Update II: Ivan Johnson sent home
Vivlamore reporting from Orlando.
ORLANDO — The Hawks sent forward Ivan Johnson back to Atlanta for conduct detrimental to the team. Johnson, who was also fined an undisclosed amount, will miss tonight’s game against the Magic. Johnson was sent home for verbal altercation on the bench during Wednesday’s game against Boston. He did fly to Orlando from Boston with the team after the game before being sent home to Atlanta.
Johnson is expected to re-join the team Saturday for a scheduled practice.
Hawks coach Larry Drew declined to expand on the disciplinary action, or the reason for it, following this morning’s shoot-around.
“We made a decision to discipline him by sending him home, fining him and we will move on,” Drew said.
Johnson, a 27-year-old NBA rookie, has had issues in the past.
He washed out after one season of run-ins with coach Ernie Kent at Oregon. After one year at Division II Cal State-San Bernardino, Johnson played a season in the NBA Development League before joining the Korean Basketball League. That opportunity ended last year when the KBL banned Johnson after he reportedly made an obscene gesture at a game official. He headed back to the D-League where he was good enough to be named first-team all-league, but volatile enough to lead the league in technical fouls. Johnson’s coach with the Erie BayHawks eventually benched him for his behavior.
“With me, no it’s not a concern,” Drew said of Johnson’s documented disciplinary issues. “Isolated incident. If it were anybody else we would have taken the same measure. I spoke to him before he left. We had a good conversation. It was like I told him, we will do what we have to do. He will miss tonight’s game. We will see him when we get back to Atlanta. We are moving on.”
In other news, the Magic will play without All-Star center Dwight Howard tonight. Howard has missed four of the past six games with a back issue and went to Los Angeles to visit a specialist.
- Chris Vivlamore
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
111 comments Add your comment
Tremaine
April 13th, 2012
9:50 am
Oh no!
c dog
April 13th, 2012
9:52 am
oh no indeed…don’t make him angry
kevkat
April 13th, 2012
9:52 am
what’s next?
Tremaine
April 13th, 2012
9:53 am
Maybe he punched Larry Drew in the face.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 13th, 2012
9:53 am
Should still be able to beat a Dwight-less Orlando team without him. This does, however, mean we will see more Vlad-at-PF and Collins tonight.
Hawks are soft
April 13th, 2012
9:54 am
By conduct detrimental to the team do they mean not playing a little girl? TOUGHNESS IS NOT ALLOWED ON THIS TEAM IVAN GO HOME
Tj hooker
April 13th, 2012
9:55 am
Really… Come on man!
phil
April 13th, 2012
9:56 am
I love it when players are all in as teammates, putting the good of the group first….
You can tell by this how much it matters to Ivan if we win a thing down the stretch or not.
thanks.
Boom Dizzle
April 13th, 2012
9:57 am
Why couldn’t they send Kirk/Marvin home for play detrimental to the team?
What could he have done so bad to be sent home?
O'brien
April 13th, 2012
9:58 am
FTPB,
Najeh,
Did you see Kyle Korver’s performance last night? HE is shooting 44% from 3 this season.
O'brien
April 13th, 2012
10:01 am
Despite Ivan’s history, if anyone would be sent home I always thought it would be T-Mac. And this must have been considered serious enough for him to be sent back to ATL, instead of just being suspended for the game, not playing, but staying with the team.
Based on LD’s history, I wont be surprised to see Vlad get plenty of minutes tonight, despite just coming back from injury, and despite Vlad not being a PF.
I say give Marvin more backup PF minutes, and let T-Mac and Vlad handle backup SF.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 13th, 2012
10:05 am
“Did you see Kyle Korver’s performance last night? HE is shooting 44% from 3 this season.”
He played great. His 3 point percentage since the All Star break has been unreal. With that said, yesterday was the first time this year I saw him hit them in key situations and get the ball to open teammates when he got doubled coming off the screen. He still doesn’t scare me the way Ray Allen does in crunch time.
bamaboy
April 13th, 2012
10:09 am
Send LD,Kirk and Marvin home
Blindog
April 13th, 2012
10:11 am
Who gives a crap,the Hawks have no chance in the play-offs,never have,never will!If Joe Johnson is a superstar then the woods are full of them!!
Najeh Davenpoop
April 13th, 2012
10:12 am
“Najeh I’d be very interested to hear your disagreements with Mark’s initial feedback. Teague 8/10 on a 6 assist/5 turnover night jumped out at me but what else?”
