Atlanta Hawks: Ivan Johnson back after offseason of reflection
Vivlamore reporting. Here is my story on Ivan Johnson for Thursday’s print edition of the AJC. The Hawks play at the Spurs tonight.
Ivan Johnson is not much for conversation. In fact, the Hawks’ hulking power forward will often use one word when three will do.
Johnson enters his second NBA season in was has been a tumultuous basketball career not without incident even as a 27-year-old rookie last year.
So, Johnson spent an offseason of reflection.
“It was a good time to think some things through about what I did last year, what I could do to make things better,” Johnson said. “It was a thinking offseason on how I could make my second year a better year.”
What was his conclusion?
“Keep my hands to my side and just play,” he said with a diamond-encrusted smile.
Johnson and the Hawks played at San Antonio Wednesday in the second exhibition game of the season.
Johnson was a surprise addition to the Hawks’ roster last season after a strong training camp. The 6-foot-8, 255-pounder became a fan favorite for his menacing appearance and physical style. His wayward college career and anger-management issues, including a ban from the Korean Basketball League, have been well documented.
Johnson’s temper did get him into trouble on a couple occasions last season. Coach Larry Drew sent him home from a trip to Orlando and fined him after Johnson argued with teammates on the bench. The NBA also fined Johnson $25,000 for giving fans the middle finger while leaving the court following Atlanta’s final playoff loss to Boston.
The Hawks made a qualifying offer to Johnson, a one-year, $966,000 deal for the restricted free agent, this summer. Drew then made two trips to California for separate conversations about what will be expected this season. The two had breakfast on one trip and Drew watched Johnson work out on the other.
“When the decision was made that we were going to bring him back as part of our team I thought it was important that I reach out,” Drew said of his trips to Los Angeles. “He’s always been a guy who I truly admire. He is one of my favorites.
“In both meetings we had a very good discussion about my expectations from him. When I left the meeting, we were on the same page.”
Johnson admits that his issues last season centered on being an old rookie. He was sent home from Orlando after failing to give up his seat on the bench to a veteran.
“I knew I had some rookie duties to do but I wasn’t going to be put through all the rookie duties because I’m an older rookie,” Johnson said.
Johnson appeared in 56 games last season, averaging 16.7 minutes per game. He finished his initial NBA campaign with averages of 6.4 points and 4.0 rebounds. He was named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for April. Johnson led the Hawks in field-goal percentage (.513), which was the third-best mark among all NBA first-year players.
Of Drew’s trips to California, Johnson said the coach was “seeing how much I was working out, seeing if I was working out.” Drew wanted Johnson to come to training camp in shape. He was told he would have an expanded role, meaning more playing time, this season.
The Hawks coach covets Johnson’s physical style. He gives the team an edge – when properly controlled.
“He understands that,” Drew said.
Johnson split is offseason between Dallas and Los Angeles for workouts. He said he did basketball drills weightlifting and running. “A whole bunch of running,” is how Johnson explained the regime that including workouts in the mountains and at the beach.
“That is just my mindset,” Johnson said of his physical style. “I always like to go hard, throw my body around.”
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250 comments Add your comment
Slimjr
October 10th, 2012
10:24 pm
C’mon Benson! Show the Allstar how to play help in there!
Buddy Grizzard
October 10th, 2012
10:25 pm
Look at the pass by Lou.
Slimjr
October 10th, 2012
10:25 pm
two back to back dunks for Benson!!!!
cp
October 10th, 2012
10:25 pm
I would take Benson over Petro but I know because of Petro’s salary that wont happen
Big Ray
October 10th, 2012
10:25 pm
Funny how some folks just don’t get that penetration begins at the PG position.
And if this team plans to fast break a lot, that means you have to defend from the 1 to the 5. If the opposing team’s PG is allowed to run free, then he’ll either score or pass it to someone else who will…if he’s any good.
Quite a few dangerous PGs in the Eastern Conference alone.
Unless you have Dwight Howard in the middle, that’s nothing but trouble. Last I looked, there is no more Dwight (or anybody remotely close to him) in the East.
Knicks have Chandler, but did that help them in the playoffs? Nope. Why? Because defense doesn’t start in the POST….it starts on the PERIMETER.
Slimjr
October 10th, 2012
10:26 pm
Lou is da man!
