The Hawks overpaid for Joe Johnson, but they had to do it
Some who cover the NBA are aghast that the Hawks have paid $119 million to keep Joe Johnson. Kelly Dwyer of Yahoo! Sports and the blog Ball Don’t Lie calls it: “Worst contract, ever.” John Hollinger of ESPN.com’s Insider (link requires registration) writes: “The Hawks might have won the battle here, but as a result they’ll almost certainly lose the war.”
The crux of these reasoned arguments: Johnson isn’t worth that much money now, and he absolutely won’t be worth it five years hence. I’d offer no rebuttal on either point, but I will offer a rebuttal. (I know that sounds weird. Hear me out.)
The Hawks have arrived at a precarious point. They’ve gotten good but not good enough. They were so bad against Orlando — historically bad, you’ll recall — that it cost Mike Woodson his job and threatened to override every painful gain made these past six seasons. The local audience, which never quite bought into the notion of the Hawks as legitimate, is again poised to tune them out.
Many Hawks fans aren’t crazy about Johnson — who, as we heard after Game 3 of Round 2, isn’t crazy about Hawks fans — but I submit that those same folks would have seized the loss of J-J-J-Joe as reason to wash their hands of this operation. Because there was no way the Hawks could have let Johnson leave and been as good next season.
They could have tinkered till the cows came home, but they couldn’t have offset the loss of sheer talent: Not with a sign-and-trade for Johnson, not with anyone signed to the mid-level exception as a free agent, not with the drafting of Jordan Crawford. They’d have gotten worse, and we saw earlier this century how we as Atlantans respond to a Hawks’ team that gets worse.
We stop caring. We stop buying tickets. If we mention the Hawks at all, it’s as an object of derision. And this team has come too far to retreat into rebuilding mode again so soon.
To state the obvious: Johnson isn’t Kobe Bryant or LeBron James or Dwyane Wade. He’s not a strap-the-team-on-his-back superstar. He is, however, a very good player who could be even more effective if he stopped trying to play like a superstar. This is what Larry Drew, the Hawks’ new coach, wants: For Johnson to be first among equals, not the leader of the pack.
Contrary to popular belief, the Hawks are not complete idiots. They know they’ve overpaid Johnson, but overpaying was the only way to keep him. And the consequences of not keeping him more than offset, at least in the short run, the outlay.
Had Johnson left, we’d have said: “See there? The Hawks’ best player no longer wanted any part of them.” And surely every other big-ticket free agent this summer and in coming summers would have noted that Johnson wasn’t willing to stick around even after his team won 53 games. That’s almost an indelible mark: If the chief Hawk didn’t think Atlanta could ever win any bigger, why should anybody else?
Yes, this contract will become an albatross soon. Johnson will not be worth $20 million in Year 4, or Year 5, or Year 6. But overpaying now was the price for being seen as a team willing to compete, and such is the nature of the Atlanta Spirit that these owners might not be the ones paying Johnson in 2013-2014.
By keeping Joe Johnson, the Hawks have left open their window of opportunity. They have four very good players under contract for next season — Johnson, Josh Smith, Al Horford and Jamal Crawford — and with that nucleus they still have a chance. They’ll need Jeff Teague to develop and they’ll need to deepen their bench, but they have a chance.
They entered free agency with two choices: Overpay J.J. and remain a factor in the NBA East, or save the money and sink back to irrelevance. They chose to remain relevant, and good for them.
One thing more: This might well be a bad contract, but it’s not the worst in NBA history. It’s not even the worst in Hawks’ history. Alan Henderson’s was worse. Speedy Claxton’s was worse. Jon Koncak’s was worse.
