Atlanta Hawks: All-in with max offer for Joe Johnson

Número Uno!

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this would be fail.

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His contract will be more of an albatross. No team will want to trade for that. The cap number will be coming down after new CBA meaning and it’s likely to be a hard cap. Meaning that the Hawks will not be able to exceed it under any circumstances. Do we want to tie up 40% of future cap space for Joe?.

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Say goodbye to the conference finals for the next 6 years

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http://twitter.com/JOE_DONT_GO

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In almost any scenario, we are a worse team without Joe. Hope he takes it, stays healthy, improves, and is still a great ballplayer at 34. If he snubs it for less money, try to do a sign and trade, an get as much as possible for him. In life, not every move is a great move, but this is the best move. Get a Center, PG, and we might can make a run at this thing this year.

Next yr., we’ll probably offer Jamal low and maybe lose him to FA. Bibby probably get’s sacked with his 6 mill. Then we sign Horford to a long term deal.

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the hawks should seriously do a sign and trade deal with him now.he’s not going to get any better let alone lead them to a championship.while he has a little value now, the hawks should trade him to dallas or someone who can give you young talent who going to help the team win now.johnson is as good as he’s going to be now.two years ago, he fell out of favor when everyone else was pushing for the title but he was complaining about being tired instead of sucking it up and pushing himself.he showed me he had no character. dywane wade was beat up but he fought in every game to win.johnson did not, because he have no character or the will to win.he’s only in it for a pay check.

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I know you say Joe can’t get that kind of money by just going to another team as a FA, but he can get that contract if the Hawks to sign and trade him, right? If he honestly thinks another team would provide him a better situation, wouldn’t he likely push the Hawks for a sign and trade?

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If he resigns you will have about 4 years of production, 1 season of decline and then the last season where he becomes valuable as a trade chip because of his expiring contract.

Do you really want 4 more years of Joe?

I am in the opinion, let him go and package Josh Smith and pieces for Carmello. Thats a legitimate superstar who would put butts in Phillips Arena.

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MC, the Hawks almost certainly would have to go into the luxury tax to use either of those exceptions…

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[...] Beat writer Michael Cunningham is reporting that the Hawks plan on offering Joe Johnson a six-year max deal (around $120 million). Good move or [...]

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I know Johnson is not a max guy, but looking at our other choices, this looks like the best choice to me. If he goes in the tank with no heart, we are in trouble (think Jon Koncak).

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MC- if the Hawks do indeed resign Joe, what other free agents do you see them attempting to sign in order to bolster the roster?

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If ATL offers max contract, how much less can Miami or Orlando offer that will allow JJ to make the same money with no state income taxes?

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I believe if the Hawks do a S&T, we can recieve a:30% of the cap, b:Salary in return (first year only), or c: salary/money back of that 30% or the 6th year salary. If I’m correct, I advise Sund to investigate fully as to where Joe will want to play other than Atlanta.

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Cant say I hate joe.for looking out for his best interest. I dont think thats going to leave room for adding a true center. That means we are stuck in mediocrity for a while to come.

Good insight Cunningham!

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MC, I think all of us hope this is the right move and are afraid it’s not. We know that Joe is better than nothing and the way Free Agency is set up, we don’t have any gurantees. Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t. Thanks for the hope that, “he could be a very tradeable asset in the future; his contract wouldn’t necessarily become an albatross.”

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I know I am not alone in this. A max offer to a player who won’t get them any better than they are today. And a player the fans don’t want but the ASG thinks is a great idea. No Toto, we are not in Kansas any more.

Steve…he already went in the tank. The writing is on the wall. This is a monster bad move. A six year hole that the ASG thinks the way out is to keep digging!

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Boy, this is really disturbing news. It’s nearly as disturbing as last year, when ASG made it a priority to re-sign Marv (why) and Bibby (maybe they needed to do that, but surely they paid too much).

The fans have turned against Joe, so ASG would not face a fan backlash for not keeping him. Plus, they could save big bucks, which is always an ASG priority.

These guys are really clueless.

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RICK SUND, I HAVE DOUBTED YOU AS A GM.ALL THAT WILL BE PUT TO REST IF YOU CAN SOMEHOW FIND A WAY TO TRADE JOE JOHNSON TO THE DENVER NUGGETS FOR CARMELO ANTHONY.THE NUGGETS IS LOOKING TO TRADE HIM.CARMELO WOULD SOLVE ALL OF OUR PLAYOFF PROBLEMS.ACCORDING TO YAHOO, DENVER IS LOOKING TO TRADE HIM.FIND A WAY TO GET HIM TO ATLANTA MY MAN AND I WILL NEVER DOUBT YOU AGAIN.

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Wasn’t it Michael Gearon Jr. who did an interview stating how the ASG wanted to avoid “bad” contracts a few weeks ago. Now we are here offering Joe Johnson the guy who has disappeared every playoff that we have been apart of for the past three years the SAME potential contract as LEBRON JAMES. You have to be kidding me. This makes me cry inside because I am a true die hard Hawks fan. Even if I said “I wont be a Hawks fan if they resign Joe to the max” I know Id be lying. So I have to deal with this abomination of an ownership group, and if Rick Sund supports this he just lost alot of respect in my book.

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Hawks fan….how can this be a safe move at 120 mil. This is crazy talk.

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Steve, the problem is, if we re-sign Joe, we will have to go into the luxury tax to get a big man in the next few years without trading one of our key rotational players (no one will trade us a solid big man for Marvin, ZaZa and/or Bibby), and a lot of us doubt ASG’s willingness to do so.

Also, Marvin’s rate of progress is a snail’s pace right now. Maybe the new offense opens things up for him, but, if you see a title in the next few years, you’re taking a much more optimistic view of this team than most people are.

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I thought we had something going when we got rid of the most stubborn and block headed coach in all of sports. Only to turn around and hire his assistant which also happened to be the cheapest possibly option (go-figure) available and claim that its “about a change of voice” Larry Drew has the pulse of the team. Why do I love this team so much? Someone please put me out of my misery.

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Please don’t give JJ max$$. The only way i would agree is if he turns into wade, bron-bron, captain jack, gerald wallace, or someone like that… It doesn’t mean that all of these players are on the same level, but they do have something in common… They all go to the basket with reckless abandonment and get fouls when their team needs it. In other words, he lacks the KILLER instinct. Taking over the game doesn’t mean shoot all the shots.

When we need to score but are missing shots, he continues to shoot jumpers. If he does drive, he doesn’t get the call because he rarely drives. You have to think about it like this… Jordan was a master of steals…Let’s be a little more recent…Rondo is a master of steals. He got the most this year but I guarantee that he fouled them 75% of the time. He doesn’t get the foul called since he always does it… Do you see the light…!?

If he can’t be that type of player for us, go somewhere else. Our leader needs to be that type of player, especially if that leader is a backcourt player!

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[...] get your way after all. No, this isn’t a post about LeBron James signing with New York. But, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Hawks are prepared to offer Joe Johnson a max contract, which Adrian Wojnarowski tweets should [...]

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Joe doesn’t want to be here in Atl. why such a push?!?! I think we should continue without him. He a good player but his heart is not in Atlanta.

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I don’t think JJ is worth that money at all, but cap-wise, wouldn’t that be our best option? We won’t really be able to sign any real impact FA if we let him go, right? If we can let JJ walk and offer Rudy Gay big $, then I’d rather do that. If not, it might just make sense to give him all that money, even though we all know he isn’t a Max player

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Paddy, it’s safe because it’s, as someone put it, “the devil you know.” The Hawks know what they have with this roster. Even after the FA shuffle is over, they should still be a solid playoff team.

Not resigning Joe would mean trades or trying to find cheaper alternatives – a lot of unknowns. Keeping the current roster together is a lot safer than getting rid of your best player and hoping that when the dust settles, you have a better team.

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This is a risk vs. reward move. If the Hawks didn’t do this, they would be handcuffed to replace him as MC said. The risk is that he doesn’t become Joe Contract ala Jon Contract (Koncak), but Joe is 100 times the player Koncak was with the exception of the playoff dropoff. Plus, we have Al and Jamal coming into new contract territory next with Al being a restricted free agent and Jamal having an expiring deal. I think other moves have to come with this move to smooth the PR bump the Hawks will take for shelling out this kind of money. Is there any truth to the rumor that ASG passed a collection plate amonst the 5000 owners to get up the extra millions to afford the max deal?

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Besides, if Joe signs max$$, what do we do with horford next year?!

If they give him that much money, I will NEVER spend my money on the Hawks again (glad I maxed out on the ‘nalia this year)

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If they’re going to “make him an offer he can’t refuse” I sure hope they intend on trading him. Do they realize that most fans don’t want him here anymore? He has had his chance to prove that he’s truly an NBA elite but I think all along he wasn’t the player we wanted him or needed him to be. It’s senseless to use up so much valuable cash over the next 6 years on a guy who can’t get it done.

There are still plenty of good 2nd tier free agents out there…surely we could afford a guy like John Salmons, who sure was a hell of a lot better in the playoffs than Joe.

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If we sign him to max, it better be done with the intention to trade him. JJ is NOT worth the max, period. And how do we expect to keep Horford in the following year?

I am completely let down by all of this.

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@MC, the options as I understand them are sign Joe for around $15M+, S&T Joe for a player who earns 50% of his first year salary (like trading Joe Johnson for a $7.5M player) or let him walk altogether and only have around $5M to replace him. Is that in the ballpark of being an accurate summary?

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ARE THEY F**KING CRAZYYYYYYYYYYY.

Forget this team

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s/b…but fact is i’d pay PP before i pay JJ.

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If they do this I officially hate the hawks.

Anyody who thinks Joe is worth over 70 milli is a F**KING FOOL.

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God! This organization will never learn! Not having Joe may hurt in the short run, but not in the long.

Christ….millions for a guy who can never hit big shots in the playoffs and rips the fans. Makes me sick.

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Here’s hoping Joe tells us and our max offer to get bent. We don’t need to be paying that man max money.

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if it makes yall feel better Childress will have a contract in place for the Wizards. Sekou confirmed it. Maybe we can get McGee

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If Joe Johnson accepts the Hawks max contract offer then that pretty much let’s you know he cares more about money than winning cause If he wants to win he will leave Atlanta.

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Sign JJ and band truth-serum from this blogg. The things you posted on the last page was sick and disturbing please stop with the disrespectful comments.MC you should BAN truth-serum until he gets has act together.One month Ban for truth-serum.

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I don’t even think the knicks are dumb enuff to give Joe max money

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Abe, with the cameo appearance.

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“A source close to Joe Johnson told Frank Isola of the New York Daily News that Johnson has narrowed his list of teams down to the Hawks, Knicks and Bulls.

If the Hawks do not offer Johnson a maximum-salary contract, Johnson is almost certain to leave Atlanta and will likely sign with the Knicks. “

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[...] Michael Cunningham is reporting that the Hawks will indeed offer Johnson a max deal when the clock strikes midnight tonight.  There is a lot of misinformation out there from a lot of publications, but I have a feeling that Michael is not one that will spread misinformation.  He is a very good writer who isn’t going to write about assumptions or supposition.  If he’s reporting this, then my guess is, he has heard something from inside that this will indeed happen. [...]

