Drew finally speaks to Joe Johnson, and he wants him back
For the first time since getting the Hawks' coaching job . . .
Larry Drew was tired late Thursday night, so tired that, as he said, “One of my bulbs is out and the other one is blinking.”
But the new Hawks coach was happy for two reasons: 1) The team had drafted Xavier’s Jordan Crawford, whose game tape makes Drew light up; 2) For the first time since he was named the team’s head coach, Drew said he finally got a return phone call from impending free agent Joe Johnson and the two spoke about the future.
“It was encouraging,” Drew said. “Joe’s not going to tip his hand. But we had a good conversation. I had left him a couple of messages and
. . . Larry Drew spoke to Joe Johnson. (Curtis Compton/AJC)
Joe did respond back, and I was happy that he did.”
Drew said he was sitting in his Philips Arena office on Monday. His phone was on his desk and he had left for a minute to go to the restroom. “When I was in the restroom I heard the phone vibrate on the desk. When I got back there I saw who it was and I quickly picked it up. I was hoping it wouldn’t say, ‘Call missed.’”
Re-stating the obvious: Drew wants Johnson back. He told him that: “The one thing I said was I totally respect his position in the free agency market. There are teams that want him and will do everything they can to entice him, and I said we want him even more.”
He is aware that the fan base is somewhat divided on Johnson, given some poor playoff performances and his comments following a loss during the disastrous Orlando series. Johnson and the team were booed loudly during a Game 3 blowout at home, setting up the likelihood of several empty seats for Game 4 and prompting Johnson’s comment: “We could care less if they showed up.”
Drew believes Johnson regrets those comments and would like to make amends for his playoff showing.
“I know he’s disappointed about his performance in the playoffs,” he said. “Joe would be the first to admit that he didn’t play Joe Johnson basketball. Then the comments that he made afterward, I spoke to him briefly about them. I told him, I’ve seen interviews with Kobe [Bryant], I’ve seen interviews with K.G. [Kevin Garnett] after bad games. Both guys made the comment, ‘They should’ve booed us.’ That’s the way I would like to see him handle it. From what I was told, it was kind of misunderstood how [Johnson] meant it.”
Drew reiterated how he wants to add “movement” to the offense and get away from the isolation plays with Johnson that have plagued this team. “Movement makes them harder to defend,” he said. “Our biggest problem last year was we became a stationary team at times. I want guys to move freely. I want all five guys to be a threat. At times we got a little bogged down, standing around, playing a little bit too much one on one. We were stagnant.”
He thinks Crawford, whom he watched on tape for the first time two weeks ago, will fit in his offense well: “He has an uncanny ability to score. He looked like Jamal [Crawford] out there. He has a quick first step. He’s elusive with the basketball. He can make shots. He can just flat out score. I just love a guy who can break a defense down. They make it easy for other guys.”
Nobody knows if Johnson will be one of the other guys. But at least he’s phoning back.
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119 comments Add your comment
Jake Wolf
June 25th, 2010
1:06 pm
Hey,since chris paul is up for a trade we could trade joe johnson for chris paul.What do you think?
Gwinnett Fred
June 25th, 2010
1:17 pm
I’m still stunned that the “braintrust” flatly states they wanted Crawford all along and took the chance he wouldn’t go at 25 or 26 by drafting James.
Seriously, a chunk of the teams future (and more importantly, immediate fan enthusiasm / disgust) was risked for about $3 million. Yes, that’s a lot of money – but that was a huge risk to take.
C from Marietta
June 25th, 2010
1:18 pm
To Danny Terrio ,
I forgot middle school. Oh wait, my middle schooler is more mature than your statements. Grow up.
Jake Wolf
June 25th, 2010
1:22 pm
Trade joe johnson for chris paul?!
Danny Terrio
June 25th, 2010
1:28 pm
C from Marietta, I’m saddened to hear you re-produced, forced sterilization would’ve been appropriate….
j.naismith
June 25th, 2010
1:35 pm
well now at least drew won’t have to also coach the hockey team
cheshire
June 25th, 2010
1:37 pm
I don’t have a problem with Joe coming back, but if that’s all we do in the offseason, that’s gonna be incredibly disappointing.