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194 comments Add your comment
papadawg
July 7th, 2010
2:00 pm
Hawks management are complete idiots to pay so MUCH money for someone who didn’t bother to show up for the playoffs and they wonder why no fans show up for their games
atl die heart
July 7th, 2010
2:09 pm
no nick because lebron wants to win and with wade and bosh playing for the heat he will need more fire power and like i said we are only a few peices away
Left to Right
July 7th, 2010
2:09 pm
It will be money wasted if Lebron goes to Miami.
ryan
July 7th, 2010
2:09 pm
John Koncac was a terrible player when before Joe got here the Hawks were lottery team. Then when J.J. was traded here things got better so haters saying we be better off with out Joe just look at what going to hit Cleveland and the Suns.
atl die heart
July 7th, 2010
2:11 pm
Nick were would rather go chi ny cle or atl
look at the rosters before you decide atl have the most all stars
sam'l
July 7th, 2010
2:12 pm
Still think the NBA is dead…..as well as the Hawks…..
But for people who might still enjoy grown tattoed thugs running up and down a floor and making millions…….
Please be real…..The Hawks have a core of four good players, as mentioned above….Jamal, Joe, Josh and Al. Shaq in addition to being allowed to get away with pushing and shoving with no fouls throughout his career, sort of like Dwight Howard’s invisible elbows which somehow cause very visible headaches and bruises…in addition to Shaq’s hype and his overall out of it attitude and latitude at playing by NBA rules…..he is probably in the last year of his career and injury prone. Disaster for any team.
Josh Smith showed some signs of waking up last year…..even asleep he would remain a Hawk star…..and we want to get rid of him? Wouldn’t it have made sense to have hired someone who could help IMPROVE him? (Drew might…but don’t count on it)
Teague….he’s fast, could learn….could improve like Tony Parker, Rondo….but when you look at him on the floor, he just doesn’t carry himself well……possible head case here….(just a one-game opinion…prove me wrong Jeff)
The center….There are now 8 billion or so people on the planet…we are only looking for one HEALTHY, reasonably young, hungry, available center……..and if the Hawks are supposedly “out of debt” as one report says, a strong point for this team and willing to pay the price…..they will find someone The lure should be what Cleveland was to Ilgauskas…..come to us and we’ll go to the finals.. Our new ambassador to the stars, Joe Johnson, isn’t going to be able to make that claim to anyone who saw the Orlando fiasco last year.
Childress…..Don’t understand why he’s ticked at the Hawks and wouldn’t play for us out of spite…..We had to sign Josh Smith and that is why he Childress was relegated to the background the year he left. I saw video of Childress in Europe….looked like a college game…totally unimpressed at the overall level of play…..too bad….Drew….can you convince Josh Childress to play for you? Make me proud.
Bibby….should be made an assistant coach….and agree to reduction in salary…to further his own career. Much as I like Bibby’s fight and savvy, he left a huge stench with his play last year.
Lebron…….will probably end up…….in jail. (just a feeling)….I’m not a fan….and the NBA is partially responsible…..do you think one year they’ll figure out that Lebron is NOT fouled every time the game is down under two minutes and he starts a wild drive to the basket?).
The NBA is for all intents and purposes dead……but as far as the suggestions we’re getting from the fans, apparently there are worse things than death…… .
northcyde
July 7th, 2010
2:14 pm
GT Alum . . what you say isn’t true at all.
When we made the trade for Glen Robinson, he was an All-Star caliber forward. A lot of ESPN “experts” had the Hawks winning 45+ games. We had a good PG in JT . . a bonafide shooter in Big Dog . . and a solid 20 pt – 10 rebs guy in Reef. But the Hawks had no bench whatsoever.
They didn’t decide to “blow it up” until 2003, after JT basically wanted out. So they did what all teams that blow it up does . . . trade their high salary good players, and tried to rebuild the team via high draft pics and by acquiring a free agent or two along the way.
Our rebuilding process was slowed, because we missed out on Chris Paul/Deron Williams, and Brandon Roy. Hindsight says that we shoud’ve at least nabbed one of those guys. But we didn’t. That slowed the rebuilding.