Big Ray
October 10th, 2012
10:27 pm
Glad Benson has enough meat on him to get dunks in the paint now.
Maybe he becomes what we thought we might have had in Solomon Jones…that would be nice.
HoosierHawk
October 10th, 2012
10:27 pm
where are people streaming from?
Slimjr
October 10th, 2012
10:28 pm
Benson got no lift on that hook shot.Brutal
Buddy Grizzard
October 10th, 2012
10:28 pm
Perry Jones III played 18 minutes and had 8 points and 5 rebounds… not bad for the guy I wished we had picked instead of Jenkins. So far Jenkins 21 minutes, 9 points, 3-for-5 from 3.
devndev
October 10th, 2012
10:28 pm
Thanks for the link Sameba!!!
cp
October 10th, 2012
10:29 pm
here you go HoosierHawk
http://atdhenet.tv/52476/watch-atlanta-hawks-vs-san-antonio-spurs
Big Ray
October 10th, 2012
10:29 pm
Petro’s salary won’t have much to do with playing time. If he’s not effective at anything , he’ll just sit. Even Twin had a designated assignment – get in Dwight Howard’s way. So what would Petro’s assignment be? I can’t think of anything, so I don’t see how he plays.
Benson and other youngsters are gonna get the “development” treatment…plain and simple. Play like this, and Benson gets minutes. If he slacks off for a moment, he may as well just invest in suits, because he won’t be coming off the bench anytime soon.
Slimjr
October 10th, 2012
10:29 pm
8 pts for Benson off Glass! Sweet!
cp
October 10th, 2012
10:31 pm
Big Ray I meant as in cutting Petro
Buddy Grizzard
October 10th, 2012
10:31 pm
Josh Powell is embarrassing Mike Scott. I hope nobody still thinks Scott is an NBA player because Powell is very unlikely to make this Spurs team and will probably go back to Europe. Powell is not an NBA player but this game makes it pretty obvious that he’s a way better player than Scott. Where you at Scott fans?
Slimjr
October 10th, 2012
10:32 pm
5:12 left in the Game. Spurs up 90-85
Benson can play..
Buddy Grizzard
October 10th, 2012
10:32 pm
“So what would Petro’s assignment be? I can’t think of anything, so I don’t see how he plays.”
His assignment will be to play 20 minutes per night and be terrible. You don’t understand how Larry Drew thinks.
Big Ray
October 10th, 2012
10:33 pm
Well they said Jenkins was a pure shooter…we see that now. Learn to defend his position adequately, and he’ll have a decent career.
Buddy Grizzard
October 10th, 2012
10:34 pm
Curry hit Ivan in the face with an elbow but they don’t call that.
Big Ray
October 10th, 2012
10:35 pm
Buddy ,
LOL…you’re right…I do NOT understand how Larry thinks. I sure as heck would like to know who Danny Ferry plans on hiring to replace him next summer.
cp ,
Yeah, one could only hope but you’re right…his salary guarantees his presence until a trade presents itself.
Melvin
October 10th, 2012
10:35 pm
LMAO at Ivan,,,, He will find trouble anywhere he goes…
HoosierHawk
October 10th, 2012
10:37 pm
CP – THANKS!!! Didnt think that site was still going. Used to have to watch every hawks game on it when i was at IU.
Melvin
October 10th, 2012
10:37 pm
It getting chip… Someone needs to foul Curry very hard….
Slimjr
October 10th, 2012
10:37 pm
Defense does start at the point of attack, but this is the NBA. Do you realize how hard it is to keep an NBA point guard in front of you at all time. Extremely hard.
Just go down to your local Gym to get an idea. I bet some of those guards will [break] your ankles! lol!
cp
October 10th, 2012
10:38 pm
Benson has looked good out there.
Big Ray
October 10th, 2012
10:38 pm
Mike Scott has fans? Who knew?
Meanwhile, it seems Benson is gaining a fan or two…lol…with his sterling preseason play….
Call me back when he does this in regular season games…and not when we’re up by 22 points.
Don’t get me wrong, I want him to succeed. But I know the difference between getting dunks in garbage time against other teams’ scrubs and being a contributor in regular season games…
Luke Cage
October 10th, 2012
10:38 pm
BIG RAY ????
Buddy Grizzard
October 10th, 2012
10:39 pm
Benson just posted up Splitter and scored, then played solid defense on Splitter’s post up on the other end. Could Benson possibly look any better in this game?