I didn’t even have a huge problem with Teague, although the fact that he did nothing when the game was on the line and in overtime should have knocked him down a notch.
But let’s see…
-Ivan dominates the boards against the Celtics’ second unit and he gets a 3, based on his +/- which was really more the fault of Pargo, Green, and Marvin
-T-Mac was apparently invisible despite getting to the line 4 times in 14 minutes (should have been a 5th on the and-1 but Zaza shot that free throw)
-Josh’s very good D on KG the entire game apparently was not enough to lift him over a 5 because he should have passed up a last second 3 to a guy who airballed a crunch time 3 the last time they played the Celtics and is shooting 20% from 3 since the All Star break
-Zaza gets an 8 even though Brandon Bass outrebounded him and got open looks all night long, going for a season high in scoring
Pretty sure dude was playing 2k or watching the Braves until the overtime period started, and based his write-up on the box score.
pointguardslim
April 13th, 2012
10:14 am
damn. What could he have done so bad to be sent home?
Najeh Davenpoop
April 13th, 2012
10:15 am
To be clear my Teague diss in the last post doesn’t change the fact that he is still my favorite Hawk, but I find it funny that people hate Josh jumpers so much that they would rather Teague shoot a crunch time 3, even though he has sucked from 3 point land for two months now, he hasn’t proven yet that he can make clutch jumpers, he airballed a potential game tying 3 in the last Hawks-Celtics game, Josh has proven this year that he can make clutch jumpers, and Josh actually shot well on jumpers in this game.
I don’t think anyone should have been shooting a 3 on that possession, since the Hawks only needed 2 to tie, but if someone had to, I’d rather it be Josh than Teague.
northcyde
April 13th, 2012
10:17 am
LOL @ “conduct detrimental to the team”. My guess is that he and Josh Smith got into it.
C-Viv is probably a decent reporter, but this is when we really need MC on the scene. He would sift right through the dirt and give us the scoop on why Ivan was sent home.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 13th, 2012
10:17 am
I am pretty sure Josh passes to the open man in the corner if that open man is Joe. He usually makes the extra pass, regardless of what some people want to be the narrative about him.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 13th, 2012
10:19 am
Oh yeah, 6/10 for LD? After he got f-cked in the ass by Doc Rivers for 53 minutes? Give me a break.
northcyde
April 13th, 2012
10:24 am
And I do agree with Najeh’s last post. To say that Teague deserves to take that shot over Josh, isn’t reality. Teague has froze up on numerous occasions coming down the stretch of games. And while Josh isn’t known for knocking down big shots in the final seconds, he has hit some big shots within the final minute of a few games.
If Teague does have the ball with the game coming down to the wire, I would prefer to see him setting someone up with a shot, whether it be a midrange jumper by JJ, or something going to the rim by Josh. But for Teague himself to take that shot? Naw. Hell naw.
Not until he gets that Van Exel “dog” in him.
Brime Lee
April 13th, 2012
10:25 am
I live in South Korea and Ivan played here for two seasons few years ago. and some of you guys may know.. He is still banned for a lifetime in this Korean League for bad behaviours all season long. His middle finger was busy when he’s upset with call and surely referees were getting sick of it.. and he once challenged a guy of opponent team after the game in the other locker room.. and he once got called for a flagrant foul and opposite manager was really upset so he argued Ivan and then he got plenty of Ivan’s middle finger.. yeah he was really a bad kid here so I have really worried him from the beginning of this season when he made the roster with our team.
But as season went my worries of Ivan have been dwindled. I was still be able to see his toughness (or madness) but he surely looked humble because he was in the NBA. so news like this is not look good.
Hopefully it’s nothing serious and it would be really nice if this was the last of Ivan’s ugly history. He really need to learn that he is playing in the HIGHEST CLASS, not in Asia’s small league.
Rev in Tampa
April 13th, 2012
10:36 am
I seem to remember a tweet from MC or Sekou that Dwight will probably be out tonight. If that’s the case I hope Collins does not see the floor at all.
I also seem to remember that T-Mac had a good game against Orlando the last time they played.
Also the Hawks should not look past the Magic. Hawks beat them by 2 in OT last time they played in Orlando.
http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=320210019
northcyde
April 13th, 2012
10:43 am
Watching that final play now. Yeah, Josh should’ve passed it to Teague, just to see what type of decision he would’ve made.
- Would he had shot the 3?
- Try to drive all the way to the rim?