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NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Just an FYI, here are the highest paid NBA players (for 2010-11):

1. Kobe Bryant LA Lakers
$24,806,250
2. Rashard Lewis Orlando
$20,514,000
3. Kevin Garnett Boston
$18,800,000
4. Tim Duncan San Antonio
$18,700,000
5. Michael Redd Milwaukee
$18,300,000
6. Pau Gasol LA Lakers
$17,822,187
7. Andrei Kirilenko Utah
$17,822,187
8. Gilbert Arenas Washington
$17,730,694
9. Vince Carter Orlando
$17,300,000
10. Zach Randolph Memphis
$17,333,333
11. Carmelo Anthony Denver
$17,149,243
12. Dwight Howard Orlando
$16,509,600
13. Elton Brand Philadelphia
$15,959,099

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Sorry, I meant to mention the players that would be making more money than Joe if he gets the max in 2010-11, not including current free agents.

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If this is true, you gotta think a significant trade is in the offing. No reason for the ASG to move aggressively on making a max offer to JJ unless they feel they have bigger fish to fry in the offseason.

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The Hawks need to sign him. There’s no way we can lose his productivity throughout the year. Yes, he wasn’t that good during this year’s playoffs. But without him, do you think the Hawks would be where they are now over the past 2 years. No way! It’s crazy to think of the Hawks as an very good team after so many years being so bad.

By the way, when we all look in the mirror, we know that what Joe Johnson said about the fans during the playoffs is the truth. When a team wins 53 games and less than 1/3 of the arena is full, then what he said about us is the truth.

I have season tickets and try to get between 20-30 games a year and when the Cavs, Lakers, Celtics come into town, I don’t see the Hawks fans supporting their team.

If the NY Knicks can be one of the worst teams in basketball for several years but still sell out seats every home game and we win 53 and can’t fill 1/3, then we are guilty as charged of being a fair-weather sports town.

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I still think this could be a sign and trade to teams that lose out on Lebron, Wade, and Bosh…….. Knicks/Nets might be who we’re talking about

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And also for all u guys saying, “noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo” to paying Joe the money..watch him get plenty of rest playing with LeBron or Wade or whoever, and watch him come thru like Ray Allen did in, I think, game 2 of the finals where he couldnt miss..only this time, Joe would be playing like that all season long too. All u guys would be complaining again, “why we didnt give him the money and an island too??”

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J-MAN – in a S&T, doesn’t the team JJ would be traded to have to negotiate the contract first?

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Are you kiddin me !!! Joe is good player but he is no big time player….I would much rather them go out and get a big man like Carlos Boozer,Tyson Chandler, or Amar’e Stoudemire and counter with a good Guard like Nate Robinson, Rudy Gay, or J.J. Redick. First, the hawks have a horrible draft and look to have a horrible free agency period.

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I have to laugh at this. People say the ASG is cheap, and that they won’t pay big money for anybody, so that’s why no big time free agents will come here.

Then they lose their minds when the best player to don a Hawks uniform in over 10 years gets offered a max contract (well, not officially, yet).

Don’t you get it? The Hawks just about HAVE to do this. If Joe accepts, they have their best player on the team still (like it or not, he’s still the best player right now), with the option of trading him a year down the road if they need to. If he doesn’t, then at least they made a dang good offer.

Then they can at least say “Well, we tried to keep him, but he bolted anyway.” And we as fans will have to take it for what it is, because then we’ll know that JOE LEFT US, not that we didn’t try to keep him. That’s the spin the ASG has to go with. Don’t think this doesn’t have a bearing on how other players on this team and on other teams see the organization. If you won’t offer a max contract to your best player and all-star, then why should anyone else want to play here? The Hawks have NO LEVERAGE here. They have to make a legit, player-pleasing offer.

As Bigdave says, this puts the ball squarely in Joe Johnson’s court. If he leaves, it ain’t because we wouldn’t pay him.

And for those who might think he’s leaving because there’s not another “star” player next to him or a “true center”, I have news for you – if that was really an issue, he would have left a few years ago. Because the closest we had to a two-star team was when we had Joe and Al Harrington, before we let him walk for NOTHING (oh wait, it was for cap space, which we never even used), and there hasn’t been a true center type in Atlanta since guys like Dikembe Mutombo, Kevin Willis, and Theo Ratliff (borderline…we really only had him one full season).

The Hawks have no choice. Not offering him a max contract only makes them look bad, and potentially drives away any other credible free agents in the future. And, it potentially drives Joe away.

Having said that, this doesn’t mean Joe stays. It kind of narrows things down though, I think. At this point, most likely scenarios are that either Joe stays, or he leaves via sign-and-trade.

So the ball is in his court, and his court alone. The Hawks are doing their due. It’s on Joe.

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I wonder sometimes if people realize that Joe made almost $15MM this year. The proposal sounds like about a 5% increase each year for six years. If the Hawks lost Joe, they can’t easily replace his production, and they can’t sign and trade for anything like equal value. This is the best deal the Hawks could make.

I know people are mad about the comments Joe made, but you have to remember that he was mad, embarassed and his feelings were hurt. You can’t trash your franchise because a guy made some stupid comments in the heat of the moment. I look at it this way: Joe basically said the same thing that David Justice did, but he didn’t come back and hit a home run to win the World Series.

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The Hawks drafted Marvin Williams over Chris Paul and drafted Sheldon Williams over Brandon Roy lol.

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I dnt think joes worth max money but i didi want him back 119mill tho…..idk we have a solid team but they still need 2 moves to be a contender so heres my thinking now joe gets the deal package josh smithand marvin eiter to new orleans for Cp3 and okafour or and included biibby for this trade bibby,josh,and marvin and maybe zaza to the clippers for baron davis,chris kamon and cash i know some of you all dnt like that trade but it makes sense to areas of need filled and a vet point to bring teauge along

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yesssss we gittin jj back

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Too much money!!!!! This is Atlanta’s version of Allan Houston

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Don’t do it

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When they give No Sho Joe the max contract, I’ll take that season ticket money I was saving , and I’ll buy a nice flat screen tv, and a blu-ray DVD player.

Pure Insanity!!!!!!!

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They should sign and trade Joe to Dallas for Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood since Cuban is in love with #2.

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Ditto Ken Strickland..

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If the hawks sign Joe johnson to a max deal,I will never be a hawks fan again.Nor will I watch a hawks game again!!!! WTF

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Section 303,

If one bad comment makes you a bad person, then we’re all going to hell.

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T-Mac the fans have all the right to say whatever they want. They have some say when a star blows them off after a terrible performance. Real stars take the heat and perform. The Celtics got booed in the 2010 playoffs KG and Pierce with class said,”they deserved to be booed.” Outside the PR stuff. I think much is to be expected from a player that is given the max. Joe is not MAX money but he should be the highest paid player on this team. But if MAX is the way they cannot say they do not have the money to pay for key pieces to make a championship run. The Hawks still need a defensive big. Will they pay for a big when one is available?

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I can’t believe they would give Joe Johnson after the way he treated the fans let him go do a sign and trade.

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Why cant we offer a nice deal to someone else and let Joe Go! he isnt worth it….from the Fans!

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The decision to offer a max contract to Joe is the low-risk, low-reward, safe move. The higher-risk, higher-reward move would be to sign-and-trade him for expiring deals and attempt to use them to acquire a better player like Chris Paul or Carmelo Anthony. Keeping Joe ensures that the Hawks remain a 50-win playoff team for the foreseeable future, while also ensuring that they will probably not win a title or even make the NBA Finals for the next few years.

In my opinion, this is the best of two not-so-great options.

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MrSDee, if you are going to defend JJ then get your fact straight.

He did not play over 40 minutes a game this season. In fact he played the fewest mins per game since the 2001-20002 season. So you can’t really use the he was tired excuse for his lack of playoff experience. I think about 35-36 mins per game is ideal for him though and the lack of bench helped sack Woodson.

Now i will defend him because there are few 2 guards that can bring what he can to the table. He’s big, can defend and score. Quick somebody name me 5 better 2 guards in the league that have a better OVERALL game than JJ. he carried this team for years and is struggling to transition his game to a more team oriented approach. How much of that had to do with Coach Woddson remains to be seen but I think it could be fun to see what he can do in a different offense.

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@JeJe, really what player does that

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Suckers.

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I have to disagree, though, with the people who think Joe’s max contract will become an untradeable albatross towards the end of his deal. First of all, no deal is untradeable in its last year, since expiring deals are always coveted. With that in mind, he only becomes an albatross if he experiences a steep decline within 3 years and becomes an under-20 ppg scorer at age 32 and 33. I think he can maintain his current level of play for at least that long before he starts declining.

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nooooooooooooo, don’t do it. did anyone see PTI when they were talking about Joe playoff numbers, those number are bad, not a max player number. he let the bucks push them to a 7game. go after rudy gay, look at his numbers, just as good as joe’s if not better; that is who i would go after and he younger and you don’t have to pay him that much

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All this talk about us not winning a championship for the next 5 years is silly. Wade and lebron (amybe Bosh too) are going to be destroying teams for the next 5 years in Miami. no move we make today or the next 3+ years will change that. This resigning enables us to keep a pretty entertaining and successful team together for the foreseeable future.

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This is bad new. Very bad news. Joe Johnson is not worth a max contract.

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some of yall act like Joe slapped yall mama.. stole some of your money.. or f-cked ya b…

acting real soft like. all warm and fuzzy inside..

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Offering a max contract to a second-tier all-star would cripple the Hawks young roster. The team is growing up and no longer needs Joe as the greybeard.

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I still think another deal or three is in the works in addition to this signing. We still haven’t seen a summer league roster even though practice should start in a few days, and we never had an introduction of Jordan Crawford to the media. Also, a coaching staff has to be hired. I don’t see ASG, “brilliant” as they are, resigning JJ to a max deal without the thought that other personnel moves could improve this team. I shudder at the thought that they would think resigning JJ and hiring Larry Drew as HC, both poor PR moves, would be enough to get this team to another level in the playoffs.

By the way, MC, will the summer league practices at Philips be open to the public? That would be a good PR move by ASG who sorely needs it based on these postings.

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This deal does ensure, though, that the only ways this team improves on this year’s finish are by one of three things happening (in order from most to least likely):

1. Jeff Teague blossoming into a star
2. Jamal Crawford being traded for one or two role players at positions of need and Jordan Crawford, Mo Evans, and maybe Mike Bibby stepping up to provide 80% or more of his production
3. Larry Drew being a major improvement on Mike Woodson

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LOL@bigdave, you would think they are paying his deal, like i’ve said before its not my money so they can give him whateva, Keep Horford and trade everyone else

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I should say the Hawks haven’t hired any new assistant coaches. Maybe no other changes are being made.

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Everyone needs to quit the crying! We need JJ to make the push for a championship! Peopla saying he is only in it for the money is full of it! If you were in his shoes, you would want to make s much money as possible, so people need to shut the f!@k up! If we don’t resign him, we will probably fall back down to the bottom half of the division.

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The two times I’ve talked to Coach Drew (last time was a week ago), he says Teague is in the gym everyday and hadn’t even left Atlanta for vacation yet. Usually when players go that hard in the offseason, it translates into regular season success, or improvement at least. I have high hopes for that kid.

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Football_Fan,

Exactly how is signing Joe to the max contract going to cripple the roster? We’re not a lottery team anymore. What else are we going to do that doesn’t involve trading our young players? Some of the big names people want to trade for would command Horford or Smith, not our bench players. A sign-and-trade involving JJ would still be a good option if we get the right player(s) in return but that requires signing him so I still by my post. It could be worse.