The problem with Joe is that he doesn’t want to act or play like a #1 guy, but he wants to be paid like one. And that’s why re-signing him is just going to guarantee that we stay in the exact same spot for years to come. Actually, it will guarantee we get worse if teams like Orlando and Miami are making big moves while we settle for the status quo and saving $.
This is the unfortunate reality of being a Hawks fan right now. Because of what a screwed up league the NBA is, there are really only about 3-4 teams that have a shot at playing for a championship each year. To be one of those teams, it requires money and an ownership’s commitment to winning, which we don’t have in Atlanta. People can say “oh, it’s great, we won 53 games last year”, but unless you’re one of those 3 or 4 teams with a shot (which we’re not), it doesn’t matter if you win 10 games or 53 games. In fact, it’s probably better to win 10 so you have a shot at improving through the lottery.
Dose of Reality
June 25th, 2010
1:40 pm
I am STILL committed to my other blog…..Let Joe Walk, have Jamal Crawford take his place, let Jordan Crawford take his place on the bench…. ‘IF’ we can find a true center, this will work folks… I am Banking on it!!!!
A folding Fan
June 25th, 2010
1:40 pm
Drew wants Johnson back.
Another story of a circumcision going horribly wrong.
#1 GT fan
June 25th, 2010
1:41 pm
some of you people or flat out mean. Joe siad that stuff because he knows he did bad, Joe did not want to but he did. I am sure he did not mean to say that stuff. He was frustrated about how he was doing.
Dont worry Joe, I still will not give up on you. I know you could do it.
The Hawks have to sign him, they have no choice if they want to be a good team next year. If they lose Joe, they dont have the salary cap(money) to spend it on another free agent. Even if we sign him, then trade him: WE HAVE TO GET JOE JOHNSON!
GO HAWKS!!!!
Stuart
June 25th, 2010
1:44 pm
Jeff,
Do you think the Hawks should get a legit center and move Horford to the 4 spot, Smith to the 3, and Marvin to the bench (for added depth)? It seems like it would make sense, in that Horford would be much more of a threat at his natural 4 position and that it would provide more big bodies to defend the likes of Dwight Howard. However, the one thing that would scare me is that if Smith is at the 3, he would have to play out more on the perimeter on D, where he wouldn’t be nearly as effective (and wouldn’t be able to block as many shots off help defense), and even more frightening, he would have to be further out on the perimeter on the offensive end to make room for the other bigs, thus more long-range shots and three pointers being jacked up….(yikes!). Although if you have a center like Big Z, then he could be more out on the perimeter instead, and effectively so; though, the downside with him is that he wouldn’t be able to keep up with the younger Hawks in their faster transition game, but would they need him to? Just wanted to hear your take on it.
Dr. Kenneth Noisewater
June 25th, 2010
1:49 pm
JJ is nothing more than a headache- let him go. his chemistry is bad for the team. just another diva, which we don’t need.
bulldogmaniac
June 25th, 2010
1:54 pm
How many of you have ever said something that you wish you could take back?
Give the guy a break! He was frustrated and upset. Did he under perform in the playoffs…yes but he is an allstar talent and the Hawks need him!
I for one hope that he returns.
Ryder
June 25th, 2010
2:02 pm
I look at the Joe Johnson situation like this: he has to decide if he wants to just be a good player or a true superstar. Great players (MJ, Kobe) always had their obstacles to overcome in order to get to the next level.
If Johnson doesn’t think that he is that player that can raise up the level of this team, then he should leave and be content with being a second banana. I believe that Drew has let it be known that things will change (which is always a good sign) to suit his talents.
I think that with the extra money they saved yesterday by wheeling and dealing in the draft they will try to get a second-tier center.