- Drive into the lane and passed it off?
Had Josh passed to him, Teague would’ve had 6 seconds to make a decision. It would’ve been interesting to see what he would’ve done with the ball.
The play is funny though. It was almost an exact carbon copy of the play the Hawks ran in 2008, when JJ drove on the left side and kicked it to Marvin in the corner for what we all thought was the game winning 3. But Paul Pierce had something to say about that.
JJ did that exact same move again Wednesday night, but kicked it out to Josh on the wing. If Teague would’ve been more in the corner like Marvin was that night, I wonder if JJ’s pass would’ve went to him, instead of Josh?
Dawg
April 13th, 2012
10:46 am
JJ is too slow with his prodding dribbling to have the ball in his hands to create. Someone else should handle the ball while JJ moves with out the ball for the last shot.
Section 303
April 13th, 2012
10:48 am
Brime, I had heard Ivan had trouble in the Korean League, but did not know exactly what happened.
Thanks for the info.
This is bad news. I have liked watching Ivan play this season. He is/was a great story. I hope he can get his act together, but can’t help to wonder if this guy is a lost cause. Seems like he just cannot help finding trouble.
Big Lou
April 13th, 2012
10:48 am
What did he do?
Call out LD for playing Marvina more minutes than him, even though he couldn’t hit an open three to save his life?
Section 303
April 13th, 2012
10:52 am
On another note….I am starting to think Memphis will be a serious contender in the West. They are getting healthy. Zach Randolph (fellow Spartan) is back and playing well. Plus, he has not had to endure the brutal schedule. He should be fresh.
Watched their game with San Antonio last night. They lost, but I still think they will be heard from. Might be a more complete team than OKC, since the Grizz have a stronger presense in the post.
Big Lou
April 13th, 2012
10:53 am
Ivan is probably frustrated with the subs and lineups. Heck, most fans are.
At least he can rebound.
Big Lou
April 13th, 2012
10:57 am
The problem is KD’s calls. The best way to utilize JJ is to have him coming of screens like Kyle K. on the Bulls. JJ tied a game and won a game this year when they set him up for a catch and shoot. It’s not rocket science, but LD is not the brightest star in the galaxy either.
Big Lou
April 13th, 2012
10:57 am
LD*
northcyde
April 13th, 2012
10:59 am
What is it that Barkley said about us earlier in the year . . .
The Hawks are a bunch of nice guys
I myself have no problem with Ivan’s “psycho-ness”, as long as it is directed toward his opponents. We all know that dude doesn’t mind saying what is on his mind at all, so it’s no telling who he got into it with. My guess is still Josh Smith though. I get the vibe that those two don’t really care for each other. Maybe I’m wrong though.
vava74
April 13th, 2012
11:00 am
Big Lou,
Only LD does not realize this.
As stubborn as Woody when it comes down to the last minutes of play.
vava74
April 13th, 2012
11:06 am
northcyde,
Why on earth would Josh have any problem with Ivan?
That’s nonsense in my opinion.
It is much more likely that Ivan was overly physical in practice and then things escalated a bit without that having to do with any specific prior character clash.
vava74
April 13th, 2012
11:08 am
And even if we imagine that Ivan guards Josh during practice, I would go out on limb and say that Josh’s improved play may be due to his improved opposition during scrimmages.
PMC
April 13th, 2012
11:12 am
No big worries really, he just needs to get that awesome Ivan the terrible mean streak directed at the opponents.
Melvin
April 13th, 2012
11:12 am
WTH? Chris Viv, you need to get us an update on Ivan situation ASAP…..
MC, feel free to give us the inside scoop if you find out anything as well.
ejh
April 13th, 2012
11:17 am
If I had to guess I would say either Ivan did something such as miss a mandatory meeting or practice, or he did something out in the night life of Orlando and got into some minor trouble.
ntrigue
April 13th, 2012
11:17 am
Probaly was upset about mins in Boston gm which he should be kirk played awful and got way more mins . Teague shouldve be mad too for sitting pretty much whole 2nd qtr!
northcyde
April 13th, 2012
11:18 am
Poor Pargo.
Had 2 real good games vs the Bobcats since returning from injury. But as soon as he bombs vs Boston, he’s a bum.
Poor Willie.
2 weeks ago, he was the hero in Atlanta for the Knicks game, putting on a great 4th quarter display. He was 21 – 41 ( 51% FG ) and 7 – 12 ( 58% 3FG ) in the 5 previous games before the Boston game. But he bombs against Boston, and he’s a bum.