Slimjr
October 10th, 2012
10:39 pm
There YA GO BENSON!!!!!!!!
Block that ish to Atlanta!!
10 points for Benson!!!
cp
October 10th, 2012
10:39 pm
no problem Hoosier
Yea Big Ray hopefully Petro is gone by the deadline. Dude is flat out terrible.
terrell
October 10th, 2012
10:40 pm
Benson has the best post moves on the team. 10 points so far. Wish I could see the game. Not a big fan of listening. lol
shells
October 10th, 2012
10:40 pm
Squeaky might be the 1st to get cut
HoosierHawk
October 10th, 2012
10:40 pm
I think Benson could be better served at the PF spot. Good help D shot blocker, just doesn’t have the bulk to play C. Like vs. Splitter…. he can work that.
Big Ray
October 10th, 2012
10:41 pm
Defense does start at the point of attack, but this is the NBA. Do you realize how hard it is to keep an NBA point guard in front of you at all time. Extremely hard.
So Teague/Lou/Devin all get a pass if the opposing team’s PG single-handedly destroys us? Let’s see if we can make excuses for all the other positions, too.
You know how hard it is to stop a guy from scoring at the basket when you’re supposed to be guarding someone else? You know how hard it is to stop a guy from dunking on you when he is taller, heavier, and stronger than you?
What about those guys that can shoot? You know how hard it is to get a hand in their face and keep them from dropping 24 foot bombs through the bottom of the net?
I mean, this IS the NBA.
cp
October 10th, 2012
10:41 pm
terrell i just dropped a link to the game
Buddy Grizzard
October 10th, 2012
10:42 pm
Nando de Colo 8 assists tonight. Where does SA find these players?
Melvin
October 10th, 2012
10:44 pm
If the Hawks are willing to eat Petro salary, I say keep James, Benson and Anderson or Tolliver…. I like how Scott and Benson plays in the post…
cp
October 10th, 2012
10:44 pm
Scott has been solid
Buddy Grizzard
October 10th, 2012
10:44 pm
9 assists.
Buddy Grizzard
October 10th, 2012
10:44 pm
11 and 7 now for Damion James.
Buddy Grizzard
October 10th, 2012
10:45 pm
That’s in just 20 minutes played.
Big Ray
October 10th, 2012
10:45 pm
All I’m saying is that preseason games are what they are.
I hope LIKE HELL that Benson is or becomes the real deal. But y’all seem to forget what he was last year.
And you forget Solomon Jones. Very similar build…slim, tall guy.
I don’t want another Solomon Jones experiment. Many of us jabbed Woody for not playing the kid. And I still think he should have played more. But then he left and went to another NBA team. And he didn’t do jack there either.
I HOPE Benson does better. But I’m not going to get my hopes up just because he spanked bum-a$$ Tiago Splitter a couple of times. Was that Tim Duncan in there? Eddy Curry? DaJuan Blair?
Did he punk any of THOSE guys? Exactly.
It is what it is. Hope he can do this against more credible players.
Then again, he couldn’t do squat against scrubs last season, so this is progress.
Slimjr
October 10th, 2012
10:46 pm
Yes but who is an ALLNBA AND 2 timming(YAWN) AllStar? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Buddy Grizzard
October 10th, 2012
10:47 pm
Not sure who owed Squeeky Johnson’s agent a favor but what chance did he have to make this team?
Big Ray
October 10th, 2012
10:48 pm
San Antonio has been lights out when it comes to drafting and then maximizing European talent. I can only hope that Ferry picked up some of the tricks of the trade when he was with the Spurs organization prior to being hired in the ATL.
Tony Parker would not have been Tony Parker on any other team, under any other coach than Popovich (well, maybe another two or three names could do something with him).
He was out of control when he came into the League…fast, but out of control. Think Brandon Jennings. Popovich cultivated that talent and brought it out.
Parker might have flamed out elsewhere, as good as he is. He needed a great teacher, and he got one.
Slimjr
October 10th, 2012
10:49 pm
UH OH he’s a better apologist than I? LMAO
Buddy Grizzard
October 10th, 2012
10:50 pm
LOL Mike Scott now has fans.
cp
October 10th, 2012
10:50 pm
Damn Scott
Slimjr
October 10th, 2012
10:50 pm
Scott! BINGO! Nice!