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bigdave and SWAT Native, if those comments were just made in the heat of the moment, then why isn’t he man enough to just cop up to it and say so?

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Michael, given the list of choices the Hawks have, they are probably best just giving Johnson the max offer, hoping he accepts it, and keeping him. My guess is that with him, we will remain the same 50 plus win competetive team that we were this year. We aren’t Boston or Orlando championship caliber, but we are probably similar to what we used to be when we had Dominique in the 80s.

If Johnson goes to the Knicks, we will know he is really stupid. The Knicks havent had a 500 season in how long? They are probably the furthest away from winning of any team that would offer Joe a serious contract. At least the Hawks are very playoff competetive.

If this is the best we can do, then keep him. Forget about the fan comments, or what else we might or might not get. Just give him the money and hope we can be as competetive as possible for as long as possible.

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What a waste and a joke. For a guy who shunned fans they offer him that. I won’t be going to any hawks games this year. They are stupid to do this. They are not going to be better than Orl and Miami. So your wasting money. Might as well suck for a while, try getting some good draft picks and then be good in 4-5 years when Leb, Howard, Wade etc are past their prime.

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“If we trade Jamal Crawford I will not watch a Hawks game all year. He is the sole reason that we won more games this year.”

I don’t think anyone wants Crawford gone. I sure don’t. But it’s going to come down to managing the salary cap in a way that maximizes the money you spend. Crawford’s $10 million deal expires this year. Next summer is Al Horford’s restricted free agent year, and you can bet if the Hawks don’t make him a reasonable offer someone else will come along and try to sign him. He will require $11 million or so per year to sign. Between his new deal and Joe’s max deal, as well as everyone else who is currently on the roster, the Hawks will be at nearly $60 million in team salary before even beginning negotiations with Jamal. Jamal will be 31 when his contract expires, and as much as he may like it here, he is going to be a hot commodity trying to sign his last big contract; the chances of him taking a major pay cut is slim. In addition, the Hawks drafted a guy who pretty much duplicates what Jamal does.

It boils down to this — the chances of the Hawks re-signing Jamal next summer are slim even if they do keep him now. The chances of them acquiring a difference-making big man or small forward to fortify the weak positions on the roster, using only the mid-level exception, are slim. Jamal’s expiring deal is the most attractive trade piece they have. All this adds up to a Jamal trade being the easiest and most likely way of filling needs at other positions.

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So who’ll be responsible for putting up the poll asking Hawks’ fans if they agree with the potential max deal being offered for JJ’s services?

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@ddd-house, I like Crawford but he is just a offensive weapon off the bench which is perfect for this team, if he was all that like you said then why is this is his 4th team and it was the first time in the playoffs, and if I recall, Crawford sucked against the magic also

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Luke Cage, you beat me to it.

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Who knows Najeh that trade still may happen

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Agent Lon Babby was on the mike and mike show this morning. And when asked what the number 1 priority of free agents was in his experience, he said it was money without a doubt. Only in the case of an older player who had already had his second big contract would a player take a little less to have a chance at a ring. But in the case of max dollars, players are all about the money. I have said it all along, teams who offer their players the 6yr max will retain them. If the hawks really offered Joe the max he will sign. Wade is definently staying in Miami, and I believe that Lebron will stay in Cleveland. And I have already heard that if the Suns make Amare a good offer he will stay in Phoneix. The only player that probably will be moving is Bosh and thats only because the raptors have agreed to try to work out a sign and trade. All of this soap opera talk about stars teaming up and this player going to this new team or that one is all B*llsh*t. In the end they all cave for the most money just like Lon Babby pointed out this morning.

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I predict Joe Johnson will resign with the Hawks and use all his cash to buy out all you fair weather fans’ tickets that think you are as important as an actual player and think that just because he ain’t James or Bryant he’s nobody. If I’m wrong and he leaves then I guess you can be happy with getting pissed at his replacement for each and every off game he has. Get a life!

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Why in the world would anyone in their right mind offer JJ that much money. He is a good player not GREAT. the iso Joe works when he is making shots but makes you a loser if not. plus he is a no factor in playoff games. Let him go. the hawks ill be sorry in a couple of years if this happens

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Ray,

I think you’re right. If all Joe was asked to do was score, he’d probably be putting Crawford’s numbers to shame.

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No way. JJ isn’t a max money player by any stretch. TO be max money we’re talking Kobe, D. Wade, Lebron tpyes not JJ who disappears at critical times in the playoffs.

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Richard Jefferson just idiotically opted out of the last year — and $15 million — of his contract.

He wasn’t a good fit in San Antonio and will be lucky to get anything more than the mid-level, but he’s still better than Marvin. I wouldn’t mind seeing the Hawks throw the mid-level at him and see what happens.

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Finance 101

You are worth what you can get!
It’ all relative to what the owners are making!

So, all the ignorant and broke people who can’t count this high…it’s NOT your concern,
It’s NOT your job to worry about how much Joe is paid.
If you could play at his level? You would want the money too!

So roll over and go back to sleep now. Nite – Nite to all the broke haters!

Joe – Get your cheese man!

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joe needs to leave. i want to go to new york and i want to go with. it is going to be like a reunion . Basically like i love new york. hawks suck go knicks. mike dantoni coach of year.

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why would the hawks want him back? sign and trade with somebody and get a center and a SF

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You Guys Aren’t Thinking Properly… A Lot Of Uninformed Comments, And Wack Trade Scenario’s… I Guess There Are A Lot Of High Schooler’s On Here, Because Grown Adult Atlanta Fans Don’t Sound Anything Like This Stupidity!!(Yeah Right!! LOL!) Make Valid and Real Points, Your Opinion Is Asked But If It Is Totally Ignorant and Totally Emotional, It is a waste of Space. That’s Why I Hate Being a Atlanta Fan, Because Half The Fans Are So Uninformed on How This Whole Thing Works!! We have to offer this guy a MAX DEAL. Period! It makes the ASG not look cheap #1. They are in a position to keep there best player with a core of talented young players under the age of 25, who WILL GET BETTER #2. They have to let other teams know that a sign and trade is going to have to happen if they want JOE JOHNSON #3. This is point blank a savy business move. AND BY ALL ACCOUNTS THE RIIIIIIIIIGGGGGHHHHHT MOVE IF U WANT TO CONTINUE TO COMPETE FOR A TITLE!! DWIGHT HOWARD, CARMELO ANTHONY, LEBRON JAMES, DWAYNE WADE, NO OTHER STAR FREE AGENT WITH HIS RIGHT MIND, IS WALKING THRU THAT DOOR!!!!! HAWKS FANS PLEASE WAKE UP AND GET INFORMED BEFORE U PASTE STUPIDNESS INTO THIS LITTLE BOX!! Its your voice, but really think before you speak!!

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$20 million per season is for elite players like Kobe, D. Wade, etc. Joe is a very good player who does not live in their stratosphere. More importantly, these other players are vocal leaders of their respective teams. Joe Johnson has absolutely no charisma. I assure you that if Kobe, Lebron or Wade saw the behavior that Josh Smith displayed on the court that they would be all over him. I don’t fully buy the leadership by example line that I hear about Joe. A sign and trade for CP3, or Amare would make more sense.

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i think cp3 would be the best case scenario- but who do u guys think we would have to give up for cp3? jj and josh smith maybe- that doesnt look too bad haha

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@Steel (Formerly Venom Swallower) Who the hell cares what name you post your crappy, mindless opinions under? And anyone else out there hating on Joe and the Hawks, don’t y’all have anything better to do?
Whoever suggested Joe showed his true colors with a “heat of the Moment” comment after some embarrassing loses should think about the fact that Joe was 11th in scorring last year. That is a truer statement as to his value than one ill timed comment. Give him and me an f ing break. Sund has not made a poor move yet, so y’all just need to wait it out and see who’sm on the roster in October. Regardless, we will have an All Start Center in Al, 2nd team All Defensive forward in Josh, Jamal bringing it most nights, Teague with expanded minutes and hopefully Joe helping to run a more effective offense, And maybe even J-chill in place of Marvin at the starting 3 spot. They should still get 50 wins.

Remember 98% of ALL professional teams miss their goal Every Year! Be Happy we have built a solid team that is NOT the laughing stock of pro sports anymore.

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haha if we had joe johnson carmelo and al horford we would be a championship caliber team! i wouldnt mind that

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GT alum.. “if those comments were just made in the heat of the moment, then why isn’t he man enough to just cop up to it and say so?”

im simply inferring.. im not Joe, his agent, or publicist.. you would have to ask them. im sure it will be addressed at some point dont you think? i do find it hard to believe that a player doesnt want his home crowd to support. from a guy that has no history of outburst, trouble, etc. it was evident that Joe was hurt by the booing and felt the team was betrayed. i think we’re being a bit too critical of Joe, and like him, too sensitive. i wouldnt look too much into the comments versus where they stemmed from. clearly it was frustration.. especially when your head coach’s game plan has about as good of a chance at success as you dodging rain drops. yet he continuously ask you to stay dry and offers no rain coat or umbrella.. eventually you accept your fate. Joe will have to take a new found responsibility though.. he has to become more vocal and more accountable. especially with a new coach. assuming he comes back, this is his group.

i do feel that we are trying to keep the right guy.. and we let go of the reason for boo’s early this summer..

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CP3, CARMELO, LEBRON, KOBE, BOSH, RAY ALLEN, PAUL P., GASOL, GARNETT, D. HOWARD, AMARE, STEVE NASH, TONY PARKER, TIM DUNCAN, RUDY GAY, D. WADE, BOOZER, DIRK, ARE NOOOOOOOOTTTTTTTTTT WALKING THRU THE ATLANTA HAWK DOOR!!!! NOT NOW, NOT EVER!! SOOOOO PLEASE BE QUIET WITH THIS ASSUMPTION OF PICKING UP SOMEBODEY BETTER THAN JOE JOHNSON, PERIOD!! A SIGN AND TRADE IS OUR ONLY BEST CASE SCENARIO, I JUST DONT GET U GUYS UNWISHFUL THINKING? NONE OF THESE SUPERSTARS WILL EVER COME HERE!! WE BEST TO KEEP JOE JOHNSON OR GET A SIGN AND TRADE WITH A REASONABLE PIECE. YOU GUYS ARE REALLY LOST!! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKKKKKKKKKKEEEEEE UPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!

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Section 303, I understand you still mad about JJ’s comment,but you shouldn’t say you want him to get hit by a bus because that’s taking it to far. btw how about you just don’t show up at the games at all; that will make it a better place, and his comment was a long time ago. LET IT GO!

#teamjoe

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” umma competitor potna”

-Joe Johnson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-tMhAUS79U&feature=related @ :42

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Ray the sane and rational understand. If u don’t have jj then u fold as u don’t have a ha d to play anymore. We get to pick up a cardbwe know is there maybe not an ace but a king
maybe that ring 2 princes. Without Joe we don’t plY and what for the next hand to be dealt.

I am all for this as I am s optimistic other teams don’t roll the dice and get what they want. Bosh and Wade concern me but bosh may have better optionw ln Houston to play with the big one. Boston is mot younger and magic still have vnce to weaken them and cavsmay not have bron who is the tovhear out of the three. With jj I still like ur chances if the hawks can solve the same riddle of the past five years .::. Who plays back up deep defense and who plays point to NBA championshi level?