The ATL fan base has proven time and again that losing basketball = empty seats. It doesn’t matter if we’re rebuilding or not. Hell . . mediocre basketball = empty seats, because the fan base is nowhere near as loyal to the Hawks, as they say they are.
The Hawks won 53 games for the first time in about 13 years, yet, our attendance slightly DECREASED this year. A lot of people have gone over the reasons for that in the Hawks blog, when I bring this up. But it’s still a fact. But I won’t go all into that again. Anybody that have seen my rants on the apathetic ATL fans know exactly where I stand on this.
The fact is that if the Hawks had lost JJ, and slipped back to a .500 or slightly below team, the fans aren’t paying their money to see this team. They just aren’t. They’ve proven that too many times to think otherwise.
MightyQuinn
July 7th, 2010
2:17 pm
The question in my mind is this: IF Wade and Bosh sign for less and IF LeBron then signs for max money with Miami, does it matter (financially speaking) whether we signed JJ, because even with JJ we would NEVER get past Orlando, AND Miami, AND Boston (I know, Bostons getting older by the minute, but they’re still good) in a single playoff season. So it wouldn’t matter if we did or did not sign JJ, we still lose. Without JJ’s contract, we would just lose cheap. I don’t know.
MJB
July 7th, 2010
2:19 pm
The shear fact that y’all care so much is proof of what Joe has done for the hawks, no one gave a freaking damn before he came here i went to those games and recall them begging people to buy more tickets. The organization was always showcasing the stars that were coming to town… “Come see Kobe light it up” “Michael Jordan is back in the NBA watch him and the wiz come destroy the Hawks” “Come see rookie phenom Lebron James fly” now we’re one of the top teams in the NBA and if argue that point ur stupid because only 3 teams at a better home record and maybe 5 had a better overall record. U gotta pay to get to the top and u gotta pay to stay there… Wins don’t come cheap in the NBA… at least not for long. Plus i love JJ!!!! And i suffered too much horrible basketball over the years to see it go away in the time it takes for him to fly to NY and instantly fall in love. Anybody who cant appreciate JJ is not a true hawks fan… support ur team no matter what (U don’t see Madison Square Garden not selling out)
Mark Bradley
July 7th, 2010
2:21 pm
That’s a good point, MightyQuinn: But I submit that nobody ever buys a ticket to see a team lose cheap.
JJ
July 7th, 2010
2:24 pm
Overpaying JJ is done with. I’ve moved on. What remains to be seen is what happens henceforth. What moves will ASG make to better the team from here on out? Absent a trade, they don’t have a lot of wiggle room. But suffice it say, maintaining the “status quo” going into next season will most certainly NOT instill a lot of confidence from this fan. Resigning JJ was step one. An obvious decision, for some. Now the real tough decisions start. We’re watching…….and waiting…….
Howie
July 7th, 2010
2:24 pm
Mark, you are right on…the option of overpaying JJ was better for the Hawks and their fans than letting him go…now we have to hope that LaBron stays in Cleveland and does not move to Miami.
Brent
July 7th, 2010
2:25 pm
Lesser of two evils. MB is right , much as it hurts the Hawks did what they had to do to remain relevant. ASG finally did the right thing, even if it is the wrong thing. Wow
mmi
July 7th, 2010
2:26 pm
@DTC shaq wouldnt dare come to atlanta he wants to go to a CONTENDER and win another ring,nuff said!JJ was overpaid we all know that… the hawks barely beat an injured bucks team,and got their butts handed to them by a history making (hawks vs magic 09-10 playoffs) magic team.bosh playing wit wade now makes the hawks 5th maybe 6th best in the east!now all you hawks fans take your 120 mill overpaid none appreciating guy and deal wit it.
TONE
July 7th, 2010
2:31 pm
is it true that the big names that sign with miami may look like they are getting a smaller contract but they will actually make more because of the no income tax.