A true hawks fan
June 25th, 2010
2:19 pm
Simpdawg
I dont know what you are talking about. Why deviate far from what got you 53 wins? As for the draft you dont know what your talking about. Crawford is known for more than just dunking on Lebron. We were lucky to get that type of player that late in a shallow draft with a extra 3 mil to attract a legit center. We will not give JJ a max deal cause he is not deserving but we will sign him. What are you talking about? Go play Russian Roulette with yourself!
cheshire
June 25th, 2010
2:26 pm
also, this isn’t about what Joe said about the fans… this is about the fact that he disappears in the playoffs. you can run this iso stuff with Kobe or a true #1 superstar, but it doesn’t work with Joe, and when it doesn’t work we lose.
and things would be fine if Joe would recognize what he is and help/allow the team to get a #1 – he could be the best complimentary player in the league. but he’s still delusional and thinking he’s “that guy”. that’s why he isn’t good for this team – you have to pay him #1 money and feed his delusion but you don’t get a #1 player.
A True Fan
June 25th, 2010
2:37 pm
All the hawks fans need to hope that Joe Johnson come back to the team. Who in the world you all think going to come through the door not Lebron, Dewayne, or Bosh so Joe johnson did say some things he should have not said but he is a good player that we can keep hopefully so everyone here I known for sure have said something you wish you can take back no one is perfect we all are human. Joe johnson sounds like to me said the comments after a tough loss and alot of players and coaches have said things after a game or series or even series. We not going to get a good player to come here so if you guys want at least a playoff team hope joe johnson comes back trust me there are other teams that would not mine him on their team : a good scorer, an all star so we can not have it both ways . We as hawks fans need to hope that our team stays a good and do not become a bad team it sounds like some of the fans want that. And let us cheer for our team
and hope we can keep an allstar player on this team for once.
northcyde
June 25th, 2010
2:38 pm
Ryder . . . who is this 2nd tier center that you speak of. Brendan Haywood? He sure did help the Mavericks last year.
That pick we sold for 3 million last night, doesn’t mean that we have 3 million extra in cap space. We only saved about 600K by not obtaining a player with the 31st pick
We still only can offer at the max . . the MLE to a free agent ( around 6 million )
jlewis
June 25th, 2010
2:56 pm
Cheshire
I ISO stuff hasnt worked for Lebron, he has no championship, and it didnt work for Kobe, when Shaq left and he had no 2nd or 3rd option, they were horrible and got swept out of the playoffs. Didnt work for Jordan until he got Pippen etc., ISO’s are easy to stop in the playoffs, especially when you have no center or other shooters. Joe needs to leave or he will continue to be the scapegoat for ASG not making any moves to improve this team.
BigTimeTECHFan
June 25th, 2010
3:05 pm
Wonder if we give Scottie Reynolds a F/A try out. That would be sweet, real good point guard, outstanding person.
hittman jamillion
June 25th, 2010
3:15 pm
first off i’m undecided on who is more full of shiy?
the spirit or you sometimey ass hating unlogical bloggers, i would say fans but you guys are not fans.
to be a fan you have to know and love the game,and most of yall just flat out don’t.
everyone screams we need a center?
but actually get over it dominate bigmen are few and far between, the best you can do is get a good powerforward and push.
elite centers are a thing of the past
the days of hakeem,kareem, patrick , the admiral are over
you have dwigt howard and yao ming those are the only,let me say this again only true allstar caliber centers, the rest of these centers are less than extrordinary
you guys let your emotions cloud your decisions.
someone name me three yes three top flight pure centers in this league, hell zach randolph plays powerforward and was the only big man in the west to avg, 20 and 10
you guys act like it’s easy to win over 50 games in the nba hawks had the 5th let me reinterate it again the 5th best record last year with losy coaching and no offensive system.
these hawks have 4 allstar worthy players on this roster all we have to do is add a proven vet or two. these guys won 53 games off pure talent alone,
would i like a center ?yes but there weren’t any who could produce who could a been drafted.
this game is won on match ups,
it’s the reason cleveland is outstanding in the regular season and a quick exit in the playoffs,
we were killed for one reason. jameer nelson penetration to dwight howard.
which reults from a poor defensive shceme,bibby couldn’t stop nelson from penetrating t,he defense weakens ,someone doubles leaves there man, and walla onpen three to a shooter, but vs boston rondo stops nelson makes him ineffective and everybody stays on there man cause noone on that team can create their own shoot and walla orlando gets blown out in two of there 4 losses
me myself i say the hawks trade jj,(duck, and bibby in a package) cause his imagine is shot,you can’t disrespect a entire city, you not good enough to say what you said.