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Boy this is tough on I hone

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Thank you ClassicHawks like the name. I believe if Drew can maximize with his coaching we are right there. I think if we can Kurt Thomas or someone who will do the grunt work we will be rolling again. Against the Majic WOody was stubborn and would not play all the bigs. Boston ran all their bigs at Howard and frustrated him. Those are coaching issues. Everyone calling for Josh Smith head sure he’s little whily at times but he won us a ton of games with blocked shots and steals when he hustles. I think Drew is going to get him to do that. We’re not perfect but in both leagues combined we were ranked 6th or 7th. We are not far at all I don’t knwo what the HEll these damn people in this blog is talking about. I have been with the Hawks all my life I am a GRady-baby so I know the history of this team and I know we are on the brink of taking it all. Patience will pay off all our players are under 25 like you said. Maturation plays a part. Mostly, though, the ball is in Drew’s court. The right coaching and letting this team run for four quarters and no one will want to see us coming. I promise you.

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That iPhone keyboard is a b-tch, huh Doc? I know the feeling…

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@Najeh,

Half of those players arent getting a max deal either………..Hopefully this is just a part of a s&t. If not, then hopefully Coach Drew’s new system changes a lot about the way Joe settles for the jumper and eats up the shot clock dribbling…………CHUUUUCH

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What people don’t understand is that this is it for free agency the next two years don’t have really any notable guys becoming free agents. From JJ perspective its business so I can’t hate on him for getting paid. The Hawks know if they loose him outright then the team will be worse. The hawks may still try to trade some of the other players on the team to acquire another star to come play with Joe. If we could get melo that would be good but realistically Denver not letting him go no where. Teague, JJ, Marvin, Smoove, Horford is still a good lineup in the east they need to get a backup Center to deal with D12. People fail to remember JJ hand was hurt this year a lot more than he was letting people know. The same injury J Heyward for the braves has. So if he cant swing a bat im sure it messes with you shooting a basketball as well.

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THE HAWKS NEED AN IDENTITY! THEY NEVER REALLY GOT ONE WITH COACH WOODSON BECAUSE I BELIEVE A LOT OF PLAYERS DIDN’T AGREE WITH PHILOSOPHY! ACCEPT JOE JOHNSON, WHO IS A TEAM PLAYER, WHO DOES WHAT IS ASKED!! ONCE THIS TEAM GETS IT IDENTITY, SKY IS THE LIMIT. GOOD COACHING AND GOOD PHILOSOPHY BREEDS A TEAM IDENTITY. I BELIEVE LARRY DREW HAS THE RIGHT APPROACH AND I BELIEVE TALENT WISE AND AGE WISE, THERE IS NO TEAM IN THE LEAGUE MESSING WITH THE HAWKS. ONE OR TWO PEICES AND GREAT COACHING WILL PUT US RIGHT ON PAR TO TAKING US SOMEWHERE WE HAVE NEVER BEEN BEFORE!! JEFF TEAGUE IS THE TOTAL KEY TO OUR FUTURE, IF LARRY DREW GETS HIM RIGHT, WITH ALL THE TALENT THAT KID HAS, THE HAWKS ARE GONNA BE SUPER TOUGH!!!!!

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http://bleacherreport.com/articles/413792-hawk-not-leaving-the-nest-joe-johnson-to-accept-atlantas-max-offer

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fools

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Wow, I guess it’s true that no one wants to come to Atlanta. I was hoping for a play on Chris Bosh and a pass first PG. Nothing against Joe, but he should be more in the $10-$13M range, not $15-$20M. We won’t have money to draw more talent (which equals tickets sales). Work smart like the Spurs and Lakers.

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Section 303:

Rather harsh comments, isn’t it? Maybe evil even. Hit by a bus? Come on, dude!

I see fans feelings are still hurt by Joe’s comments during the playoffs. If you all can’t understand about saying stuff in the heat of a bad moment, goaded by reporters, if that’s all it takes to get under your skins, then either y’all are either super diehard Hawks fans, or you just need a life.

As has been so intelligently explained by some of our longest serving bloggers, giving Joe a max deal for 6 years only means a slight raise on his current salary. Joe already makes almost 16 mil a year. What difference does 2-3 mil extra make? Especially when I’m getting this good buzz that Drew is gonna actually implement an offensive scheme for the team. Anything that takes away the iso game is fine with me.

In truth, I believe Hawks woes in playoff 2nd round losses lay solely with coaching. Or lack of coaching. Us fans could see the iso game was not working, But Woody refused to change because he could not manufacture any other offense.

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Usually I don’t comment on here but most of yall sit back and watch ESPN getting info and come on here commenting thinking yall are experts now..so funny..and for the record, I’m all for Joe coming back with a new offense in plan instead of that iso joe.

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Man this franchise is nuts!!….six more years of subpar play and excuses….yeah, way to go ASG…this crap sucks balls…

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Joe is not a superstar but if the hawks make another move and bring in batman then im all for the max contract, if not then its a waste of money.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!

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DO NOT GIVE THIS CLOWN A MAX CONTRACT. SIGN SALMONS FOR THE MLE. HE AND J-CRAW SCORE BASKETS MUUUUUUUCH EASIER THAN OUR “ALL STAR” JOE JOHNSON WHO CAN’T EVEN SCORE AT A FREAKING ALL STAR GAME.

HE EMBARRASSED OUR CITY BY NOT SCORING AT THE AS GAME LAST YEAR

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The hawks need a superstar and horford or josh is the trading chip, you can’t continue 2 keep both or years will go by with early exit of the playoffs.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!

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If we indeed sign Joe, anybody sign a Marvin and Bibby package for a SF or Center happening?

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lol doc exactly..

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All of these people saying don’t sign Joe are forgetting one piece of information that is huge in the NBA: RESPECT! Joe was willing to come play for this team when no one else wanted to sign here at all. From Kenyon Martin, Dampier, Ray Allen, and many others, many players came here and only used the Hawks as a bargain tool to drive their prices up to the team they really wanted to go. Joe came in, and lead the team to the playoffs, and to front story on ESPN many nights. You don’t turn your back on a player like that who took a chance on your franchise. The Hawks will be better next season than they were last season. I think its a great deal. 20/6/5 are great numbers, and only a few players in the league are producing those numbers.

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@ RAMON. VALID POINT! JOE COULD OF WENT TO CLEVELAND AND THEY WON A CHAMPIONSHIP WITH LEBRON. BUT HE CAME TO ATLANTA WHEN WE WERE PITIFUL AND FANS COMPLAIN ABOUT A COMMENT “HE COULD CARE LESS WHAT THE FANS THINK!” I’M STARTING TO SEE HIS RATIONAL WITH HOW STOOPID THESE FANS ON THIS BLOG SOUND!!

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@ DDD! HE IS NOT A MAX GUY. BUT HE IS OUR MAX GUY BECAUSE HE IS AN ASSET TO OUR TEAM. HE IS NOT A LIABILTY UNTIL AFTER HIS 4TH YEAR. BY THEN YOU WILL KNOW WHAT YOU GOT WITH JOSH AND TEAGUE AND AL. BOSTON WOULD DEFINITLY TAKE JOE OVER RAY ALLEN. MAYBE NOT WHEN RAY WAS IN HIS PRIME BUT RIGHT NOW THEY WOULD DO IT IN A HEART BEAT. BUT JOE IN HIS PRIME AND RAY IN PRIME ARE SIMILAR IN THERE STATURE, I THINK OVERALL HOWEVER, JOE IS BETTER!!

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JOE WAS HURT IN THE PLAYOFFS THIS YEAR. WHEN YOUR CONSTANTLY DOUBLE AND TRIPLE TEAM AND YOUR COACHES ANSWER IS TO KEEP ISOLATING U, AND SWITCHING ON DEFENSE AGAINST A TEAM LIKE ORLANDO, YOUR DOOMED ANYWAY. JOE IS A SOLID GUY IN THE PLAYOFFS. HE IS NOT MICHAEL JORDAN, BUT HE IS SOLID. HE IS NOT A MAX PLAYER, BUT THAT IS NOT THE ?. THE QUESTION IS ARE YOU GOING TO FIND SOMEONE WHO CAN DO WHAT HE DOES AS WELL AS HE DOES, IN THE NEXT 6 YEARS? I SAY HELL NOOOOOOOO! RE-SIGN JJ AND OVERSPEND TO DO IT!! YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE…AND PLAYOFF TEAMS WITH 50 WINS ONLY COMES LETS SAY EVERY 10 YEARS, ENJOY IT WHILE ITS HERE HAWKS FANS….

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I gotta give it up to the regular posters on here. At least most of you get it. It was pretty much Joe Johnson or BUST from the very start. Hopefully, JJ won’t be wooed by elaborate promises coming from NY, CHI, and DAL, and just take the money and stay in ATL.

And while I didn’t agree with Big Ray and Strickland much during the season, I’m in total agreement of their comments today. Great breakdown guys. It saved me a lot of typing.

It’s funny though. The vast majority of fans have called the ASG “cheap”. But when they decide to slightly overpay for their star player, those same people want them to go the “cheap route”, and bring in some C-List starter like a Luou Deng or Caron Butler.

Then you have fans worried about our ability to win a championship, when the Hawks haven’t even reached the EC Finals in most of our LIFETIMES.

Then you have yet another group who are mad that we signed JJ, and not another big time free agent. Forget the fact that we have gone over time and again what the rules of free agency are, how much we have to spend, and who we can spend it on. They still come back with the same trade or signing suggestions . . . which can’t be done.

So I would like to thank the “regulars” for looking at this as it truly is.

THIS IS A NUCLEAR ARMS RACE.

If we don’t have enough “nukes”, we will lose battle after battle and get blown to hell.

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Its some good points being made here tonight.
Lete’s see what Drew do with this Crew.
Has a good ring to it.
I truly believe we are going to progress no matter what happens…

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ClassicHawks , i feel you; you are right. joe is better for 82 games he is, but when it come playoff he is no where to be found. how do we let the bucks take us to 7games in the 1st round! Ray show show up playoff games better than Joe and he can play on the road.

Go after Rudy Gay

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WHEN KNOBE DIDN’T HAVE SHAQ OR GASOL, HE DIDN’T MAKE IT OUT THE FIRST ROUND, DIDN’T MAKE THE PLAYOFFS. I THINK YOU PUT KOBE, WHICH IS PROBABLY THE BEST PLAYER IN THE GAME, HE WOULD NOT GET THE HAWKS OUT OF THE 2ND ROUND RIGHT NOW. THINK ABOUT IT BRO. THE HAWKS ARE STILL YOUNG.

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KOBE, LEBRON, BOSH, WADE, ANY ONE OF THESE GUYS REPLACE JJ. WE ARE WINNING A CHAMPIONSHIP? I BEG TO DIFFER.

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WHO CARES ABOUT THE THRASHERS, I SURE AS HELL DONT….

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WE GET BIGS, AND WE DON’T DOUBLE DOWN ON THERE SHOOTERS, WE CAN BEAT ORLANDO…

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Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t Rudy Gay just sign an extension with his team?

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Sign and Trade with Minnesota. Al Jefferson for J.J. Hawks get their 20-10 center and move horford to the 4. I guess this would make too much since?

