Hawks need more from Johnson, whether he likes it or not
Joe Johnson needs to know he's not just one of Hawks' faces in the crowd. (AP photo)
There is still a level of doesn’t-get-it-ness with Joe Johnson. Stars get paid the most because stars are expected to do the most, but that second part is seldom acknowledged by the Hawks’ guard.
“I don’t get all of the glory when we win, so I don’t get to take all the [blame] when we lose,” Johnson said before this playoff series started.
Oh, Joe.
This much is true: The Hawks did not lose game five to Orlando by 25 points solely because Johnson made only two of 12 shots, at least when we even noticed he was on the floor. They all stunk. But Johnson didn’t do nearly enough to prevent the loss – or even collective team humiliation – from happening. And yes, he does deserve a greater share of the blame than Josh Smith or Jamal Crawford or anybody else on the roster because more is expected from him.
Such are the little inconveniences that come with a $123.7 million contract.
Johnson has had one good game (25 points in game one) and one good half (he drew fouls and made some clutch free throws in the second half of game four) in this first-round series. That’s six quarters out of 20. Unfortunately, that seems about par for Johnson in the postseason during his Hawks’ tenure.
They need more from him.
When asked specifically about Johnson’s play in Tuesday’s 101-76 loss to the Magic, coach Larry Drew responded mostly in “we” instead of “he” form.
“Everybody had a rough night,” he said. “They made everything tough. Yeah, they played him tough. They got up in him. They took some things away. They crowded him. They bumped him. These were all things we discussed as a team going into the game. We could not cry to the officials about it. We had to respond to it, and we didn’t do that.”
How should Johnson react?
“Just maintain his composure and play off of it,” Drew said. “They’re playing the way playoff basketball is played. So it’s nothing out of the ordinary. You have to be sharper, clever. You have to do things harder. [But] it wasn’t just Joe. It was everybody.”
Problem is that even in Drew’s intended share-the-ball offense, Johnson should still be expected to take (and make) the big shot, spark a team and show semblance of leadership. Too often, he doesn’t. Too often, he goes 0 for 3.
Johnson, who wasn’t available for comment Wednesday, hasn’t had a great season. Some of that can be attributed to injuries, elbow surgery and a sprained thumb being the primary ones. But great players are supposed to fight through things. Johnson’s scoring average (18.2) and three-point shooting (29.7 percent) during the regular season represented by far his worst numbers since he came to Atlanta. Bad timing, since it follows a summer in which he became the NBA’s highest-paid player.
He was 9 for 16 (56.2 percent) with 25 points in the series opener at Orlando. In the four games since, he has gone a combined 23 for 65 (35.4) with point totals of 14, 21, 20 and 5.
“Joe and Jamal are our main guys who put the ball in the hole,” Josh Smith said. “We depend on them to get us involved at the offensive end, because when they start making shots, it opens things up for everybody else.”
Crawford, who was only 2 for 8 in the last game, said the Magic “stayed longer on the pick-and-rolls. They left room for less isolation stuff with second and even third defenders.”
Orlando likely won’t change defensive strategy in game six. How the Hawks respond will determine their playoff existence. How Johnson responds will further define his career. Because whether he likes it or not, there’s an expectation level that comes with salary and stature and he’s not meeting it.
By Jeff Schultz
♦
Follow me on Twitter @JeffSchultzAJC; friend me at Facebook.com/JeffSchultzAJC
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
86 comments Add your comment
Will
April 27th, 2011
7:54 pm
Joe Johnson is not a star or superstar, and never will be neither one!
Dude has a bad attitude, average basketball player at best!
No leadership skills at all “NONE”
He could not make it with teams like the celtics, knicks, lakers, 76ers, spurs, their fans would run his “azz” out of town!
And then they get mad saying the fans don’t support them, let me make it clear, we will never support you because you’re soft, play dumb basketball, and will quit in a heart beat, that is what you have proven to Atlanta, those are Facts.
The Magic will close this series out gm 7 in Orlando.
Campbell
April 27th, 2011
8:13 pm
Talk all you want about his lack of offense – but Joe completely disappeared on the defensive end of the court as well. It was almost as though a bookie got a hold of him.