ad bring in another shooter, and a strong big or a dirk nowitzski. hell he’s a free agent
that’s my wish a front line of dirk,al,ans josh a be incredible,no need for bosh he can’t spread the floor, plus dirk is 7ft and can play the small forward on offense while josh guards the small forward on defense on the wing.
no luo deng, no danny granger hell danny is just marvin as a number one option, laugh if you wanna but duck doesn’t have plays ran for him. and chills is a killer i watched him aingle handedly take those garbage stanford teams to the elite 8 everyyear great slasher and easily gets to the rim and finish.maybe a kapono or mike miller, or rip hamilton who can hit shoots off the screen and run aroud you need players like that it makes the defense work. let these guys play and support the team
is it things i wish they would have done better? of course but it is what it is
peace
cheshire
June 25th, 2010
3:21 pm
jlewis, good point – iso doesn’t work unless that #1 has someone to dump it to… and even then, that means the iso isn’t working. bottom line, it’s not a good offensive strategy. there are 5 men on the court for a reason.
i admire the team’s approach to trying to build a Pistons type team that is solid all the way around and not packed with superstars… i WISH that was a successful strategy that worked in the NBA because i hate how star driven the league is now. but what we’ve learned is that you have to have a Kobe or a Lebron or a Dwight to play for championships in this league. it sucks but it’s true.
Barton
June 25th, 2010
3:25 pm
@ Ken Strickland – we want Joe sent packing because we would have to waste a bunch of money on him in his declining years that he doesn’t deserve as a player. Just because he has been the “best hawk since Nique” (as you put it and with which I disagree), does not mean he is a max contract player. Nor is it saying much about the Hawks considering the years we have had since Nique. The fact that show could not take responsibility for playing bad and saying that he didn’t care about the people who are paying his overpaid butt was just throwing gasoline on the fire. Thanks for playing and watch more Hawks basketball. I think you’ll see what I’m talking about.
MsDee
June 25th, 2010
3:32 pm
Are u STILL crying, truthspitter?????????????????????????? Wow, get over it already!! Guess what, there is nothing u can do or say to change what the Hawks did in draft night last night..O-K??
Barton
June 25th, 2010
3:36 pm
BTW – @ A folding Fan – funniest blog post I’ve read in a while
Barton
June 25th, 2010
3:45 pm
@ A True Fan – You’re only thinking about next year. I (and I believe several other thousands of Hawks fans) do not want Joe Johnson until he is 35-36 and do not want him burdening our payroll for that long. It is not only about winning 53 games next year, there are investment issues too. Is Joe worth Dwayne Wade money in his 30’s and as a second rate superstar?
Barton
June 25th, 2010
4:04 pm
@ Hittman Jamillion – thank you for adding some logic to the conversation. I’ll respond to some of what I pulled out of your rant. There is a diminishing pool of dominant centers because size and length is becoming more abundant across the board. More talent and size means less domination – with the exception of physical specimens such as Dwight Howard. The new dangerous 7 ft center can step out and knock down 3’s with a quick inside game. Dominant centers in the West.. ummm Pau Gasol 18.3 ppg and 11.3 rpg?? Tough to get 20 pts per game with the team the Lakers have but still pretty dominant. Watch out for Bynum when he is healthy. You’re right about the lack of depth, maybe just need to know the game a little better. Also, there are a lot of reasons the Hawks lost to Orlando – I’m not sure your Jameer Nelson analysis is the ONE reason the Hawks lost to Orlando. Let’s just say there were ways for the Hawks to lose with a little more dignity. Generally though, I think you made some good points, but points that people have been making so I’m not sure why the rest of the comments got hated on.
Tweets that mention Drew finally speaks to Joe Johnson, and he wants him back | Jeff Schultz -- Topsy.com
June 25th, 2010
4:06 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Mark Roberts, Jeff Schultz. Jeff Schultz said: Joe Johnson finally returns Larry Drews' phone calls — and the coach wants him back. Read on: http://bit.ly/9Ayy9o [...]
