Last week, new Atlanta Hawks GM Danny Ferry pretty much cleaned house by ridding the team of the bad contracts belonging to Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams. That left Josh Smith as the new face of the franchise and also alone on an island.
Smith has expressed a desire to be traded to a team with a realistic chance of winning an NBA Championship, but according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Ferry met with his disgruntled star to try and address his concerns and assure him that he's trying to build the Hawks into a legitimate championship caliber team:
Ferry acknowledged meeting with Smith last week.
"It went great," Ferry said. "It went fine."
Ferry declined to elaborate on any details about the conversation with Smith but, speaking generally about the effects of major trades on players, said there can be shock initially.
"If changes are made there is a sense of loss because relationships get built in this business," Ferry said. "It takes time for everyone to adjust."
For more on the Atlanta Hawks check out Peachtree Hoops. For more news and notes from around the NBA head over to SB Nation's NBA Basketball page.