Poor Marvin
Since the beginning of March, Marvin had scored in double figures in 14 out of 17 games, shooting 47% FG, and only having 4 games in which he shot sub 40% FG. But he bombs against Boston, and he’s back to being a bum.
Now poor Ivan gets suspended for “conduct detrimental to the team”.
Say a prayer for our bench. Now back to being a bunch of bums for collectively playing one bad game, after being pretty good for about 3 weeks.
MsDee
April 13th, 2012
11:22 am
northcyde, u are right..i remember that play when JJ went like under the goal along the baseline and dished to Marvin. But this time, JJ never made it under the goal which caused him to throw up top instead of baseline. Either way, Teague probably wouldnt have made it..would have preferred TMAC in the corner instead.
northcyde
April 13th, 2012
11:24 am
vava74
April 13th, 2012
11:06 am
northcyde,
Why on earth would Josh have any problem with Ivan?
That’s nonsense in my opinion.
It is much more likely that Ivan was overly physical in practice and then things escalated a bit without that having to do with any specific prior character clash.
***********************
Vava . . . Ivan on more than one occasion has barked at Josh about whining to the refs. I forget what game it was, but Ivan basically told him to quit ( bleeping ) whining and just play. Now that may be little or nothing, but I just get the sense that those two personalities clash.
Ivan’s personality is completely opposite to what the rest of the team is. The Hawks are “laid back, nice, and well-mannered most of the time”. Ivan is “rugged, a grinder, and truly does not give a ( bleep ) what he says or does”.
Everybody on the Hawks team is soft as tissue paper, outside of Ivan ( and Zaza at times ).
But it’s all speculation as of right now. We’ll see what the real scoop is.
vava74
April 13th, 2012
11:25 am
We are a shoe in for the #6 seed, IMO.
We will probably lose tonight against the Howardless ORL because our game plan against them cannot be implemented without D12 out there.
LD will be clueless and will blame the players talking about execution, energy, …
MsDee
April 13th, 2012
11:32 am
I think Ivan’s behavior may be a combination of both Josh and Drew. Him and Josh do seem to may have clashing personalities and issues bwt him and Drew may be for the same reason TMAC has towards him. Both issues may have cost him a ride back to da ‘A’!!
Paddy
April 13th, 2012
11:35 am
When players get ugly about not playing enough minutes, it tells alot about the state of basketball in the NBA. The “me first, me always” attitude has run off the longtime loyal basketball fan. It is a shame, it used to be a fun sport to watch!
Astro Joe
April 13th, 2012
11:36 am
northcyde, for several bloggers around here, it only takes one game to validate/vindicate an opinion. One good game for a blogger’s favorite or one bad game from a bloggers least favorite. I wonder how many of them make life decisions based on a sample of one (“that sure was a good first date, I think I’ll propose to her the next time I see her).
northcyde
April 13th, 2012
11:36 am
Gotta love Coach Thibs.
The reigning league MVP was having an absolutely abysmal game with only 2 points on 1 – 13 FG . . and had a -27 plus/minus rating, and doesn’t even play in OT.
His starting center is playing so bad, that he basically doesn’t play the last 23 minutes of the game.
And although his starting PF is having a decent game, the backup PF is playing better defensively, so the backup gets all of the minutes during OT.
The result? The Chicago 2nd unit + Deng pretty much manhandle the Heat.
Could you imagine Drew sitting down JJ, Smith, AND Teague in a game like that.
MattP
April 13th, 2012
11:37 am
And we needed him for Glen Davis…
DIRTYO11
April 13th, 2012
11:41 am
WAIT STOP THE PRESS!!!!!!!!!! Ivan sent home but Josh has never been sent home or sat down during a game because of his bone head mistakes. Josh could be a great player if he get his attitude/game mind in check. One minute he playing like he’s the best PF in the league & the next few possessons he playing like he should be in the D-League. Now don’t get me wrong he’s my favorite Hawk bur Teague is closing in on him.
I think Drew should send Josh home for taking that last second 3 against Boston…he had more time & Teague was open
Big Lou
April 13th, 2012
11:50 am
Vava
Again, your prediction is reactionary.
They Hawks will win tonight. Book it.