Joe
June 25th, 2010
4:22 pm
The Hawks need a center they should go after lgauskas or David Lee.
BigCaliDawg
June 25th, 2010
4:23 pm
I’m ready to let Joe get up out. Whether he intended for his words to hurt the feelings of the fans, or not. That displays poor character. He’s been around long enough not to do that.
There are still about 10 guys in the league, who are all seemingly like 6th, 7th, or 8th men, who say and do what they wish. It’s cool to be assertive and all, but not at the detriment of your teammates.
Anger management can come in many forms. My personal preference is the David Banner “Mississippi” Screwed and Chopped album. Used to be Pac, but that was so 90’s.
At any rate, bye Joe.
Ken Strickland
June 25th, 2010
4:30 pm
Allow me to illustrate just how stupid some of our Atlanta Hawk fans are. They make a big issue of Sund not rehiring HC MWoodson, and give him total credit for the team increasing its win total each yr, making the playoffs 3 consecutive yrs and making it to the 2nd rd 2 consecutive yrs. Yet, some of these same stupid fans believe JJohnson, a 2 time All Star, our best and most versatile OFF/DEF player, and our leader in both scoring and assists, had little to do with these accomplishments and want to get rid of him.
In some cases this type of delusional thinking is the result of low basketball IQ’s, in other cases, it’s the result of low IQ’s, period.
Ryder
June 25th, 2010
4:31 pm
Northcyde that’s easy. They could go for someone like Brad Miller, who may be on the downside of his career but is a vet who can fill in the backup center spot.
They don’t want Brendan Haywood. I’ve seen him play in DC for years and he is as soft as they come.
BigCaliDawg
June 25th, 2010
4:38 pm
Maybe we can have an arrangement with JJ like Rasheed had in Boston. Only thing is, it would be in reverse.
Sheed got to take the season off, as long as he went all out in the playoffs.
JJ can go all out during the season, then go fishing for the playoffs.
Mr. Strickland, you must have been occupied administering a battery of assessments on Hawks fans, while we were watching Joe try not to get dirty in the playoffs.
Get your nose out of the books. Declarative knowledge can get you so far.
Like, the 1st round of the playoffs.
cheshire
June 25th, 2010
4:39 pm
I think the notion of ripping other fans as not being “true fans” because they disagree is kind of ridiculous.
Here’s the bottom line – if you want to be a “good” team who makes it to the playoffs and doesn’t do much else, then by all means we should re-sign Joe. If you don’t want to stay in the same place (2nd round playoff humiliations) year after year, then we can’t re-sign Joe Johnson.
I fall in the second camp, but i get why people want the first camp, because you don’t want to take a step back. That’s understandable.
My issue with that though is that the NBA isn’t like other sports where, if you make the playoffs, you’ve got a chance. In the NBA, 16 teams make the playoffs, but everyone knows it’s going to be 2 of about 5 or 6 teams playing for the trophy. The Hawks are just is irrelevant at 53 wins making the playoffs as they are at 20 wins and not making the playoffs.
We’ve been an irrelevant team for 42 years, and i’m just tired of being irrelevant. That’s an embarrassment to this city, and I think as a long suffering fan I deserve better than that. I want to play for a championship or i don’t want to play at all. Does losing Joe make us worse? It does, but at least then you have a chance to get back in the lottery and MAYBE get a superstar. If you re-sign Joe, you’re signing yourself into another 6 years of mediocrity.
BigCaliDawg
June 25th, 2010
4:54 pm
“The Hawks need a center they should go after lgauskas or David Lee.”
Agreed, but I’m thinkin that “Z” doesn’t want to be here. Didn’t he have to clear waivers with every team in the league before returning to CLE after Washington released him cuz he refused to play for them? (Frickinlongrunonsentancethere)
He probably said “Nah” once already. Also, I like David Lee, but he might be more than we need.
We need a 6′10″ – 7′ who just got out of jail. We don’t need a big to score as much as we need an enforcer. ZA ZA has had to stick up for every player on this team for the last 3 years. Who did we get to have his back? Joe Smith. Dang. We need a big that can rebound and just play pissed.
b-dubs
June 25th, 2010
5:28 pm
I couldn’t care less if JJ signs for the Hawks. Jamal can take his place.