MCLOVIN
July 7th, 2010
2:35 pm
next season’s regular season standings
see above
1) Cleveland
2) Miami
3) Orlando
4) Boston
5) chicago
6) Atlanta
7) who cares
we get embarrased by orlando again only this time its with 120 million dollar JJ in the first round.
orlando or miami wins it all
DP
July 7th, 2010
2:36 pm
Mark, I think the Joe Johnson issue has been beaten to death and nobody on either side of the question is changing their mind.
On a topic that is more relevant, I agree with you that signing a washed up Shaq for 2 years would be a bad decision. If the ASG is actually willing to spend the mid level exception on a free agent, I think Raymond Felton would be a far better investment than Shaq. Larry Drew’s public comments suggest he wants to play fast and have a lot more ball movement, which plays to Felton’s strengths. Unlike Bibby, Felton would actually handle the ball and run the offense in the frontcourt which would result in less iso-Joe. I think Josh Smith and Al Horford would both be a lot more productive if the Hawks had an actual ball distributor on the roster. Teague was a shoot first point guard at Wake Forest.
Mr. Phil
July 7th, 2010
2:36 pm
In the what to do now category:
MB what will it take to get our hands on Javale Mcgee or Anthony Randolph. Either one of them could put to rest this whole is Horford a center or PF argument and get this team moving in a great direction.
Crippled Hawks
July 7th, 2010
2:38 pm
MB,
Gotta disagree that the team would be worse without JJ… Pulling off a sign and trade would have given this team many more options…
1. Chicago was interested (Derrick Rose wanted JJ as his 2G)… sign and trade for Luol Deng and a protected #1 pick in 2011. This scenario gives us a guy in Deng who can score if he has to. Maybe not the 22ppg we are accustomed to, but Deng is a 17ppg scorer, an able rebounder at the wing position, and can shoot well from 15-18ft out. Plus he gives the flexibility to play the SF position, something that Marvin Williams has failed at for 4+ years. It also gives us the ability to make an offer to Josh Childress and not fall into the luxury tax. So this scenario deepens our bench (by adding Childress, and moving Williams to the bench), replaces a majority of Johnson’s scoring, and doesnt cripple the franchise for the next 6 years.
2. Lebron wanted to bring him to Cleveland, sign and trade #2 sends Johnson to Cleveland in return for probably Anderson Varjeao and Delonte West. This scenario brings us a solid defensive and rebounding center (a la Joakim Noah) and a solid playmaking guard who is one of the top perimeter defenders in the East in Delonte West. Not only that, but West is fully capable of playing the point, and both guys bring much needed energy to the team. It also allows us the possiblity of trading Josh Smith (who lets face it, is peaking right now.. SELL HIGH!) and allowing Horford to play the PF position, where he would DOMINATE the competition. You would also be pairing 2 of the premiere offensive rebounders in the game together with Horford and Varajeao. Plus you get Bibby out of the lineup finally (who no matter what anybody says, he is a terrifying liability all the time on both sides of the ball).
I think either of those situations put the hawks in a position to continue to make the playoffs.
The key thing to remember about JJ is this… in 5 years in atlanta he’s never gotten any BETTER. He’s peaked. 22ppg is respectable, but is it worth $20M per year? No, just ask Knicks about Allan Houston, or Hornets fans about Peja, or Magic fans about Rashard Lewis … hey, all of those guys disappeared in the playoffs throughout their career too.
And I know there’s always questions about whether those trade scenarios are likely, but I think those 2 possibilities would have peaked interest from those teams, and the hawks should have tried.
I’ve had to sit back and watch the Hawks pass over Chris Paul and Deron Williams to draft Marvin Williams… pass over Brandon Roy to draft Shelden Williams… now I have to watch them give this contract to Joe Johnson, and make a desperate pitch to bring in a 38-year old Shaq? When is it enough?
We Need Tree
July 7th, 2010
2:42 pm
How do we know how players will fit into Drew’s system….no one knows what type of system he runs?