Melvin
April 13th, 2012
11:51 am
northcyde,
Everyone could see that the Bulls bench were effective against the Heat starters/bench. It didnt take Thibs much consideration to bench his starters. He giving his bench players extended mins in the past. Benching Rose was smart b/c he was clearly ineffective and I’m sure Rose didnt take it to heart as he could be seen cheering his teammates on. Also, look at the quality of players on the Bulls bench. Do LD really have that luxury were he could bench Teague, Joe and Josh at the same time?
Big Lou
April 13th, 2012
11:51 am
The*
zgoldatl
April 13th, 2012
12:03 pm
We need the attitude and fire that Ivan 9 to 5 Johnson brings to the team. He is a physical force in the paint and gets under opposing players skin. I’m curious what he did, but personally I would rather have seen Larry Drew sent home, and Ivan stay to bang with Orlando.
tale of woe
April 13th, 2012
12:05 pm
Larry Drew should have been sent home just for his bad coaching and morals
varis
April 13th, 2012
12:06 pm
we were already shorthanded on bigmen smh i dont like Drew as our coach or Sund as our GM im glad they finna b out
Marcus
April 13th, 2012
12:06 pm
I wonder if somebody at the shootaround is going to be sporting a shiner ..
doc
April 13th, 2012
12:09 pm
i guess demons dont die. with no further info hard to say much except i was hoping there would be no controversy outside the games we see. hope it can be resolved.
well, “as the world turns” or pro ball, the best reality show going. who needs soaps with this stuff?
MattP
April 13th, 2012
12:16 pm
I have a feeling they are going to lose this game just like they lost to the Heat without Wade and Lebron. No Howard for Zaza to play against and no Ivan to play against Davis.
Hawks Blog Legend Worldwide Clyde
April 13th, 2012
12:31 pm
BIG IVAN FOR PRESIDENT
SteveW
April 13th, 2012
12:34 pm
LD on Jim Rome in 5 minutes
Admiral Snackbar
April 13th, 2012
12:34 pm
just for shooting a 3???
I think Ivan has EARNED the right to toss up a 3 once in a blue moon!!!
BIG DOG
April 13th, 2012
12:43 pm
9 – 5 Is BIG DOG 2, JUST DAM.
BIG DOG IN THE HOUSE
Admiral Snackbar
April 13th, 2012
12:44 pm
phenominal LD
O'brien
April 13th, 2012
12:44 pm
Northcyde,
Could you imagine Drew sitting down JJ, Smith, AND Teague in a game like that..
If the Hawks did that, they would have to go with Pargo and/or Willie Green, Hinrich, and Ivan. Compare those players to Asik, Taj Gibson, and Ronnie Brewer. Plus the Bulls have a system, and everyone knows their roles. I don’t know what the Hawks have.
As for Ivan, the possibilities are endless, because it may not even involve another player. Maybe he got into it with LD.
O'brien
April 13th, 2012
12:47 pm
Melvin,
Co-sign. In 23 minutes, Asik had 0 points, 8 rebs, 2 blocks. But yet he was +25. CJ Watson was +38, Taj Gibson was +27, Kyle Korver was +24.
If the Hawks play the Heat in the playoffs, we need to dominate the PG and Center positions, because thats the Heat’s weakest areas.
emyymile
April 13th, 2012
12:49 pm
if Ld is smart he should start giving t-mac playing time and force him to start shooting…ps shooting abilities do’nt just disappear….The hawks hv no chance in the playoffs without t-mac skills .I am not a fun but I have watched him play.Ld should read this
BIG DOG
April 13th, 2012
12:49 pm
LD no how pick a good time for conduct detrimental, SMH.
BIG DOG IN THE HOUSE
Dawg
April 13th, 2012
12:52 pm
It nice to see King LeBron and his talentZ choking at the end of the Bulls game.
I hope Ivan is back soon. He is great for this team considering how poorly constructed it is.
O'brien
April 13th, 2012
12:59 pm
northcyde,
C-Viv is probably a decent reporter, but this is when we really need MC on the scene..
The reason we need MC on the scene, is I think the Hawks have lost the last 6 games C-Viv has covered. We need a win.
Although I would rather finish 6th and play Indianna, instead of finishing 5th and playing Boston, we need to beat Orlando. However, we lost to Miami when Wade and Lebron didnt play, and I think we lost to Chicago when Rose didn’t play.
Melvin
April 13th, 2012
1:28 pm
“Hawks coach Larry Drew declined to expand on the disciplinary action, or the reason for it, following this morning’s shoot-around.”