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CHRIS PAUL OR CARMELO.
1.Chris paul i think hornets would take marvin and horford before carter and nelson, the trade would make a lot of sense for the hawks specialy if they sign haywood and chill.
STARTER CP3, JOE, CHILL, JOSH, HAYWOOD.
2.Carmelo a player who love ATLANTA and is always here but might want 2 go back 2 newyork and playball, and still have not sign the 3year deal 65mill from denver, may be josh and marvin for carmelo.
STARTER TEAGUE, JOE, CARMELO, HORFORD, HAYWOOD.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!

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For all the fans who want JJ gone, would you be okay with the Hawks winning 42 games, and finishing 7th in the East? I don’t think so. If JJ leaves, and the Hawks only win 42 games, a lot of these same fans will be calling for Drew’s head, and complaining about how cheap the ASG is.

And for those who say you don’t give max contracts to somebody who is not a leader…last time I checked, Rashard Lewis has a max contract (not a leader), TMac had a max contract (not a leader), Iverson had a max contract (not a leader), and the list goes on.

Also, in the history of the league, guys with max contracts get traded all the time. And by the time JJ gets to his last year, ASG might not even own the Hawks.

As for future moves, if the Hawks bring back Chills, that puts them right at the luxury tax. I think they need to trade Jamal and try to get 2 bench pieces for him. Because right now, we need a big, and a backup SF. Sign Chills, and trade Jamal for frontcourt help.

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Sounds like a Good Move if you want to train wreck your franchise. Go ahead ASg so you won’t have any money for the hockey side. IDIOTS. Deal With IT.

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for what its worth.. i got my question entertained on a hoopsworld.com chat:

bigdave in Stankonia, GA:
does Joe sign? Wojnarowski tweets he wants to stay here.. at 119 mil i bet he does.. if Joe’s back.. i see moves being made this summer.. does Jamal Crawford and his expiring become expandable to acquire a solid big?
Tommy Beer:

If the Hawks put $119 million the table, I would be shocked if he turned that money down.

I think they’d shop J-Craw at the deadline, but would only part with him if they got good value back. He was one of the few Hawks who didn’t comepletely crumple in the postseason

Read more NBA news and insight: http://www.hoopsworld.com/chat.asp?status=&CHAT_TOPICS_ID=1035#ixzz0sOLU4oas

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So we resign Joe, then what next year when Horford becomes a free agent? He’s worth more than Joe, imo.

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We gotta sign Joe. We really have no choice unless a S/T can be done for Butler/Haywood somehow. If we lose Joe we will barely make the playoffs next year. We need to see him play in a real offenes and not that ISO crap. Woody was a HORRIBLE offensive coach. I believe Drew will make our offense a ton better and everyone will thrive. Sign it Joe! Sign and trade Chill for another piece like McGee from Washington

Lineup of:

Teague/Bibby
JJ/Jamal/Jordan
Marvin/Evans/Jordan
Smoove/Horford/filler
Horford/Zaza/Mcgee

That lineup could dominate with a real offense and especially if Teague and Jordan Crawford can really produce.

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Don’t do it Hawks!
Joe Johnson is not D Wade or Lebron. Why pay him as much as those players?

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NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

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what a waste of money. He will be broke at 38 just like all the irresponsible rappers and athletes.

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They need to let him go he is no leader no team player and no superstar . Only people in Atlanta know of him.

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Yes Ryan! You people are crazy! We will be a mediocre team without Joe period. This guy could thrive in a real offense with no ISO crap. Get a clue!

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Najeh Davenpoop,

I wouldn’t count the Melo proposal Businessman and Tyler made earlier. Denver Nuggets would trade him and receive valuable assets rather than face the possibility of losing him for nothing as a free agent next summer. With a free agent period as crazy as it is a valuable Joe Johnson would not be a bad to receive in return as as well as a possible childress, marvin etc. Again, this is all hinging on the fact that Melo rejects the contract extension but I still don’t think this is totally illogical to think as you may have made it out to sound. Just a thought.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/rumors/post/Carmelo-headed-to-trading-block-?urn=nba,252494

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“Then you have fans worried about our ability to win a championship, when the Hawks haven’t even reached the EC Finals in most of our LIFETIMES.”

I still don’t understand this mindset you have that we should be satisfied with a less-than-championship team just because the Hawks have a history of mediocrity. You have made similar comments throughout the season. What do the Hawks’ past failures have to do with current expectations? Why should we Hawks fans be satisfied with making the playoffs if Knicks fans and Lakers fans and Celtics fans can expect their teams to contend for a title?

For the record, we agree on keeping Joe around, but this mindset of yours makes absolutely no sense.

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Love it:

WojYahooNBA With way that Hawks are coming for Joe Johnson, that’ll be over fast. Knicks are in real, real free agent trouble. Amar’e is lukewarm on NY.

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Johnson is just a worthless thug. Kick his azz out the door and good riddance.

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ClassicHawks i understand that; all i am say is that if joe showed up for playoff games, we all would be saying keep him

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To all you who keep hating on Joe he hasn’t done anything in the playoffs for us should look back in 2008. Joe Johnson was the reason why we went to 7 games with Boston. Even in that one game in the series when they were doubling him the whole game he still found the way to hit that big step back three for us. So don’t say he has never showed up in the playoffs. Do not get me wrong I definately do not want to give him that huge contract and I do think that would kill our franchise. So I’m all for signing him but at like 12-14m a year

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Sekou just said he spoke with people close to Joe and Hawks are in drivers seat..

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YESSSSSSSSS!! BRING BACK JOE! BRING BACK JOE!!

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“Again, this is all hinging on the fact that Melo rejects the contract extension but I still don’t think this is totally illogical to think as you may have made it out to sound. ”

Even if Melo ultimately rejects the Nuggets’ contract offers, the negotiations between the two parties will go on until the season starts. Only at that point, if negotiations don’t progress, will the Nuggets start looking at trade possibilities. This is what happens every year with every free agent that has an expiring contract — they negotiate until October and then the player comes out with the “I just want to focus on basketball” line and negotiations stall.

The Hawks, on the other hand, have to make a decision on Joe now. Once they sign him, they can only trade him for half his salary during his first season, due to the base-year compensation rule. Executing a sign-and-trade of Joe for Melo will not work because the decision on Joe will have to come months before the decision on Melo, and trading Joe for Melo during the season probably won’t work because the Hawks will have to throw in another big salary to make salaries match.

Regardless, it would surprise the hell out of me if Denver can’t get a deal done with Melo before the season starts.

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NBA TV Decision 2010.. quality TV.. tune in..

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After the last playoffs, I will not waste my time any more even thinking about the Hawks.

No more expensive tickets just to see thugs like Johnson play. It’s a joke that he’s even in the NBA.

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DA & NBATV > BROUSSARD/ BUCHER &CO @ ESPN

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bigdave. you’re right, NBA TV Decision TV is a must watch. Lots of interesting speculation from the ‘experts’, including our friend Sekou. It is lots of $$ to throw at Joe, but it beats the alternative of a possible sign-and-trade for lesser players and less wins

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Tangram: why do he have to be a thug? he has not done anything to be a thug, have not been on the news for RAPE, like big Ben.

Think about what you saying before you start calling some one name. Do you know what a THUG is?

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ahhh Poop.. may i interest you in Direct TV.. i think if you sign and reference me we both get a nice crispy big faced hundon..

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billy knight can rest easy as his all time worst free agent acquisition will be far surpassed by a max contract for ‘we don’t need no stinkin’ fans’ johnson.

why pay a run of the mill player who will be on serious decline for at least 40% of this contract so much money…come on atl spirit, get a freakin clue!

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I agree, these thug comments are uncalled for and are only going to bring out the race flamers. Stick to talking about basketball! Joe isn’t a thug nor is he a max-contract worthy player!

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Joe is not not worth it. Joe totally pulled a disapearing act in the playoffs two years running. Expect the tickets to go up and already expensive food as well.

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A whole bunch of foolishness on here. I truly don’t understand some of the people posting on here. You come on here daily and complain that we have cheap owners but now that they are willing to spend money you’re still bitching and complaining…………. Then we have these outlandish trade proposals… This aint NBA live or NBA 2k. You cant just make any trade you want because you want a certain player on your team…………….Then we have those who want guys who haven’t even done as much as Joe yet they want Joe gone. How do you want Joe gone but in return want a guy who hasn’t even done as much as Joe? I like Rudy Gay but what the hell has he done? Dude scores but plays absolutely no defense which is the reason him and Mayo don’t get along..Rudy does nothing other than scoring. He isn’t a good rebounder, plays no defense, and isn’t a good passer. If you were talking about replacing Marvin with Rudy then I would understand but not with Joe..

What is up with the coaching staff and the summer league team. Great to here that Teague is busting his azz trying to get better. I listened to the Jordan Crawford interview and I think he said he is working out twice a day so good to see he has a strong worth ethic also.

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oh NOOO Jimmy Johnson on an “ExtenZe” commercial.. sheeeeeeesh.. lol!

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Yeah, I’m stuck with Comcrap for now…

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i would say give jj the money if he was a team player. this man stunts the developement of this team,he doesnt like or probably incapable of playing team or uptempo basketball. does any one really blame woody for all the iso joe play ,the only reason i would blame woody is that he let him get away with it. i dont think jj can be effective in a free flowing offense. his numbers really reflect how much he monopolizes
the ball. he came here from a much better team only because we would overpay him & woody would let him be a ballhog. jj is only interested in getting his numbers. i dont ever remember him involved in a fast break. he will criticitize his teamates when he is the worst offender. his attitude is crap,when woody took him out of the game he would sit on the bench & pout. i think if jc started we wouldnt lose much. i think we have to give jc 2 a lot of playing time this kid looks terrific. he looks like he has a great outside shot & looks unstopable going to the hoop. i think he has way more athletic ability than jj. i hope the hell we give him a lot of minutes & not waste his great talent by not giving him enough minutes. i sure as hell hope they dont trade him. jj needs to go.

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Bucher say’s a deal is in place sending Bosh to Mia..

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Despite this, these blogs are still an upgrade from the decrepit writer Sekou Smith. All his blogs contained were weird movie references that no one understood and ubiquitous typos and egregious grammatical infractions.

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Insanity-Doing the same thing over and over and exoecting a different result.
“We need a different voice” – Rick Sund talking about finding the Hawks new coach- Result-Hawks hire the top asst coach under the coach you fired,
Giving a Scottie Pippen player at best (sorry Scottie, I don’t mean to insult you) a max contract because we need a someone who avgs 20 a game until the playoffs when he’s a no-show

So let’s see, we’ll have no money to speak of to make any substantial improvements, and the same team that has gotten bounced from the palyoffs will still be the same, but with a new voice as their head coach

Insanity folks, I won’t support this garbage of a franchise anymore. I would rather start again with some new peices than keep the same players and hope for a different outcome.

This will cripple the franchise, and if they are stupid enough to put themselves in this position by their own doing, then I couldnt be happier to drop all support.

HAWKS GOING DOWN

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Well here’s a, uh, different take on the Joe Johnson re-signing, courtesy of Adrian Wojnarowski:

“League exec. says ATL owners thought for offering Joe Johnson max deal is they won’t still own Hawks at end of contract to have to pay it.”

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how bout that spin on it najeh. amazing anyone would suggest it about this solid and major player in the nba.

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DON’T RESIGN JOE. PAYING HIM 24 MILL AT AGE 35 WHEN HE HAS ALREADY FREAKING REGRESSED. HE IS 2 YEARS PAST HIS PRIME. THAT BOSTON GAME 4 WAS HIS PRIME (HE’S DONE NOTHING SINCE THEN). HE CAN’T EVEN SCORE IN A FREAKING ALL STAR GAME.