EVOLONE
April 27th, 2011
8:31 pm
The hawks have to win tomorrow night if the hawks lose……………………….SMH
OldTimer
April 27th, 2011
8:55 pm
Orlando is about to get downsized. Hawks in an easy 6.
rocko
April 27th, 2011
9:51 pm
everybody needs to shut-up!!! even when the hawks are winning, the fans dont even support the team.. crowd is dead weight!!! hell I wouldnt give a s@#T about playing either..
Najeh Davenpoop
April 27th, 2011
9:53 pm
It’s not Joe’s fault he was offered that contract, and expecting him to play up to the level of Kobe and LeBron is an exercise in futility.
With that said, with great contract comes great responsibility. It is fair to expect him to play his best basketball in the playoffs. Joe doesn’t have to be Kobe, but he does need to be the best damn Joe Johnson he can be, and in Game 5 he looked more like DerMarr Johnson. Every game where Aggressive Joe shows up, Joe is doing his job. Every game where Passive Joe shows up to pound the ball into the ground and take ten seconds to make a decision, Joe is stealing money.
dummynique
April 27th, 2011
9:56 pm
listen, joe is who he is. if chicago bulls paid pippen max dollars and left jordan hangin’ pippen was still goin’ to be pippen. don’t blame jj ’cause this organization paid him max dollars. joe has never been THAT GUY!!
jus’ like everyone wanted to rip sheldon williams ’cause the hawks drafted him 10th and wanted to put all of this expectation on his shoulders. don’t blame the players BLAME THE ORGANIZATION.
i am an assistant. if a company pays me ceo money, that’s there fault.
lester
April 27th, 2011
10:07 pm
get rid of josh smith also..he needs to get his head into the game
Dr. Warren
April 27th, 2011
10:26 pm
I’ve never seen a Schultz or Bradley blog that inspired such unified agreement. Nice argument, Jeff. Unfortunately, I think Moorman is right—the ASG, hoping to bail, stuck it to us long-term with Joe’s contact.
BoricuaHawk
April 27th, 2011
11:00 pm
Jeff: Is it likely/possible for Joe to offer to give back some money if he wanted to help the team pay another star? Any fantasy of being able to free up enough money to make a run for Dwight Howard? I know, a Hawk fan can always dream!
JSS
April 28th, 2011
12:09 am
Goodness, welcome to the most fickle and panicking fan base in all of American professional sports!
@ Jeff Schultz…
You know where I stand on Joe Johnson. Still, Johnson is not the reason this team can’t stop the pick and roll. Moreover, when I see Johnson, I’m always reminded of the mistake that Seattle made when they had Dennis Johnson during his ascension period in the late 70’s. Gus Williams carried enough of the load to make him look a bit like a replaceable piece. But, as Larry Bird said: “He’s the best player I’ve played with.” Joe needs that, get him the compliment that allows him some freedom to exhale. It saved the career of Julius Erving when Andrew Toney finally played to his pedigree. The same can be said of when Pippen finally stepped out that Casper costume. Dumars gave Thomas that, I’m old enough to remember how frustrated he was pairing with Kelly Tripucka and the likes of John Long. The folly that the picks of Williams, Law, and Teague have been on the flexibility of this team way heavily on their style of play….
mick
April 28th, 2011
12:15 am
So what happens if the Hawks didn’t sign Johnson? They wouldn’t have made the playoffs this year or next. What star will sign to come play at Phillips when it is 1/3 empty half of the time. Sure Joe is over-paid to some degree but what “superstar” do you think would sign with the Hawks?
Ole Smoky
April 28th, 2011
12:37 am
JJ’s the problem.. Not their solution.
My wife loves the Hawks, me=go Lakeshow
April 28th, 2011
12:40 am
Its about time someone had the nuts to say what needs to be said about Joe “not my fault” Johnson. Hawks should be ashamed giving him all that money after the fan comments and with him averaging 13 freaking points LAST PLAYOFFS. WHAT THE HELL WERE THEY THINKING?? Now this year comes and he is just as bad. Jamal>Joe, period.
