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
nobody
June 26th, 2010
11:18 am
Some of yall are dumb. This draft sucked. It really did. The undrafted players IMO are better than some of the late first and second rounders. The hawks did as well as they could. They got a scorer with lottery pick scoring capability. They made 3 million dollars and lost nothing. It was a great draft for them. But then again I also think everyone who says we need a Center because Horford isnt a center is an idiot. Horford is a top defensive center in this league. He only struggles with one player. Howard( The best bigman Ive seen in a while).
nobody
June 26th, 2010
11:18 am
And I meant the talent in this draft sucked
Steve
June 26th, 2010
12:45 pm
If we can get something of value for Joe Johnson……….then we need to do it. Otherwise,let bygones be bygones and lets move on with a new attitude under a new coach,that we have in Drew.
Pi$$onaDawg
June 26th, 2010
1:24 pm
Cover the CWS baseball games!!! Do something. The Hawks and Thrashers don’t draw too much interest in the positive.
ICECOLD
June 26th, 2010
1:30 pm
honestly……. the ice cold truth……. we dont need joe johnson in the long run…. we have jordan crawford.. who could turn to a player better then joe johnson that the hawks have for their on.. he is the truth ,,, if you look at his high lights.. he is quick fast and can shoot from any where… the league needs another young super star after all these changes and he can really be that… if we keep joe johnson.. they play the same position and they will stunt his growth.. if kobe played behind a super star… he wouldnt be who he is today.. give the keys to jordan crawford, the other players can support him perfectly.. dont stunt the rookies growth, get a true big man or a amare stademire or carlos boozer or even chris bosh if he stop actin stupid.. but any way..
have
jeff teague,
jordan crawford
josh smith
al horford
and a true center…
start a young great team like the thunder
nobody
June 26th, 2010
2:07 pm
How does anyone think Josh Smith can play the 3? I want one of yall who have said to move Josh to the 3 to give me 3 reasons why you think he would fit there?
Patrick
June 26th, 2010
3:21 pm
There is no way Joe is coming back, with the financial issues the ASG has. They still have about 10 million to play around with without going over the cap (assuming Joe walks), so not all hope is lost. Also, teams are still desperate to shed salary, so the Hawks might be able to pick up a very good young player in a salary dump. Andris Biedrins, Luol Deng, Michael Beasley, etc, are all on the block, and they could be had for nothing (as in, a future second round pick or something).
While the selling of a draft pick is frustrating, it is possible that Drew feels the young players at the end up the bench were underused during the Woodson era, so he actually feels he has a team that’s 10 or 11 players deep already. Of course, I would have rather them just kept the pick, but it’s hard to pass up $3 million dollars when the team is in such financial strain.
ICECOLD
June 26th, 2010
4:00 pm
people already think the hawks are going to be a bad team if joe johnson leave, so lets offer next years first round draft pick for michael beasley… start him at the three, its a way better upgrade then starting marvin williams, marvin can come off the bench, you know, the thing that got him to the league… he will have a lot less pressure on him to score and he can play with no pressure will make him bettter..
josh smith can play the three for three huge reasons
1. not all three guards are straight perimeter players , most three players are slashers.. josh smith would be the perfect slasher, he can catch alley oops all day, and he can shoot that lil mid range jumper if he open.. more scoring for him- better postitioning
2. if the hawks get a really good center that can start right away, they will have the best three man front court in the league..nobody would be able to stop the hawks in the paint.
1. defenseive purposes… helpside deffense………. when he guards three’s on other teams, he can be in a situation where he can play help defense better with other people 3 forwards , if you dont understand, ill explain if you defend a slasher.. better positioning for help defense.. really simple.. he can do it..
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June 26th, 2010
4:05 pm
[...] ♦ Drew finally speaks to Joe Johnson, and he wants him back [...]
Saabotager
June 26th, 2010
4:06 pm
Too much wasted time on Joe Johnson. It is obvious he doesn’t want to play in Atlanta, and also obvious he’s not a winner. He will end his career with a thick bank account and no ring. The Hawks should concentrate on making Jordan Crawford the next best thing in Atlanta. The kid has all the potential. Based on Rick Sund draft selection, the Spirit should fire his a$$. He’s a joke of a GM. I guess he will fir Larry Drew if they don’t have a second round repeat.
Chipper feeling young again, and Kawakami, Braves benefit | Jeff Schultz
June 26th, 2010
10:06 pm
[...] ♦ Drew finally speaks to Joe Johnson, and he wants him back [...]
BrittishAnger
June 26th, 2010
10:33 pm
I’m interested to see what “Veterans” they’re going to surround us with once the initial FA fodder is dealt with (i.e The albatross of monetary ramifications otherwise known as Joe Johnson)….I wouldn’t be so clever as to ponder a Shaq in Atlanta, but short of a three team trade scenario to grab a legit big-man from the super-cap teams (or stealing David Lee and some serious draft picks from NY) when Joe seeks his Bird rights, what vet on the FA board is willing or financially predisposed towards coming for a stroll through Atlanta for a year separate from the ones we have at our disposal? Who and how would we make offers to fill holes which need filling right off the bat assuming Joe comes back? Where and when will the ownership take a chance and grab another big man and not think we’ve got enough? And for something a little more answerable, when does the list for Rookie Camp drop?
nobody
June 28th, 2010
10:05 am
ICECOLD. Just for the heck of it, name me one starting SF that cannot hit a jumpshot?
Joe Don't Go Squad
June 28th, 2010
12:36 pm
http://joe_dont_go.WebStarts.com/index.html
Barton
June 28th, 2010
4:21 pm
@ icecold – you spelled defense three different wrong ways.. thus whatever you used as your argument is irrelevant
@ nobody – answer: Josh Smith when they play him at the 3
mike j l
June 30th, 2010
7:18 pm
i sure hope rick sund use his brain and money wisely. joe aint worth no max money(not even close). his is inconsistent and he cant carried the team like max players. if u pay him max, then u are saying he is as good as lebron, dwayne, and kobe! now, we know that aint so. finally, he doesnt care about the fans. remember the playoffs comment! if u give him the max, and ticket prices go up, this will be my last year as a season ticket holder………!
MD5000
July 4th, 2010
8:03 pm
Signing Joe Johnson will spell doom for the Hawks for the next 5 years.The Hawks need to make trades-Marvin Williams,get rid of Joe Johnson and sign 2 veteren players,trade Josh Smith for anyone who would take his contract, and plan to build around Al Horford and Teague.If the organization doesnt want to do this you will lose 70 percent of your fanbase, that i promise u.
Rich McKay
July 6th, 2010
4:30 pm
Joe Johnson is terrible
jeremiah
July 9th, 2010
11:20 pm
you need to get paul pierce for free agency