HOW DOES ASG TELL RICK SUND IT’LL GO INTO LUXURY TAX, YET EVERY MOVE THIS FRANCHISE MAKES IS A COST CUTTING MOVE?

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And for people talking about this will “cripple the franchise” . . . Please.

* Jamal Crawford and Mo Evans represent almost 13 million in expiring contracts going into 2011. We can either let that fall off the books, or use that on a very good player, or two decent complimentary players

* Zaza, Bibby, and God forbid Jeff Teague could give us another 11 – 13 million in expiring contracts in 2011.

* Josh Smith is undoubtely a trade piece we can use to bring in a very good player at center or at PG in the future ( maybe the near future )

* If still an All-Star caliber player ( or even close to one ), Joe Johnson can and will be in demand from a big money team looking to add that final piece to win a title.

Players in recent years that have been traded in the middle or end of their big money contract:

- Tracy McGrady ( Orlando to Houston )
- Allen Iverson ( Philly to Denver )
- Vince Carter ( New Jersey to Orlando )
- Jason Kidd ( New Jersey to Dallas )
- Kevin Garnett ( Minnesota to Boston )
- Ray Allen ( Seattle to Boston )
- Shaq ( Miami to Phoenix )

So like people are trying to tell some of you hardheads . . . this is not necessarily a LIFETIME CONTRACT.

But understand this. If JJ IS around during year 5 of his deal, it’s:

1) because he’s gotten hurt, and has seen his skills diminish so much, that he becomes untradeable.

or

2) We’ve either won a championship, or contended for one, and he was a big reason for it.

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Dan roundfield the hawks can add a star payer with a sign a trade deal, LET’S FACE IT YOU HAVE 2 HAVE ATLEAST 1SUPERSTAR AND 1 STAR PLAYER IN ORDER 2 WIN A CHAMPIOSHIP, check the history book of the nba teams who won a title, name me 1 team who won a championship with out a superstar and a star player ?
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!

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And Darrell . . . that means you KEEP JOE JOHNSON, and trade the other players around him to bring in the superstar.

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Joe wouldn’t be a 2nd star on a title team. The guy has no heart.

Even Carmelo, who isn’t that desperate to win either, has more heart.

“Stars” don’t go scoreless in a freaking All Star game and CHOKE IN THE PLAYOFFS 3 YEARS IN A ROW

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the reason atlanta fans are always so displeased with the hawks inspite of their 53 wins is the way we get blown out of games ,they way we get crapped on by inferior teams, our horrible looking non team playing offense ,our heartless no pride defense. we are a team who should be playing uptempo basketball not slow down basketball. the fans dont have faith in this team. they rather see a team who plays every game with all of their heart & they are pissed off that they would pay max $$ to a guy who plays selfishly & disses his team mates & FANS

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JOE SHOT 41 % OR WORSE FROM THE FIELD ALL 3 YEARS IN THE PLAYOFFS.

SUPERSTAR MY @$$. KOBE FREAKIN WON A RING WITH A BROKEN (PERMANENTLY DAMAGED) FINGER.

WHAT HAS JOE DONE? HE IS A LOSER WHO TRASHED THIS CITY.

S&T OR LET HIM WALK. I’M CONTENT WATCHING AN 8TH SEED TEAM TRY HARD THAN WASTING OUR MINIMUM WAGE PAYROLL ON THIS STIFF WHO CAN’T EVEN DUNK

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LOL @ NORTHCYDE. YOU ACTUALLY THINK JOE IS WORTH IT. YOU ARE A JOKE.

SOMEWHERE YOU ARE PROBABLY WISHING WOODY WAS STILL COACH TOO. I GUESS I AM A STALKER FOR REALIZING HOW DISILLUSIONED YOU ARE

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northcyde NO dont brake up the team 2 bring in a star player, but we have 2 player josh and horford playing the same position and both have great value in a sign and trade deal.
For example the hornets have darren nelson who came in the league and played well now they have been rumors about paul being traded because of the play of nelson.
Now if the hawks can sign a center 2 replace horford SHAQ, HAYWOOD, JERMAINE O NEAL then the trade would make sense for the HORFORD, MARVIN FOR PAUL.
STARTER PAUL, JOE, CHILL, JOSH, OR SHAQ, HAYWOOD OR NEAL.
can you imagine chris paul and josh smith on the same team wow josh might avg 25pt a game.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!

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UPDATED 10:58 p.m. ET

* Atlanta’s decision to max out Johnson means restricted free agent Josh Childress, who had been playing in Greece, stands to score big in free agency because there’s no chance the Hawks will match given their expected commitment to Johnson, sources say. Though Childress left the Hawks for Greece two summer ago, his restricted free-agent status remains frozen on the NBA clock and the Hawks still have the right to match any offer sheet.

* Despite all the focus on Miami’s pursuit of top-tier free agents to join Dwyane Wade, one team executive said center Brendan Haywood may have crept onto the Heat’s radar Wednesday night.

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Help me understand, how can the Lakers pay Kobe, Pau, Lamar & Bynum each big contracts and the Hawks will be strapped by just paying Joe??? Kobe will make over 20mil, Gasol i believe is in 14-17mil & Bynum is around 11-12Mil with Odom making 10mil???? Please Explain???

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“Help me understand, how can the Lakers pay Kobe, Pau, Lamar & Bynum each big contracts and the Hawks will be strapped by just paying Joe??? ”

a) The Hawks are owned by the DASG, b) the Lakers acquired Pau and Odom via trade and drafted Kobe and Bynum. You can’t get your team salary that high by signing free agents. The cap won’t allow it.

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From Yahoo:

Haywood to meet with Mavs, Cavs, Heat

Dallas Mavericks free agent center Brendan Haywood has meetings scheduled in Charlotte, N.C., with the Mavericks, Cavaliers and Heat on Thursday, a league source said. The Denver Nuggets, Knicks, Bulls and Raptors also have interest, the source said.

7 teams, no Hawks in the mix…

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Joe is not worth max money – but considering going waaaay backwards not signing him, we have no choice. He’s a very good ball player, one of the top 15-20 in the league – ASG had to do this, or ATL was sunk, end of story.

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Steve, we can sign-and-trade JJ. The Hawks brass needs to be ringin’ some phones off the hook. I’m sure that 6th year means a ton to JJ and his agent, and that should put the Hawks in control.

Of course, the ASG might want to leave things the same so they can sell the team without it plummeting in value. After Larry Drew, I don’t sense much of a passion in this group for making the team better.

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What is it with all of the people suggesting that the Hawks “would go way back” if Joe Johnson leaves? The team has a lot of talent even without Joe. By next season, he may not even be the Hawks best player. This team already has an overabundance of guards as it is, and while Joe’s 20 ppg and ability to draw double teams looks appealing, you have to take into account how many shots it took to get that type of production. This guy is not at the top of the league in production, and in fact, both Josh and Al have higher efficiency ratings than Joe with less usage. I would agree that the perimeter defense would take a hit with Joe out of the lineup, but I really don’t see much of a drop off, if any at all, offensively. And for 120 million over six years, I don’t think Joe is worth the money at this point. Not only is his character in question, but there’s no evidence that he would even be willing to adjust to fit into the system described by Larry Drew. I just don’t see resigning him for max money as a good move.

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YES RON JO. I AGREE

JAMAL > JOE
LOOK AT THEM PLAY AND TELL ME WHO HAS AN EASIER TIME SCORING THE BALL? JOE DOESNT EVEN TRY HALF THE TIME ON DEFENSE AND WAS KILLING US WITH HIS DAMN ISOS IN THE MILWAUKEE SERIES.

THE GUY SAYS ALL HE CARES ABOUT WINNING. LOL!!! THATS WHY HES ABOUT TO MURDER OUR PAYROLL

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On a different topic, I’d like to take this moment to inform everyone that COMCAST F-CKING SUCKS HOLY SH-T JESUS CHRIST

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Najeh, what’s with all of the complaining about Comcast?

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For the last half an hour, my cable and internet have been going off and on, and this is a recurring problem, not just a one-time issue.

Wish I could watch NBA TV right now instead of NBA Fastbreak on ESPN too…

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@Gutz

Its there. I just read it.

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Josh, got a direct link?

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Here goes again, Haywood is a free agent Marvin and Joe equal a good 25 million annually, and Butler is only owed about 10 million.

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Haywood’s a FA as well.

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I can hear the boo birds reigning on day one in Philips… Why does management never listen to what the city wants? This will DEBILITATE THE FRANCHISE. WAY TO GO SUND! He’s gonna be gone in a year and will leave this franchise to sink with this crap contract.

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League exec. says ATL owners thought for offering Joe Johnson max deal B/C they won’t still own Hawks at end of contract to have to pay it.

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The Hawks organization fears that if they don’t sign Joe Johnson they will be back in the lottery.

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Welcome back Joe but I hope they dont let Josh Childress just walk, we should get something for the clown in a sign and trade

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If Atlanta was a foreign country, and the Hawks were a soccer team, I guarantee you that Rick Sund and everyone in the ASG would be dead.
Re-signing Joe? fine. For a max deal? no! for six years?!! ABSOLUTELY NOT!

I hear people saying that it’s our best option because we can’t replace Joe.
There’s a man who goes by the name of Josh Childress. He’s younger, quicker, and more athletic. He can defend better, and he gives 100% effort all of the time. He fits the description of a young, athletic team who likes to run up and down the court. The only downside: he can’t shoot as well as Joe (but can Joe shoot as well as Joe?). The thing is, Chill’s not asking for a max deal, effectively crippling our franchise’s future. I know many of you aren’t sold on this point…

But wait, there’s more:

There’s a man by the name of John Salmons. He’s pretty good to say the least (huge understatement). He plays great defense and even better offense. We saw first hand what he was capable of. The only reason the bucks were only the sixth seed is because they didn’t get him sooner. I don’t believe he’s asking for a max contract either.

Also, we do have Jamal, people. He’s kind of amazing, just saying.

Now, considering that Joe is here to stay, if Chill wants to go to Washington, we better get Javale McGee in return. 7-foot athletic center + J-Smoov = swat central.

My point: the Hawks would almost definitely NOT be worse without Joe. Personally, I don’t believe we’ll be worse WITH him either (for this next season). We’re still a young team on the rise, but Joe might be limiting the amount we rise. Not only will Marvin not get his chance, but the organization 3 years from now will find themselves wondering where to get the money for new talent. oh yeah, we gave it to that guy who insulted the fans, got booed off the court, and never once apologized.

Despite all that, I still have love for you Joe, but the Atlanta Hawks TEAM will always come first. Even though we have some questionable owners (greedy idiots), let’s be optimistic. We were one of the best teams in the league despite having a clueless coach. Now, we got a new coach, and hopefully, we’ll get another good pickup. 2011 could very well be the year. GO HAWKS!

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Chea

Or the current group can increase its team chemistry. They sure showed a lot of potential for that huh?

**************************

Chea, the Hawks can get better via trades, like all teams who usually get better.

It could be a trade of Joe Johnson for a comparable star or superstar ( probably on a team that has turned bad ). Or if they want to reduce their payroll, they can trade him and his 20 million for expiring contracts. It’s been done plenty of times in this league, when high salary players are involved in trades.