I just hope the owners get their act together and realize the people of Atlanta want a good team, not one that keeps money in the owner’s pocket. Go and get a good player to take JJ’s place.
Man, the hawks are gonna have a tough season next season. A “new” coach with a “fresh” face to “mix things up” and JJ who, lets admit, doesn’t want to play for the Hawks.
Arman
June 25th, 2010
6:12 pm
great comment by mitch! i totally agree
JeJe
June 25th, 2010
6:22 pm
Read Sund’s comments from yesterday. He thinks we could’ve played better and competed vs. Orlando. LOL
This guy is such an idiot. He didn’t even mention that Cleveland OWNED us last year or that ORL and CLE on the whole OWN us in the regular season.
We sold picks to save $90,000 (7 owners — LOL!!!!) so we can resign and dish out the world to someone who isn’t even a superstar.
welikebaseball2
June 25th, 2010
6:29 pm
Actually he did play “Joe Johnson basketball”…performing well enough during the season to make the all-star team & then disappearing in the playoffs. Correct me if I’m wrong but, last I checked, that was indeed “Joe Johnson basketball.”
Pi$$onaDawg
June 25th, 2010
7:18 pm
Jeff why do we not get CWS games? Drafts and (before the AllStar break) MLB ganes are great, but the LAST YEAR at Rosenblatt and a National Championship matter more that the other crap you are writing about. People would complain if you didn’t cover the NBA and the NHL, but again mor Paper readers care about College Baseball than we do about the NBA.
ryan
June 25th, 2010
7:40 pm
I hope we get John Solomans he would be good roll player having super stars does not always mean you win championships look at the Lakers yes the have Kobe but they one with roll players like Derek Fisher and Boston with Perkins and Big Baby.
Big Ray
June 25th, 2010
9:00 pm
Of course Drew wants Joe back. Why would you want your most potent/dangerous scorer to leave?
More than anything I fear Joe walking, with us getting nothing in return. THAT would be the darkest nightmare.
JSS
June 25th, 2010
9:20 pm
@ Big Ray and Jeff Schultz…
I posted some clips of Sy on You tube. The link is on Michael Cunningham’s blog…
mike
June 25th, 2010
11:42 pm
Players that I would like to see here: David Lee, Rip Hamilton, John Salmons Players that should go: Marvin Williams.
We might lose JJ but if Sund can pull off a good sign & trade that all is not lost. JJ is not worth max-money. If he wants to win than he will accept our offer. If not let him walk, and let Sund work some trades.
BigCaliDawg
June 26th, 2010
1:03 am
Ever wonder what Marvin Williams “role” is on this team?
He does seem like a good teammate and he was one of the 3 last year that resigned for less than they could have gotten elsewhere. He’s kinda like Billy Owens, but with fewer dimes.
kelvin davis
June 26th, 2010
1:32 am
Fans of Atlanta we all need to get something clear… We don’t need Joe Johnson… If he wants to leave then let him leave… Now lets say we don’t resign Joe, then we are left with Jordan Crawford at the SG position… I actually wouldn’t mind if we made a run at Rudy Gay in free agency… How would all of you feel if we added Rudy Gay and Tyson Chandler this offseason?… We would be great I think… Look at it like this… We would have Al Horford at C and his backup would be Zaza Pachulia and Tyson Chandler, Josh Smith at PF and his backup would be Joe Smith and Horford at times to play with Chandler, at SF I think Marvin Williams will have an impact with Larry Drew opening things up for him and his backup is Moe Evans, at SG if we got Rudy Gay that would be great for us; He is slowly becoming one of the best guards in the league and his backup is Jordan Crawford and Jamal Crawford, and at PG I think Mike Bibby would still be the starter with Jeff Teague and Jamal Crawford playing a lot of course… If we had this roster going into the season would you all say we got better or we got worse?.. At crunch time we can have Jamal Crawford at PG with Rudy Gay at SG, Josh Smith or Marvin Williams at SF, Al Horford at PF, and Tyson Chandler at C… This group of players makes life a lot easier than it did with Joe Johnson… Can you all please give me feedback on what you think about that?? I think it makes sense and we have the money to make this all happen…
JD
June 26th, 2010
5:17 am
There are deals out there to be made, the question is whether or not this ownership group will take the chance to do them or will they keep to their cheap operating philosophy.