He is not a proven winner, he is not a superstar, he is a role player at best. His ball hogging is sickening.
Thank you Mr.Jeff Schultz
You see he never wanted to leave Atlanta b/c the Atlanta press is nice and doesn’t rip him a new one if he played in New York, LA or some other large city. The Atlanta media has been way to accepting of our sports mediocrity!!
Rob
April 28th, 2011
12:42 am
The thing about the playoffs is because there is so much passion, fans think their team will never win another game if their team loses a game. Fans are already planning to cancel their season based on that loss.
Let the games conclude before you think that.
LawdHamercy
April 28th, 2011
12:46 am
ISO Jo can’t score? Looks like we got a thief on this team. $123Million and he’s a done deal. The Hawks organization is dumb. Let these guys go. Dump the whole roster. Rebuild. They’re all quiters/losers. We’ll see the true make of this team in the next 2 games. It’s going to 7 and we’ll be at home wonderin what happened.
PaulieOldschool
April 28th, 2011
1:22 am
Sorry, boys, you got what you paid for when you laid out long green for this butt munch. Disappears in the clutch, mouthy in the loss, not even close to being a Tier One player, even in his own mind, and he knows you know it. He’s a loser, and he’s never gonna be anything else.
Dr. Warren
April 28th, 2011
6:13 am
They were on the verge of exonerating themselves for last year’s Orlando debacle and this whole lame season, and what do they do? Oh, just lose by 25. Something is wrong with this group. Immaturity, laziness, ADHD, something. Clubber Lang would have said they lack the Eye of the Tiger.
ATLtodolavida
April 28th, 2011
7:52 am
It’s not Joe’s fault his salary is high. Also, his pressure free throw shooting won game 4. Stop whining.
TheAntiMe
April 28th, 2011
8:05 am
Part of the problem is that when the ball touched Joe’s hands on Tuesday, the Hawks reverted back to Iso-Joe and as the stats clearly show, Iso-Joe could not have thrown the ball into all three oceans combined.
If the Hawks are going to stand a chance offensively against Orlando then they must pass the freaking ball and swing it to both sides of the court so that they can find the open man to get the best look at the basket on any possession.
The problem is that while this seems obvious to all of us who watch the Hawks on a regular basis, this fact totally seems to escape the Hawks players on the floor an alarmingly high percentage of trips down the floor.
Billy The Kid
April 28th, 2011
8:24 am
agree Jeff….Do the Hawks really have the HEART to Win!
Craig
April 28th, 2011
8:37 am
Question, how do you give more when you don’t have more to give? We are better off depending on Crawford then we are the overpaid Johnson. Our go to guy comes off the bench which should be an embarrassment to JJ but, I doubt it.
NFL draft: Cam Newton will succeed, Tim Tebow won’t | Jeff Schultz
April 28th, 2011
8:40 am
[...] – Hawks need more from Joe Johnson (whether-he-likes-it-or-not) [...]
Buddy Grizzard
April 28th, 2011
11:08 am
Repost from the other blog… doing MC’s job for him since he wants to talk about Mike Bianchi instead of Larry Drew:
Let’s break down the first half of Game 5, where the Hawks got outscored 58-35 and lost the game. The point differential in the second half was 43-41 in favor of the Magic, so the first half is the story of this game.
I’ve broken down in other posts how Josh Smith pounded the ball inside and drew two early fouls on Dwight, causing him to go to the bench with 5:39 to play in the first quarter and Orlando leading 10-8. With 5:33 to play and the Hawks trailing 10-9, Kirk Hinrich picked up his first foul, and Las Vegas Larry immediately subbed in JC1 for KH.
Q+1 rule means in the first quarter, Q1+1 is two fouls to be in foul trouble. KH goes to the bench, not in foul trouble. I believe this is what Bret Lagree was referring to in his Game 5 breakdown when he said Las Vegas Larry “created foul trouble where none yet existed.”
With Dwight on the Bench and Orlando forced to rely on its perimeter players, the obvious move would be to leave KH (not in foul trouble) and Joe Johnson on the floor to try to slow Orlando’s guards. Instead, Las Vegas Larry almost immediatly sends in Atlanta’s worst perimeter defender.