It could be a trade of Josh Smith for a PG or a C. You’re telling me that you wouldn’t trade Smoove in a deal for PG the caliber of Chris Paul, if he were available? ( this means that Smoove isn’t untradeable ).

Boston went from lottery team, to NBA Champion, by keeping Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo, but literally trading everyone else on the roster, including their best young player in Al Jefferson. They bring in Kevin Garnett ( disgruntled in Minnesota ) and Ray Allen ( disgruntled in Seattle ). The rest is history.

A lot of people simply don’t want JJ here. Even if he signed for 10 million, they wouldn’t want him here.

All I know is that the people expecting Horford and Smoove to be the offensive go-to-guys with JJ out of the mix, better understand that neither of those guys have had defenses specifically gameplan to stop or sow down their offense. Has Horford EVER seen a double team? I know Smoove hasn’t. Shoot . . they let Smoove shoot.

Smoove is a great all-around player, but he’ll never be a go-to scorer. Horford may have the potential, but can he do that at center? He may have to play PF in order for him to maximize his offensive potential. Which brings us back to the player currently playing PF.

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I know rite, underdog..can u image a starting lineup of Teague, Salmons, Carmelo, Josh, & Al?? Teague would be in ‘playground heaven’ with so many options for assists!!

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I get the feeling Hawks ownership want to lose. First we get no real head coach and now they want to bring back Johnson? Good luck getting fans out to see this mess.

We peaked against the Celtics THREE YEARS AGO!!!

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Dee is on that playstation ish…

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Dee — I’m no cap expert, but as far as I know all of those can work under the cap (Denver would have to throw in another contract if the Hawks are going to send them $30 million in salary though). I don’t think the Denver trade or signing Salmons to the mid-level are realistic though. Salmons will probably get more than the mid-level from someone, and I think Denver and Carmelo will get a deal done in light of the new collective bargaining agreement kicking in next year.

Childress for McGee, though, is a fair trade. I don’t know how the Wizards feel about either player, but I could see them making that especially if they decline Josh Howard’s team option.

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If we dont re-sign Joe, we wont even make playoffs next 2-3 years.

So we are basically handcuffed. We can only give out max deal to Joe Johnson under the “Larry Bird rules” and we cant sign any max player from another team.

There aren’t enough role players around that would sign and come here, so basically we would have LAST years team WITHOUT Joe Johnson. Honestly thats not a playoff team.

So really we are stuck with Joe Johnson and 4-5 more years of being a 2nd round type team.

I will take it over not making playoffs like from 2000-2007. That was TERRIIIIBLE.

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northcyde,

The difference to me, and that’s if my trade idea COULD work, with JJ & Melo is that if we lose JJ and gain Salmons (no, his no JJ be a decent replacement), Melo could possible make this team work. Melo would really be replacing Marvin, not JJ in this case, and Melo is definely an upgrade to Marvin.

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IM GOING DOWN WITH THE SHIP, I GUESS

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JJ’s stats during this year’s first 4 playoff games BEFORE the chemistry issues derailed us completely:

27,75ppg 7,5rpg 5apg all on .477%FG

Then, even with his mind completely f**ked up by the lack of professionalism of some hawks players he completely dried up Salmons (a guy which you want to replace JJ with) with his D.

Get a f**king grip and stop all that nonsense. JJ is no lebron but he is the best we can get right now.

Bosh, for instance completely ruled out playing for the Hawks so why do you pretend that we can simply replace JJ by another star or even semi-star player if we managed to get the cap room to do it??????

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I SAY ABOUT 5% OF THIS BLOG REALLY CARES AND WATCH OR GO TO HAWKS GAMES. SO U OTHER 95% WHO JUST WANT TO CRY OR BIT@H PLEASE GO HOLD YOUR BREATH FOREVER! I MEAN REALLY WHY CARE IF HE GETS A MAX DEAL OR NOT YOU ARE NOT GOING TO GO TO THE GAMES AND SUPPORT THEM AND ONE MORE THING WHAT HE SAID ABOUT THE FANS IS TRUE I MEAN LOOK AT THE HISTORY OF ATLANTA TEAMS EVEN DAVID JUSTICE HAD TO CALL OUT HIS ATLANTA FANS DURING THE WORLD SERIES FOR GOD SAKE SO PLEEEEEEEEASE LET IT GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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im reading over the websites this morning and pretty much everyone sees jj resigning with the hawks. in my opinion is more or less about the big bucks then winning a championship. i truly think the asg sucks with this move. why keep this man here to hinder us if you are not able to get a real superstar player to take over this team and lead us to a championship. all honesty its all about the greed, the big bucks not a nba championship. jj is hungry for money not a trophy, and this why kobe, lebron, wade will succeed. i smh to this foolishness, and wave bye to another sorry a$$ team !

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WOW!!! 120 mil after that playoff performance??? Hawks should try to sign him to a smaller deal, then package his @ss to denver for carmelo, since the nuggets seem to want to trade him…the hawks are in so bad of a need for a TRUE center…and they are worried about JOE JOHNSON?? hell pay that money to jamal crawford!!!! and that draft was horrible!!!

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T’was a good draft. Would’ve been a great one if they had drafted Hassan Whiteside or Dexter Pittman with the #31 pick instead of trading it away.

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big mistake he has never came thourgh when we need him let him go more mediocriety

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This is why the Hawks will never be anything more than a second tier “wannne be”. Joe is nice enough, but in no way does he exhibited the skills, desire or leadership to be a max player! Not hatin’, just telling the truth.

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Interesting take by most of the posters. They jump to the conclusion that because Joe is being maxed out, it means the Hawks are done with the roster changes and we’ll take the same basic team to battle next season.

The move to sign Joe immediately suggests to me that the Hawks are going to trade somebody (or some bodies) off the front line to get a big and maybe a PG.

Don’t view the attempt to re-sign Joe as the end – it’s the beginning of what could be a dramatic offseason.

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Najeh,

I posted the same comment earlier on, that by the time JJ gets to year 4 of his six year deal, ASG might not even own the team.

What fans need to realize is even if we trade JJ for LeBron, that doesn’t guarantee a championship. LeBron has been in Cleveland 7 years. They went to one NBA finals and got swept by a team with Tim Duncan, Parker, and Ginobli. Boston won because of the big 3, Kobe couldn’t win until he got Gasol.

The point is, you need more than one star to win a title. So just trading JJ for another star will not get it done. Let’s keep JJ, and then find some other pieces to bring in. Trade Jamal if we have to, trade Bibby, Mo Evans, Marvin Williams…as NCBravesFan said, the offseason is just beginning. Lets give Rick Sund a chance to see what other moves he makes.

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This is such a short sighted move that it is utterly frustrating. JJ is not a max player. What has he exhibited in the playoffs, when it really matters in the NBA, that he’s worthy of amax contract? And that was when he was in his late 20s. He’s gonna be making $20 million a year at te age if 33 and he’s not gonna be a better player than he is now. If the Hawks sign him to this deal, it’ll be obvious that some GMs are playing checkers while the good ones are playing chess

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Just great Hawks, first you go the cheap route for a head coach and then throw away money on a second tier player J. Johnson who isn’t–i repeat isn’t worth a max contract period! just look around at the top four free agents and then read all sports sites telling which ones are worth the money. Heck, only a couple of teams even interested in J.J. and not for no max contract either! Hawks will never fly to a championship with these stupid moves, they really and truly need to sell the team to a competent owner and not to another group like the ASG–what a joke and it is on us Hawks fans too, kinda like the stimulus, where the taxpayers get it, except now it is the hawks doing it. just my humble opinion and i won’t be watching them next year!

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Hawks for Sale:

One of the NBA.com guys tweeted that very thing last eve.

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For all of those who think CAnthony is the answer for the Hawks, just answer this question. HOW FAR HAS HE TAKEN A DENVER TEAM THAT HAS HAD 3 OTHER ALL STAR PLAYERS, STARTING WITH CBILLUPS, A CHAMPIONSHIP WINNING PG, AND ONE OF THE NBA’S BEST ALL AROUND PG’S. HE ALSO HAD AIVERSON, A SCORING MACHINE THAT AVERAGED 26.4PPG AND 7.1APG, AND MCAMBY, WHO LED THE NBA IN REBOUNDING, BLOCKED SHOTS, AND WAS THE NBA DEF PLAYER OF THE YR, ON THE SAME TEAM?

Camelo is an OFF player and not much else. JJ is an all around player that does most things very well on both ends of the court. Even with a premier shot blocker, CAnthony’s DEF liabilities couldn’t be masked. Anyone that watched the Hawks last yr should be able to recognize that even though we had some OFF issues, but we still managed to tie the Lakers in PPG and PPG allowed. DEF was our biggest problem, particularly at PG, and CAnthony definitely won’t resolve those issues, not in this lifetime.

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This once again reinforcemes the fact that the owners should sell and let someone who has a clue take over. We spend a TON of money on mediocre players… at best. Lets clean house starting with Zaza, Bibby and Josh Smith. We need to sign a big man first… just my opinion.

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What a joke!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Ok in order on what the hawks need first….#1 a big man…..#2 a big man & #3 a big man….duh!!!!!!

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IM RICH B*TCH” ((( RICH JAMES VOICE ))) LOL!!! THATS WHAT JO JO WILL BE SCREAMING AT YALL LMAO!!!!

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I just hope coach teaches a half court offense. Move off the ball!

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YALL ARE BUNCH OF HATERS, JJ NEVER WAS A BALL HOG, AND NEVER WAS ALWAYS SHOOTING, THE TRUTH IS HE DIDNT SHOOT ENUFF, AND HOW IS THIS MAN A BALL HOG, AND HE LEAD THE TEAM IN ASSIST, I DONT KNO WHAT BASKETBALL YALL BE WATCHIN, YALL ACT LIKE HE CAN WIN IT BY HIS SELF, ITS NOT ON HIM, U CANT HATE THE MAN CAUSE HE GETTING PAID TO PLAY BASKETBALLM AT THE END OF THE DAY A CHAMPIONSHIP IS NOT GONNA PAY UR MORGAGE, LOOK AT THE TEAM INSTEAD OF TRYING TO BASH HIM, HE DID EVRYTHING HE SUPPOSE TO DO, AND THATS HELPED ATLANTA GET BETTER THESE LAST PAST 5YRS, AND THE ONLY PLAYOFF HE DID SHO UP WAS THIS LAST ONE, IF IT WASNT FOR HIM IN GAME 6 AGAINST BOSTON THERE WOULD HAV BEE A GAME 7, AND THE TEAM DIDNT SHOW UP IN GAME 7, BUT JOE DID, AND THE SECOND YR HE PLAYED ON INJURY FROM HIS ANKLE AND THIS PAST PLAYOFF HE PLAYED ON INJURY FROM HIS THUMB, AND WHEN HE WAS OUT WITH THE THUMB INJURY, THE HAWKS COULDNT FIND A WIN, WHEN HE CAME BACK THE WON, I DONT BLAME HIM FOR TALKING ABOUT YALL STUPID ASS FANS, CAUSE YALL FAIR WELL FANS ANYWAY, YALL DONT SUPPORT , BUT TALK BAD, YALL WASNT TALKING THIS BAD WHEN YALL COULD WIN 15 GAMES, AND YALL MUST BE A BUNCH OF KIDS BLOGGIN, WELL I MEAN NERDS, THAT NEVER COULD PLAY ANY TYPE OF SPORTS LOL!!!!! LETS GO JO JO YOU RICH NOW HAHAHAAHHAHAAHA!!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKx4wp59mAs

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKx4wp59mAs

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I am leary about the big money but if we are stuck with JJ, that is a very good problem to have.