GT Alum
July 7th, 2010
2:44 pm
So what, northcyde? Unless this team makes the MAJOR kind of improvements that you talk about, they have ZERO chance of making the conference finals. They automatically slot no higher than 4th next year, behind Orlando, Boston, Miami and, if LeBron goes elsewhere, probably that team as well. And given how we played against the Bogut-less Bucks, I’m not sure we’re ahead of them. Even with JJ, the Hawks still might be the 6th best team in the East next year.
And of course people are outraged that we’re spending approximately the same money, maybe more, on JJ as LeBron, Kobe, etc are getting. He’s obviously nowhere near the same player. I think what many people don’t understand is the kooky salary cap rules say that we can spend that much on JJ but we can’t spend anywhere near that much on anyone else.
As far as the arms race metaphor goes, I think a lot of people realize there is a cap and we have limited resources, so they’re worried signing him limits our ability to build any more from where we are. And they’re right.
Manny
July 7th, 2010
2:45 pm
If we get a big guy, we can still be stronger than what most people would believe. Here are the wild-cards: Jeff Teague, a possible big man and Josh Smith.
Did Jeff Teague learn anything? Can he play quarterback? Can he be a leader? The PG position is SOOOO important to the Hawks right now. We lose or win at the PG position.
Big Man? We’ve talked about that ad nauseum.
Josh Smith. Can he keep his mind right? Can he keep his motor on high? Can he leave the referees alone? When Josh Smith plays well, the Hawks are contenders. When Josh Smith plays like he really want to be somewhere else, the Hawks lose by 30. That’s it. I would like to see Josh Smith come back after this summer with a post-up game. It may calm down his volatility.
Ryder
July 7th, 2010
2:45 pm
The problem is if JJ feels he has to live up to the contract and tries to do too much and hurts the development of the younger players.
That said, I think that’s not the problem. Atlanta is one effective big man away from being a threat in the East. Shaq may not be an All-Star anymore but he’s better than any of Horford’s backups.
The key is Drew and his offensive system. If he creates a more wide open offense that will prevent JJ from having to be the first, second, and third options on offense. Secondly, teams will have to respect Atlanta’s ability to run which in turn can prepare them on the defensive end.
glenn
July 7th, 2010
2:49 pm
Yeah we had to overpay to keep Jon Koncak so we could contend . We lost that first year in the first round to the Bucks after we paid him . If the Bucks had Andrew Bogut we would have lost in the first round this year . We will lose in the first round next year . We are not a better team . Being cheap is not the same as being smart with your money . If the Hawks were serious about winning they would have spent money on a better head coach .
extremus
July 7th, 2010
2:53 pm
Mr. Bradley, this move may be necessary to keep the Hawks a playoff team for the time being, but let’s face it, in the NBA that’s meaningless. Sixteen teams, over half of the league, make it in every season while maybe three or four have an actual legitimate chance of winning a championship. And right now the Atlanta Hawks are not one of those teams. What that means is that they didn’t save the organization from going under (a fate I think that will be shared by many sports franchises within the next decade); they just put it off awhile longer.
You want fan interest to go up or even remain at its current dispassionate level? Sorry, it ain’t happening. Fans are intelligent enough to see that there’s blood in the water; the leagues and especially the smaller markets across pro sports simply cannot maintain the utterly ridiculous salaries of free agents, and if they lose money for long enough they’ll do what any sensible business would do; they’ll implode into much smaller, bigger-market leagues if they don’t disband altogether. Why root for whether your team will be the one to lure in the latest prima donna mercenary for a title run that’s really all about THEM; I mean, seriously, LeBron James holding his own hour-long press conference on ESPN to announce his decision basically says “I am bigger than the sport and everyone else in it. Fall down and worship me.” I and many other fans are frankly sick to death of all these bloated egos strutting around in sports today; that’s why we can care less about the NBA especially in general.
