

James, Cavs come up short of NBA title (AP)

They lost their season opener on Halloween, and their finale in hallowed surroundings. In between, the Cleveland Cavaliers endured contract holdouts, overcame key injuries and were transformed by an extreme roster makeover general manager Danny Ferry believed would bring superstar LeBron James the necessary help to win it all.

Cavaliers rip Celtics, pull within 2-1 (AP)

The shots didn't drop again for LeBron James, and it hardly mattered. The rest of the Cleveland Cavaliers made most of theirs. James scored 21 points on another off-shooting night, but Delonte West scored 21, Joe Smith had 17 and the Cavaliers raced to a large, early lead in Game 3 in a 108-84 victory Saturday night over the road-challenged Boston Celtics to pull within 2-1 in their playoff series.

Haywood not suspended for LeBron shove (AP)

Washington Wizards center Brendan Haywood was so steamed over his lack of playing time in last year's playoffs series against the Cleveland Cavaliers that he left the court before the final game was over and removed the nameplate above his locker. In this year's rematch, Haywood has very much made a name for himself.

James' late basket lifts Cavs by Sixers (AP)

LeBron James made a twisting bank shot with 19.3 seconds left to put Cleveland ahead to stay and the Cavaliers defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 91-88 on Sunday night. James, who finished with 26 points, took the ball at the top of the key, drove through the lane and put Cleveland up 90-88. After a Philadelphia miss, Cleveland forward Joe Smith was fouled and made one free throw.

Hornets top Cavs on West's late jumper (AP)

Along with countless assists, Chris Paul has given teammate David West a rather unique nickname. "I call David West the 17-foot assassin," Paul said. The Cavaliers now know why. West calmly dropped a 17-foot jumper -- coming on Paul's 20th and most impressive assist -- with 0.6 seconds remaining to give the New Orleans Hornets their fifth straight win, 100-99 over Cleveland on Wednesday night.

New-look Cavaliers hit floor Sunday (AP)
The new-look Cleveland Cavaliers hit the floor for the first time Sunday night against Memphis. Cleveland, which was involved in a three-team, 11-player trade Thursday, started Ben Wallace at power forward and Delonte West at point guard alongside LeBron James, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Devin Brown. The other two players picked up in the deal, forward Joe Smith and guard Wally Szczerbiak, came off the...

LeBron gives his approval on Cavs' trade
LeBron James danced in his seat. Guess he likes the trades. James, who had been hoping the Cavaliers would pull the trigger on a deal prior to Thursday's trading deadline, gave his stamp of approval to the club's acquisition of Ben Wallace, Wally Szczerbiak, Joe Smith and Delonte West - four players the Cavs feel can get them an NBA title. "I'm excited," he said. Jason Kidd may have been James' No. 1 choice, but he wasn't complaining about Cleveland's new quartet.

LeBron likes new-look Cavaliers (AP)
LeBron James danced in his seat. Guess he likes the trades. James, who had been hoping the Cavaliers would pull the trigger on a deal prior to Thursday's trading deadline, gave his stamp of approval to the club's acquisition of Ben Wallace, Wally Szczerbiak, Joe Smith and Delonte West -- four players the Cavs feel can get them an NBA title.

Nets win first game without Kidd 110-102 (AP)

Marcus Williams, in his first game as Jason Kidd's temporary replacement at point guard, combined with Richard Jefferson for New Jersey's first 10 points of overtime, and the Nets beat the Chicago Bulls 110-102 on Wednesday night. Vince Carter led the Nets with a season-high 33 points, though appeared to be grabbing at his hamstring as the game ended.

Smith, Bulls end Sonics' 3-game run (AP)

Joe Smith scored 25 points in his first game back after missing three with an injury and the Chicago Bulls defeated the Seattle SuperSonics 118-108 on Monday night. Ben Gordon added 20 points for the Bulls, who won for just the second time in six games behind their third-highest scoring game of the season.

Bulls hand Heat 11th straight loss (AP)

Ben Gordon scored 24 points, Joe Smith added 23 and the Chicago Bulls handed Miami its 11th straight loss, beating the Heat 126-96 on Wednesday night. Luol Deng had 21 points and Andres Nocioni rebounded from an injury in Tuesday's loss at Orlando to score 20 points. Thabo Sefolosha scored a season-high 17 points for the Bulls, whose 126 points were a season high.

Bulls rally past reeling Sixers 100-97 (AP)

Andres Nocioni scored 26 points, Joe Smith added 19 and the Chicago Bulls rallied to beat the reeling Philadelphia 76ers 100-97 on Friday night. Ben Gordon scored 15 points and Kirk Hinrich had 12 for the Bulls, who improved to 14-20 overall and 5-3 under interim coach Jim Boylan. Andre Iguodala scored 25 points, Samuel Dalembert had 21 and a season-high 20 rebounds, and Andre Miller added 20...

Knicks rally past Bulls, end 7-game skid (AP)
Eddy Curry scored a season-high 29 points, Jamal Crawford added 24 and the New York Knicks rallied to beat the Chicago Bulls 105-100 Tuesday night and snap a seven-game losing streak. The Knicks trailed by 13 early in the fourth and were down 98-91 after Chicago's Joe Smith hit a turnaround jumper midway through the quarter.

Skiles-less Bulls fall to Spurs 94-79 (AP)

Tony Parker scored 28 points and the San Antonio Spurs easily beat Chicago 94-79 Wednesday night in the Bulls' first game since firing coach Scott Skiles. Michael Finley added 15 points for San Antonio and Tim Duncan had 11 rebounds. Joe Smith had 19 points and 11 rebounds, and Ben Gordon added 18 points for the Bulls, who have dropped four of their last five.

Pacers win testy game with Bulls 117-102 (AP)

Kareem Rush scored 22 points to lead the Indiana Pacers to a 117-102 win over the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night in a wild game that featured five technical fouls and two ejections. Jamaal Tinsley added 18 points and eight assists for Indiana in first home game since he was shot at, but unhurt, early Sunday morning in downtown Indianapolis.

Raptors crush listless Bulls 101-71 (AP)

Carlos Delfino scored 16 points and Chris Bosh added 14 points and six rebounds to help the Toronto Raptors beat the listless Chicago Bulls 101-71 on Saturday night. The Raptors made quick work out of the Bulls despite playing their fourth game in five nights. T.J. Ford had 14 assists and Andrea Bargnani scored 14 points for Toronto, which had its largest win against Chicago in franchise history.

Thomas powers Bulls by Pistons 97-93 (AP)

The push and the extra motivation the struggling Chicago Bulls needed came from the team that eliminated them from the playoffs last spring. After a surprising 0-4 start, Chicago beat the Detroit Pistons 97-93 on Thursday night, riding 19 points and 14 rebounds from Tyrus Thomas for that elusive first victory.

Redd, Yi lead Bucks over winless Bulls (AP)

Michael Redd scored 27 points and rookie Yi Jianlian added 16 to help the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Chicago Bulls 78-72 on Saturday night for their first victory of the season. With the win, Milwaukee snapped a 15-game losing streak to Central Division opponents dating back to last season, and kept the Bulls winless through the first week of the season.

Joe Smith, F/C - CHI
Joe Smith sits out with sore knee for Bulls Visit Rotoworld.com for more analysis on this update.