I find it very easy to believe, much as Michael Cunningham tried to discredit it, the New York Post’s report that a former Hawks player described Las Vegas Larry’s game preparation a “f-ing joke.” Do you think Las Vegas Larry had a game plan if Dwight went to the bench? Do you think that game plan involved JC1 tossing up 20 to 25 footers producing long rebounds and Orlando fast breaks? Do you think that game plan involved the Hawks attempting only 4 free throws for the rest of the half, including zero in the second quarter?
I’m not an NBA coach, but I would have told my guys to pound it inside to Josh Smith and All Star Al and let them go to work on Orlando’s Dwight-less front court. I would have told them to keep drawing fouls and try to keep the game at a slow tempo. None of that happened.
And when Josh Smith saw that his good early work was not rewarded with additional post touches, and saw that effort undone by JC1’s cold shooting, he went with the only game plan the Hawks ever had… toss up outside shots, hope they go in. And hope that Orlando, the most productive three-point shooting team in the NBA during the regular season, continued setting postseason records for three-point futility.
Meanwhile, JC1 checks in at 5:33 with the Hawks trailing by a point. After missed shots from 20, 23 and 25 feet by JC1, Atlanta calls a full timeout with 2:36 to play and Orlando leading 19-9. Kirk Hinrich re-enters the game and picks up his second foul with :45 to play in the first quarter. The half ends with Orlando up 26-13, having closed the quarter on a 16-4 run since JC1 entered the game. At this point Kirk Hinrich is -4 and JC1 is -12.
Atlanta starts the 2nd quarter with JJ, All Star Al, Marv, Zaza and JC1. Orlando starts the quarter with Dwight, Reddick, Arenas, Q-Rich and Ryan Anderson. With 6:09 to play in the half, KH re-enters the game replacing JC1. The score is 42-21 and Orlando has outscored the Hawks 16-8 for the quarter and 32-12 during the 11 minutes, 24 seconds JC1 has been on the floor. Does it take a 20-point swing in favor of the opposition to figure out something isn’t working?
With 2:13 to play in the half, JC1 subs back in for Kirk. The score is 52-30, Orlando has outscored the hawks 10-9 during KH’s three minutes, 56 seconds of playing time in the second quarter (with two fouls, not in foul trouble; Q2+1=3), and KH is -5 over 9 minutes, 3 seconds of first half playing time. JC1 plays 13 minutes, 37 seconds in the first half and goes to the locker room -21 with Orlando sporting a 23-point lead. Orlando would only outscore the Hawks by 2 points in the entire second half.
JJ Now
April 28th, 2011
11:18 am
JJ’s getting tired of carrying the hawks in the playoffs but he’s the only player doing anything. the hawks need to run more iso plays for JJ and quit wasting shots on other players.
Bad Move
April 28th, 2011
12:13 pm
A level of “doesn’t-get-it-ness” should go to Rick Sund for offering this contract to JJ. Normally, it’s the fans who want to throw money at players. But with JJ, the consensus with fans was to let him walk.
J
April 28th, 2011
1:22 pm
Paying of athletes should be similar to how salespeople are paid. No more of these long ass contracts where athletes are paid regardless of performance. Seriously, every single one of these guys needs to get fired up and play hard every game during the playoffs. Even if you’re tired!
joey1
April 28th, 2011
2:57 pm
come on guys,
i know we just got beat up but did we expect to win in a do or die situation against orlando on their home floor???
the difference was they hit shots and we did not …..it simple they hit 7 more 3 pointes than us thats enough to put us in a very close game.
hawks will win at home thursday in a tough game bc they know if they lose they will not win in game 7 in orlando.
i think with howard on the floor that slows down their offense, if hes in the game they dont shoot as many 3 pointers we cover them better bc of ono on one coverage of howard.
i said before the series hawks win in 6 and they will close it out in front of a spectacular crowd..
so guys lets show up to phillips arena a cheer on our hawks to win, bc we are the sixth man
Ceecee
April 28th, 2011
3:37 pm
Thank u so much for finally calling JOE OUT!! He could not and would not get away with his performances in the MEDIA if he were with the KNICKS or Lakers!!! They would run him out of town
We need to do the same if his production doesnt pick up but it will be HARD because of that contract…But something needs to change.