There’s a center to be had; the Minnesota Timberwolves are trying to trade Al Jefferson (of course, when confronted with that on NBATV the other night, the TWolves gm denied it – he’s not gonna tip his hand that easily). The question is can the Hawks put together a package that will allow them to swoop in and steal yet another quality player from them. What that package is I don’t know. I’m not in the habit of playing armchair gm, but I do believe that if the right package of players and/or picks (whether future or otherwise) is put together the Hawks would have their center, Horford can move down to his natural pf position, and then you maneuver the lineup to whichever configuration gives them the best chance to win.
I’m also of a mind that the Hawks should make a run at Rudy Gay. That might seem to be a far-fetched idea because he’s a restricted free agent and any team that attempts to sign him the Grizzlies can match that offer. I don’t know of a scenario that could work to get him here, but I hope that management is looking into all options to improve this team.
As for Joe Johnson – listen, the guy made a mistake in saying what he said during the playoffs, misconstrued or not. They didn’t perform well and the fans booed, as is their right as a fan. If Joe Johnson leaves this team will never lure another big name free agent to this town again. Word of mouth is the best (and sometimes worst) way information gets spread. You can believe that if Joe Johnson leaves it’s gonna become widespread that it’s not worth it to play for this organization and that’s not the info you want floating around about your team. The goal is to become a championship contender and the Hawks would be at a competitive disadvantage if negative information gets to the rest of the league thereby hindering chances of the Hawks getting that big name free agent they covet.
I know that the words championship and contender don’t necessarily go hand in hand with this ownership group (who I believe is operating this team on the cheap and are only worried about their bottom line and about being respected as owners) but it is what it is. LD can be a good coach if given a chance. Let him coach some games before passing judgment. If he says he’s gonna create more movement within the offense then afford him that opportunity to do so. We don’t know whether the Hawks progress or step back, but as fans we’re all in wait and see mode. Let’s just do that.
Navigator
June 26th, 2010
9:16 am
Joe Johnson is a good player, no doubt, but he’s like a lot of other good players in the league. The Hawks really need to find out who else might be available on the free agent market. It’s one thing to have King James, but it’s another to have a player who thinks he is, but isn’t.
Nique
June 26th, 2010
9:59 am
@ kelvin davis
Its a good thought. I also feel that if Joe wants to leave, then let him go but only if we get something back. As far as Rudy Gay and Tyson Chandler…Rudy’s not a 2, other than that I love his game. But in getting him I feel like you are saying that Marvin’s career as a hawk is done. And we’d have to trade Marvin since I believe he’s making too much now to be a bench guy….
I do have an issue with people assuming that all we have to do is get a center, stick him in the starting lineup, and bump Horford and Smith down. Both of them are best at the power forward position and everyone knows this, so we either need to just deal with it or trade one. I prefer to keep them both since I don’t think either one has reached his full potential yet. But unless Josh makes dramatic improvements with his shooting and dribbling (which he hasn’t done yet), he will never be right at the 3. So if we keep both our best bet is to get a “rotational center” (Chandler, Haywood, etc) who gives us the option to have a big lineup when needed. So I agree with you on going for someone like Tyson, I just don’t think its best to start him. He came off the bench last year, as did Haywood, and I don’t think either would have an issue with filling the role of first big off the bench (20-30 mpg). I’m really hoping LD uses his entire 2nd team (not just one guy…JC) this year so our best players are still fresh in the fourth. Way too many blown leads last year.
Beam me up Scotty
June 26th, 2010
10:47 am
Now that the draft has passed, the Hawks need to be on the phone to the undrafted scotty reynolds of villanova. Give him a spot on the roster and you have just added another scorer and a kid that plays hard and defends. Give him a call Rick!