From that statement, it’s hard to determine if Ivan was at this morning shoot around. If he was, then he must have a confrontation with teammate or coach. If he wasnt, then the possibilites are limitless as to what happen. Oh well, I hope everything fly smooth from this point on. Hawks definitely need him going forward.
Melvin
April 13th, 2012
1:29 pm
For Ivan, hopefully being sent to timeout and missing a few duck-aroos will motivate him even more.
Breaking news: Ivan Johnson sent home – Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) |
April 13th, 2012
1:44 pm
[...] Breaking news: Ivan Johnson sent homeAtlanta Journal Constitution (blog)His 3 point percentage since the All Star break has been unreal. With that said, yesterday was the first time this year I saw him hit them in key situations and get the ball to open teammates when he got doubled coming off the screen.and more » [...]
lea
April 13th, 2012
1:47 pm
you people are so sad.. Y’all try to blame josh for everything. GET REAL..
Astro Joe
April 13th, 2012
1:51 pm
Dude may have taking a swing at either Mickey, Pluto or Donald… who knows?
I assume that Big baby will get most of the minutes at center tonight. Let’s hope LD resists the urge to play Twin just because of the opponent. Josh on Big Baby is better for us than Josh or Ryan Anderson (if Ryan is playing).
Rusty
April 13th, 2012
2:13 pm
I wonder what lame azz excuse LD will come up with. Did he talk back to LD?
northcyde
April 13th, 2012
2:13 pm
Somebody call Sekou Smith. I’m sure he can find out what happened.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 13th, 2012
2:14 pm
Lang Greene from Hoopsworld tweeted about this the other day, but now he has an entire article up about LD for Coach of the Year.
Rod from College Park
April 13th, 2012
2:18 pm
@northcyde and Astro Joe,
“Since the beginning of March, Marvin had scored in double figures in 14 out of 17 games, shooting 47% FG, and only having 4 games in which he shot sub 40% FG. But he bombs against Boston, and he’s back to being a bum.”
“northcyde, for several bloggers around here, it only takes one game to validate/vindicate an opinion. One good game for a blogger’s favorite or one bad game from a bloggers least favorite. I wonder how many of them make life decisions based on a sample of one (“that sure was a good first date, I think I’ll propose to her the next time I see her).”
Marvin Williams Stats vs. Eastern Conference playoff Teams 2012
28%FG, 0%3 point, 4ppg- Boston
50%FG, 33% 3 point, 9ppg- Chicago
33%FG, 33% 3 point, 8.5ppg – Indiana
33%FG, 40% 3 point, 7.0 ppg Miami
30%FG, 0% 3 point, 6.5ppg, New York
36%FG, 42%3 point, 7.5 ppg, Orlando
31%FG, 20%3point, 6.0 ppg, Philly
Yep, He’s a bum.
Astro Joe
April 13th, 2012
2:28 pm
Rod, funny, I wasn’t even talking about you. I tend not to enter into your rants about Marvin (or Jamal) as it isn’t worth the keystrokes.
Funny how many folk directed blame to Josh or would be okay with a player showing aggression toward LD.
If I were a betting man, my bet would be that he did something in the wee hours of the night that was closer to a Eugene Robinson type incident than anything related to teammates or the coaching staff. Like maybe he tried to get busy with Minnie Mouse or sumthin’.
SteveW
April 13th, 2012
2:28 pm
LD did a good interview with Rome today. Everything from his son to LDs friendship to Magic was covered. Rome gave the Hawks some really good props also.
SteveW
April 13th, 2012
2:31 pm
Miami adds Battier, Cole, and Turiaf to a team from the Finals last year, yet they look worse to me.
SLAM ONLINE | » Ivan Johnson Fined, Sent Home for ‘Conduct Detrimental to the Team’
April 13th, 2012
2:38 pm
[...] Atlanta Hawks fined Ivan Johnson and sent him home from Orlando today, but he’s expected to rejoin the team on Saturday for practice. Reports [...]
Najeh Davenpoop
April 13th, 2012
2:39 pm
LOL @ all this speculation about Ivan getting into a fight with someone. How do you know he wasn’t just late for a meeting or something? Dude has a newborn child, maybe he flew to San Antonio to go see her without telling the team and didn’t come back on time. None of us have any idea.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 13th, 2012
2:44 pm
“I think Drew should send Josh home for taking that last second 3 against Boston”
You are not the first person to suggest benching Josh for this or that, but benching Josh is a lot harder for LD to do than benching Rose is for Thibodeau to do.