He wants to be just one of the guys but wants to get paid like the leader. HUH? Am I missing something. He knows that Atlanta will do nothing as far as getting on him and his game so he is content with just being JOE. BUT JOE GOT TO GO! I dont care if we take a step back as an organization as long as we push forward to be better and get guys in here with Leadership and HEART, and whose not afraid of taking the blame and calling out other players.
Ceecee
April 28th, 2011
3:53 pm
I believe we are a better team than the Magic and we can beat the BULLS if we move on, but we dont pay sound basketball!!!!!!!!!! All of these commentators who talk about us arent hating…….their teling us the truth.
1. U gotta Power forward who wants to be Rasheed Wallace but doesnt have a consistent jumpshot and enough 1 on 1 defense to guard a small forward night in and night out.
2. U got a overpaid all star guard who doesnt want anyone to bring him to the mat on his game and disappears when we need him the most.
3. U got a center playing out of position (so we say)
4. U got a guy in marvin williams (#2 draft pick) who should be the 12th man off the bench. He has to be off this roster next year!
5. U got JC…..now, if he isnt hot, u get 0% out of him in other aspects of the game…NO D, NO Paas first Mentality when shot not fallin.
6. U got a coach!!…………Who wont play Damien over Marvin. A coach who doesnt recognize whose hot and whose not. To be fair, he has been better than woody in some areas but we got the kind of players to where he needs to cuss their behinds out in the moment when they dont run his so called motion offense.
Overall, We have what we need to be better than what we are portraying because they showed when they play team ball its hard to beat them but ffor some reason, every man his for himself on this team more times than the ladder. We cant come back with this same team next year and expect different results unless u bring in a NO nonsense coach…I’m done.
Clueless Joe
April 28th, 2011
4:05 pm
Y’all remember this little piece of poetry from last year, right?
“That doesn’t bother me, and I hope it doesn’t bother anyone in this locker room,” Johnson said. “It’s about us in this locker room. We could care less if [fans] showed up.”
llovejj
April 28th, 2011
4:20 pm
Enter your comments here
Joseph
April 28th, 2011
4:59 pm
Joe doesn’t see himself as the “star” and acts accordingly. He has the skill set. We have all seen him do some unbelievable things. But, when you are a wallflower, who cares that you are complaining about being fouled.
NBA is a business, and NBA is entertainment. As the highest paid player, he needs to sell it to the crowd, then maybe he would actually realize it all comes down to him. Like it or not, that is what being a star is about, Joe. And you can do it. We need it.
My wife loves the Hawks, me=go Lakeshow
April 28th, 2011
7:05 pm
Joe sucks. Period. His stats have gone down every year since he came to the Hawks. There is a reason Phoenix let him go. There is a reason no other teams were going to offer the money the Hawks did.
I do hope they beat Orlando but they better do it tonight
W.R. Terrell
April 30th, 2011
8:54 pm
I was poised to be rid of the stressors of watching the “SOFT’S lose in four. Silly me, they won in six. Who knows what will happen in Chicago. Heinrich is out but Jeff Teague can defend and at least stay in fron of D. Rose. I wanted this season over, LD fired and a new coach that would sit Josh Smiths azz down for taking crazy shots and thinking he is a point guard, also, when the “smoove” leads the “SOFT’S” in scoring the SOFT’S generally lose by a HUGE margin. Chicago see the “SOFT’S” as no threat which could be a bad omen for them. Who knows what they will do or how they will play. This team is truly an enigma. Monday night could be a big surprise and shocker as well as a reality adjustment. Who knows, hell, I just wanted the season to be over and done with. As far as Joe’s contract, Josh and Marvin are not worth theirs either. They are overpaid and 2nd tier, but, the “SOFT’S won. This team is not ood for anyone who has heart problems.
niremetal
May 1st, 2011
10:59 am
Awww look, another column that shows that Jeff Schultz doesn’t know or care about pro basketball.
Stick with the Braves and college football, Jeff.