This is totally hypothetical because we have yet to see how things work out over a longer stretch of games without Al, although I say losing Al is minor hiccup. If the Hawks continue to play as well as they are, there is a legitimate claim that the Hawks would be one dominant defensive minded and offensively capable center away from competing for a championship. That is of course if the bench continues to exceed expectations, Josh continues his MVP run, Joe continues to show why he has been selected as an All-Star 6 consecutive years, and Jeff Teague continues to show that he can play with the best point guards in the league.

So just say that Al becomes expendable...

Would it be worth the gamble of trading for Kaman, who is set to be a free agent in the summer, near the trade deadline?

There are several reason I would say yes:

-Kaman is a legitimate 7 foot shot blocker and he is just as productive offensively as Al.

-The Hawks would become players in free agency during the summer. Kaman's 14 mil and Hinrich's 8 mil coming off the books in the summer would put the Hawks over 10million under the cap.

-Kaman may also be a better fit in terms of giving the Hawks a low post threat and a better compliment to Joe and Josh.

-Most importantly, he fills the starting center void left by Al