Yes, I know Rose is the MVP, but that team’s bread and butter is Thibodeau’s defensive scheme. As long as he has five players on the floor who are buying into his defense and getting stops, he can be confident that they will win. And if CJ Watson is playing that well, it makes that decision that much easier.
On the Hawks, if Josh gets benched, who is coming off the bench to block shots, guard the other team’s best post player, and draw double teams to pass to open teammates? Ivan? Collins? Dampier? Radmanovic?
I know it sounds like blasphemy, but Josh is probably more valuable to the Hawks than Rose is to the Bulls, at least in any given game. That’s not because Josh is a better player than Rose — not even close — but because the Bulls’ depth is far, far better than the Hawks’ depth, and the Hawks’ scheme is much more dependent on Josh (on both ends) than the Bulls’ scheme is on any single player. It’s the difference between an average coach and a great coach.
Section 303
April 13th, 2012
2:50 pm
Why are some getting on Josh for taking the 3 on Wednesday? I thought it was an OK shot. About as good as any isoJoe play call will bring. I’m more upset at Drew’s stupid call.
drmaryb.(*_*).
April 13th, 2012
2:52 pm
Zingers!
What’s wrong with the middle finger, as long as it’s sticking in the air?
Najeh Davenpoop
April 13th, 2012
2:52 pm
The Hornets just got sold to Tom Benson (the Saints’ owner) for $338 million. If they are worth that much, the Hawks have to be worth at least $400 million, right?
drmaryb.(*_*).
April 13th, 2012
2:57 pm
Ivan’s Issues!
Pick the softest PF/C on the team and that’s who Ivan roughed up in practice. Or, it may have been the alpha dog Zaza – ’cause he won’t back down to anyone!
It probably was Zaza and Ivan mixing it up in the paint, with Ivan on defense! Leave Ivan alone!!!
Rod from College Park
April 13th, 2012
3:03 pm
“Rod, funny, I wasn’t even talking about you. I tend not to enter into your rants about Marvin (or Jamal) as it isn’t worth the keystrokes.”
I would not want you to get capal tunnel for something that not worth you keystrokes.
Astro Joe
April 13th, 2012
3:21 pm
Rod, thanks for being so considerate.
Rod from College Park
April 13th, 2012
3:23 pm
No problem.
Astro Joe
April 13th, 2012
3:25 pm
And if Ivan did rough up someone in practice, he needs to call Este Batista. That guy disappeared after his incident in practice. Poof, be gone! If Mikki Moore shows up tomorrow wearing Ivan’s #44, we’ll know what’s up.
rugdav
April 13th, 2012
3:34 pm
Hawk funs,I think hawks is one of the strongest and capable teams to win a title but Ld has not found the right combination.The only player that plays weell as a starter is Mcgrady that Ld has not used.I am long time detroit fun.Be4 T-mac came to Detroit I hated him,but as soon as he started his basketball confidence was almost all star level.So i suggest Ld to start him in this remaining few regular games.otherwise this team is not capable of wining 500+ teams
northcyde
April 13th, 2012
3:45 pm
Section 303
April 13th, 2012
2:50 pm
Why are some getting on Josh for taking the 3 on Wednesday? I thought it was an OK shot. About as good as any isoJoe play call will bring. I’m more upset at Drew’s stupid call.
********************
Cause ISO JJ only works 1% of the time . despite JJ making the game tying shot in regulation?
It’s about making the right basketball play.
Look at that final play again.
JJ drives down the left side with Avery Bradley guarding him. As he turns the corner, Zaza’s man goes to cut off JJ. Paul Pierce, having eyes on JJ, then drops down to shade Zaza in case JJ passes it to Zaza.
So who’s open? Josh Smith.
Had Josh just stayed right where he was, he has the option to take an 18 foot jumper at the elbow, or even put the ball on the floor and go hard to the hole. If he would’ve caught the ball right there, the only guy in the area is 6-1 Rajon Rondo.
Instead, as JJ drives down the right side, he sees Pierce play off of him to guard Zaza. Josh drifts off of that 18 foot spot, and drifts back toward the 3 point line. By the time he catches the pass from JJ, he’s 1/2 step from the 3 point line. He takes more more 1/2 step back to make sure he’s behind the line, and shoots a 3 point shot slightly fading backwards. That was the main reason why the shot was short.
Because Rondo was the one that ran out to Josh, Jeff Teague is the one wide open in the corner. A quick pass by Josh to Teague gets him a wide open look with Teague fully set to shoot the ball.