So the question now is what to do with the rest of the roster in order to get a more complete and balanced team?

Trade Crawford?
Trade Josh Smith?
Trade Mo?
Trade Bibby, Paculia?
Sign Childress?
What center could we get? Heyward is getting out of reach.
What other pieces to we need?

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J-J-J-J-J-J-J-J-J-J-J-J-JOOOOOOOE JOHNSON >>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYf1wnbdTrM

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Perfect. The Hawks won’t spend when you want them to and mortgage the franchise for six years when you don’t want them to. We have a good young core of players. Now is the worst time to pay an undeserving player the max. I wonder how paying a player who is not even one of the top 20 players in the NBA $119 million over six years is going to work out for our cash strapped joke of an ownership group? Not so good my friends. Not so good.

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Undisputed Champ!

A most excellent post! could not agree more. Can you imagine what Joe could do with an inside offensive weapon like Amare? Or power at the rack like Brandon Heywood? Get Joe the complimentary pieces and stop running this game with a power forward pretending to be a center and we will not only match but better last years record.- Go Hawks. <<<<< THATS REAL TALK, AND IM NOT FROM ATLANTA, IF I TOLD YALL WHERE I WAS FROM YALL WOULD TRIP OUT, BUT, THEY DONT UNDERSTAND JOE WILL BE BETTER AS HE GET OLDER, U NEVER SEE THIS DUDE BEING FLASHY OR DUNKING, THATS ALL PEOPLE LOOKING AT, THATS WHY THEY SAY HES NOT WORTH THE TYPE OF MONEY, U SEE WHY WADE STAY HURT, CAUSE HE TRYS TO DO EVERY MJ MOVE AND END UP BREAKING SUMTIN, JOE GOT ALL AROUND GAME THATS WHY OTHER TEAMES WANT HIM, AND HES NOT GETTING TRADED DUMMYS, ITS HIS CALL

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Thinking of Joe at this money is just the product of having no PG for years and Woody letting him do what he wants.
There is a lot of players, including Salmons that would have given almost the same numbers in the same role.

You ASG, you want to give him 120M ? then assume your move, and then spend to make this team win like you said.
Match the Childress offer and find a sign-&-trade, use the full MLE on Brad Miller or Haywood,… don’t let one advantage walk away for nothing.
It will cost you a lot, because of your mistake with Joe, but you will not make fans frustrated as much than what you’re doing right now.
You don’t want to win by spending cash ? Then don’t spend at all, certainly not like that.

And Sund saying that he wants to build a team like DET…
what a joke. Where did he see that the winning DET team have a guy at 20M or more.
It was a team with shared salaries, even underpaid, and when extensions came, it was not for 20M.

Please, you can’t be so much stupid ?

I could be wrong, but I start to think that no team would give him Max, it’s all agent work.
He wants to play with NYK (and not so sure actually) CHI or ATL.
CHI has only one Max to offer with cap room, and NYK two, but want 3 good players. I don’t think that James or Bosh will take 11.5M, they will want Max, and let NYK work on trade on wait next year with Curry off the books.
So the two Max of NYK are set on other people than Joe, he’s only the 3rd guy in any scenario for NYK.

Result: if he wants Max in another team, it will need a sign-&-trade.
They are not wanting him as fist option, don’t let them fool you ASG !!!

He will kill the team with this money.
If they really do that, they are the best incompetent people you can find to manage a team.

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THIS FOR YALL FAKE A** HAWKS FANS http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLhZ52vVK-I B.o.B – Haterz Everywhere [Feat. Rich Boy] (video)

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THIS DUDE SAID CAUSE HE DONT DUNK HE’S A SISSY LMAO, THATS WHY HES NOT WORTH MAX, MAN GET OUT OF HERE, LIKE I SAID I MUST BE A BUNCH OF KID ON HERE, THATS STUPID AS HELL TO SAY “DUNKING” OL MY LOL!!!

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Folks, you don’t trade an all-star still on his rookie contract.

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He’s your best bargain on the team, it just doesn’t make sense financially.

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Thank you i_am_soulstar.

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http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=Asb7OnqFAp4ULdcPTvDd9205nYcB?slug=ys-freeagentbuzz063010

Joe expected to accept our offer. Meeting with Dallas and Houston later for S&T possiblities

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My point on dunking is that the guy is not a finisher. Lebron, Kobe, DWade can all finish at the rim and 98% of dunks usually go through the hoop. That lame floater of Joe Johnson’s goes in maybe 40% of the time. He’s 6′8″ and cannot elevate and dunk of people. He is soft.

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Owners are not too bright, can’t run the organization in the black…that is making money…..they will sign Joe, and the Ball will stop, and the defense will stop, as everyone who won’t get a touch WILL be discouraged to try hard.

Bad move by the Hawks……..BUT perhaps Joe won’t take the money, as he is rich already, and want to make a move that he thinks will get him a championship ring……I hope this is the case !

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I_am_soulstar: For the past few years no one really talks about Bosh and then all the sudden he is a top 5 guy. NBA changes quickly. I also would rather have Lee. He is a 20/10 guy. Hate to say it but I think his race hurts him quite a bit

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Why do people think the Caps lock button makes them look cooler?

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Poor Cleveland. Theyve been totally shut out and it seems there is hardly a possibility of Lebron coming back even after all they have done for him.

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The Hawks are crazy if they give Joe a max deal. They need to face reality. If they think that he’ll lead them to a championship they’re stupid. Why keep him? Expically after the way he played (or didn’t play) in the playoffs. Let him go and go after John Salmons, Kevin Martin or someother quality 2-guard. Joe’s not what he think he is. He’s a good player not a great player.

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Joe please reject the Hawks offer and take whatever the Knicks offer you! I promise you the Hawks will thank you later!!!!

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@Let’s go and from MC “Also remember that if Joe accepts the deal and continues to produce at his current level for a couple years he could be a very tradeable asset in the future; his contract wouldn’t necessarily become an albatross.”

Is “working hard” and “produce at the current level” taking Playoffs performance in your POV ?
I don’t care if he work hard or not, all I see is that he doesn’t exist in playoffs, so ha can stop working hard for that.

I am not a hater, I like Joe Johnson game, but he doesn’t deserve this money, or somewhere else, but not in ATL were owners doesn’t pay luxury tax.
And working hard or not, Max should not be allowed to players “leading” a team that at best got swept in second round.

Your opinion is for what a read a LOVER opinion, and it’s not worth more than HATER opinion.
I try to talk about it with some logic, while you are only singing “Joe is the best, he’s rich now !!!”.
What is interesting in signing such a thing ? Are you a kid, or from Joe’s family ? because they are certainly at this moment the only people acting like you are.

If you can’t admit that people not having the same opinion than you are all HATERS, then you’re are in trouble. It’s not all black or white, or 0 or 1 in the world, and often the sense and truth is between that.

LOVERS like you, and HATERS like some here are bringing pointless arguments.

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Barton

July 1st, 2010
9:15 am
@ Let’s Go – I have a riddle for you.. If you have the ball all of the time what are you? A “ball hog.” IF you have the ball all of the time what can you lead your team in? Scoring AND Assists. Thanks for playing.

LOL NOT REALLY, U DIDNT MAKE ANY SENSE, U DONT HAVE TO HAVE THE BALL IN YOUR HAND ALL THE TIME TO BE THE LEADING SCORER, THAT WHAT A PG FOR, HE CAN KICK IT OUT TO U TO SCORE, AND IF UR DOUBLED AND KICKIN IT OUT, YEAH UR ASSIST IS GONNA BE UP 21PTS AND 5 ASSIST AND SHOOTING 43% IS NOT A BALL HAWG, ALL THEM SHOTS JAMAL CRAWFORD TOOK AND MISS SHOOTING IN THE 2O%, THATS WHO U NEED TO BE LOOKING AT AS THE BALL HOG

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When JJ was out a few games toward the end of last year the Hawks lost to some pretty bad teams. I don’t know how you say the Hawks are just as good without JJ. And don’t hate on Drew. The East will be much stronger next year – Wizards, Nets, Knicks, Bulls are all going to improve. We’ll probably go 46-36 if no injuries, but have a much stronger team (hopefully) once Sund gets through this summer – let’s see how we do in the playoffs.

I for one, think Sund does great with the financial restrictions put on him by ASG. Sell the 1 st pric for 3mill. Somehow, he sells it, and still gets his man in the 1st round – brilliant. And he stole Jamal from Sacremento, no doubt! 2 great moves by the ATL GM – show him some love. P.S. Signing Joe Smith and Jason for the vet minimums were sweet deals also – 2 best he could get for the money ASG wanted to spend – which was nothing!

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Call the Hawks P.R. Department and let your feelings be known (404) 878-3800. I just let them know I won’t be renewing my season tickets if he signs that deal!!!!

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D21

STOP PUTTING ALL UR FEELINGS IN THIS MAN, HES RICH NOW, PLEASE GET OUT YOUR FEELINGS, JOE’S THE MAN IN ATLANTA

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There is no accounting for the stupidity of the Hawks management. In two yers, this will be an albatross that will shackle the team. Let him walk. Who cares!!

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nobody

NOBODY UNDERSTANDS YOU, JOE IS THE MAN NOW SO FACE IT

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Like cunningham said, how is this an albatross? It seems Joe will easily continue to average 20+ a season. It is not hard to trade a man that is scoring 20+ a season. When and if we are finished with him, we will be able to deal him. Dont worry

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Ok lets play statistics game

Joe Johnson 38 MPG – 21.3 PPG – 4.9 APG – 4.6 RPG

Kobe Bryant 38.8 MPG – 27 PPG – 5.0 APG – 5.4 RPG (more stars on that team)

Lebron James 39 MPG – 29.7 PPG – 8.6 APG – 7.3 RPG (More stars on that team too)

Dwayne Wade 36.3 MPG – 26.6 PPG – 6.5 APG – 4.8 RPG

Joe Johnson is listed as 6′7″ 240
Lebron James is listed as 6′8″ 250

And you think Joe deserves the same money?

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lets go: nobody understands you… I_am_soulstar has agreed with a few things Ive said so obviously someone understands…. However you are the idiot with the Caps Lock on rambling about some crap. I never said anything about Joe either. I wouldnt mind if he came back. Ive just stated facts. And it looks like the Hawks are trying to S&T him

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Why is anyone talking about trading Al Horford? It will not happen anytime soon. The only way he gets traded is if he doesn’t have a long term deal done by the trade deadline of the 2011-2012 season. That is the last year the Hawks currently have contractual control of him. Period. That is all.

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Barton

U CAN PUT UR LITTLE STAT GAME UP, ITS A DONE DEAL HES GETTIN PAYED, WHAT U DOING IS IRRELEVANT

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Why would you want to trade Horford? Like all of yall are crazy. Its funny how easily yall forget. Horford was a beast this season

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Forget Joe! Go get Rudy Gay and call it a day. He’s young and still has a great upside to his game. Speaking of maxxed out, Joe has already hit his ceiling. He’s not getting any much better from here. Joe’s not aggressive enough, but would do great in a situation where he’s not the main man, becasue pressure already bust his pipe (playoffs).

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