Josh Smith unaffected by trade rumours
After extending Al Horford’s contract on Monday 1 November, numerous reports began to surface saying the Atlanta Hawks will have to unload at least one of their key players to prevent salary
cap penalties, and that the Hawks will be forced to deal high-flying forward Josh Smith.
However, the 24-year-old forward isn’t bothered at all by the trade speculation surrounding him, and the six-year veteran vowed to stay focussed in helping the Hawks’ campaign this season.
"I don't care about the trade rumors," said Smith, who is averaging 12.6 points and 9.4 rebounds in their first five games of the season. "I just go out there and play the game. I really
don't look at what people are saying in the media. People tend to create their own stories up. Then everybody else who reads it takes it from there."
Hawks team-mate Jamal Crawford also heard about the rumour, but the reigning sixth man of the year downplayed all the speculation and made a strong statement that the Hawks can’t afford to
deal one of the cornerstones of their defence.
"He'll be here as long as he wants to be here. He'll be the last one to be traded," said Crawford, who is averaging 15.8 points per game for the unbeaten Hawks.
Despite all the hype surrounding him, Smith, who is a big factor on Atlanta’s 5-0 start this season, vowed not to get distracted and achieve his goal this season of winning the Defensive
Player of the Year award, after finishing second to Dwight Howard last season.
"I'm definitely hungry for that award," Smith said. "It's definitely one of my goals. I just try to be a nuisance on the defensive end. I try to be active and fly around. I know if I do that
each and every game it will push the defensive tempo of my team."
Smith and the Atlanta Hawks will put their unblemished record on the line when they go up against the struggling Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday 5 November in Minneapolis.
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