Honestly, it’s just about Josh making the best possible basketball play in that situation.
Najeh cited that Teague isn’t necessarily the guy who is going to make a clutch shot like that, seeing how he’s frozen up in past situations like that. And I agree.
The flip side to that though, is that Josh Smith is shooting 27% from three this year, and had missed 11 of his last 13 three point shot attempts. Teague had missed 11 of his last 14 three point attempts.
Regardless, we’re probably ending up with 2 struggling 3 point shooters taking a long shot. So it’s either Josh taking a three fading away . . or Teague taking a 3 with his feet set.
Jimmy Crack
April 13th, 2012
3:47 pm
Ivan is one bad muther….SHUT YO MOUTH!
Astro Joe
April 13th, 2012
3:49 pm
northcyde, why didn’t Joe simply jump over all of the Celtics and slam the ball through the rim? Isn’t that why we’re paying him so much, to simply defeat the better defenses in the league by using his superhero powers?
northcyde
April 13th, 2012
3:49 pm
Had Josh stayed 18 feet away, maybe he could’ve done this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgnNORzOeU8
If he had this mindset, he’ll never have to worry about not making another All-Star team ever again. Instead, he’ll always settle to be “Smoove” and take that open jumper.
It’s that mindset that’s keeping him from being an elite PF.
Astro Joe
April 13th, 2012
3:55 pm
Kind of strange that Benson (who wanted to move the Saints to OKC before the NFL stepped in after Katrina) has the funds to purchase the Hornets.
northcyde
April 13th, 2012
3:58 pm
Haha Astro.
JJ had 3 options on that play
- take a contested baseline jumper with 2 people on him
- try to continue to get to the rim and hope they call a foul
- pass to the open man ( which was Josh Smith )
JJ made the right basketball play, and got it to Smith. That’s not necessarily the “superstar” play, but the right play. Kobe probably takes the contested shot along the baseline and not pass it to Pau Gasol, if he saw Gasol open in that same situation.
If Josh makes that shot, he’s the hero. I’m not mad at him for taking the shot. I just wished he stayed right at the elbow and take a shot he had a better chance at making.
Atlanta Hawks at Magic: Game thread | Dwight Howard Jersey
April 13th, 2012
4:28 pm
[...] I reported earlier, the Hawks will be without Ivan Johnson for the [...]
bfred
April 13th, 2012
5:21 pm
Have to admit, I’m intruiged to hear what an NBA player has to do to actually be sent packing. Don’t see that too often.
Big Ray
April 13th, 2012
5:26 pm
Ivan sent home….why do I get the feeling that this was about some bullsh!t?
That’s how you know your head coach truly stinks and deserves no one’s respect. When he can’t even get the benefit of the doubt on player discipline. Ivan probably cussed LD out in practice. LD probably deserved it. Get this a$$ clown outta here after the season is over. Please.
I don’t even care if Mike Gearon lies and says LD’s job is safe, then fires him later. After all, Gearon lies about everything (no, we’re not looking to sell the team), so why not this as well?
Chris Vivlamore
April 13th, 2012
5:49 pm
I will update the above blog because I can report that Ivan Johnson was sent home for a verbal altercation on the bench during Wednesday’s game against the Celtics.
Chris Vivlamore
April 13th, 2012
5:52 pm
northcyde: Satisfied?
teedub
April 13th, 2012
6:03 pm
Shouldn’t LDs 4th Q coaching also be considered “conduct detrimental to the team”?
Grandmaster JeJe (GM)
April 13th, 2012
7:00 pm
FIRE LD
FIRE BIG LOU. D-BAG
Admiral Snackbar
April 13th, 2012
7:33 pm
Capt Kirk is on the bridge.
IvansGoonSquadLeader
April 13th, 2012
7:37 pm
how you gon send Ivan the Enforcer home??? I will slap coach Larry Drew in the back of the head
ntrigue
April 13th, 2012
7:55 pm
Why is Teague still on the bench
The Starting Lineup: Hornets Have New Owner, Four Wins In Six Games | NBA 24/7 365
April 14th, 2012
11:59 am
[...] in on the Hawks and Magic last night and was disappointed to find Ivan Johnson MIA. Turns out he’s been fined for conduct detrimental to the team… conduct that also earned him a one-game suspension. Johnson, a surprising 27-year-old [...]
jfd
April 15th, 2012
5:59 am
maybe if ivan played for the thrashers, they would still be here.