Let’s look at where the Hawks were after getting thoroughly humiliated by Orlando a few weeks ago, and where they are now. Pretty much exactly the same group of guys, while the Magic are still there and the Heat now have added Bosh to play alongside Wade. The powers in the East have gotten stronger or maintained their status above Atlanta, while the Hawks have gone all in with Joe Johnson just to try to keep the status quo. They just threw max money (more than a tenth of a BILLION DOLLARS, people) at a player who publicly dissed their fans and basically laid down and died like everyone else in the playoffs. It’d be like one of us getting a huge raise after making a racial slur at work; why the double standard where athletes are concerned, whether they’re stars or not? Will a first-year coach be able to come in and change the inconsistent, at times lackadaisical culture around this team? I think not, because in the end, regardless of his own determination and personality, he’s not the one playing on the court. And now he has to deal with a probably even more inflated ego in Joe Johnson.
Stick a fork in the Hawks and probably most of the NBA; they’re done. There may be a slight pulse, but it’s only a matter of time.
GT Alum
July 7th, 2010
2:54 pm
northcyde, no, they blew it up in 99 when they traded Smitty and Blaylock. When you trade your two best players, that’s blowing the team up. The Hawks would have more now if they had let JJ go than they did then after those trades. They might not have meant to blow it up, but they did. If they had just traded Mookie (which many people have said is what they should’ve done), it wouldn’t have been blowing it up. But trading Mookie and Smitty was blowing that team up.
MightyQuinn
July 7th, 2010
2:54 pm
Someone noted on here that the Hawks attendance actually DROPPED this year, in the midst of the best season they had since Nique was here (I think thats accurate, correct me if I’m wrong). And this was BEFORE JJ shot his mouth off about ATL and its fans. If they were apathetic/ambivalent about the Hawks before the playoffs and JJ’s pr gaffe, what are they going to do THIS year? So now you have more money going out than last year, and less coming in. Then add the Wade/Bosh/James Heat in the mix and the apathy/ambivalence just increases, leading to less income. I realize the Hawks were in a damned if you, damned if you don’t predicament. I’m also glad I didn’t have to make the call.
Hoops
July 7th, 2010
2:54 pm
Mark,
Great article! I agree with you. The Hawks had to re-sign JJ if they are going to continue their climb to a championship. I am realizing that it takes many years and many additions and substrations to a team to get to the NBA Championship!
The Hawks need to add a 5 and a PG now. There are many trade opportunities that will get the Hawks closer to that prize! Signing Shaq would be a start in that direction IMO. There is not a better center available to the Hawks than Shaq.
PG? CP3 is not available unless you will take Okafor. I wouldn’t go there because we would have to give up Josh and not be able to get Shaq. Get a PG that will be able to share the duties with Teague while he is developing this year. Watson, Livingston, etc.
Marcus
July 7th, 2010
2:55 pm
We had to do it for all the reasons mentioned in MB’s blog. Now tith Miami apparently boosting its firepower and ORL being ORL, the next ATL Hawks move is decide which attack to parry: old nemesis ORL (D. Howard) or rebolstered threat in MIA w/Wade and Bosh.
Heck, one may argue if we bolster our roster to improve overall perimeter defense (critical vs. ORL shooters) instead of being tunnel-visioned towards a “Dwight-stopper”, that may help all-around.
Najeh Davenpoop
July 7th, 2010
2:57 pm
Good article, and co-sign O’Brien at 1:06.
ChippersLoveChild
July 7th, 2010
2:57 pm
The problem isn’t keeping and paying Joe it’s that other teams are passing the Hawks by, in my opinion, in terms of talent.. I know we aren’t through free agency yet, ESPN won’t let me forget that, but at this point in time I’d put the Celtics, Heat, Magic, and at least the Bucks ahead of the Hawks… possibly Cleveland depending on what happens with LBJ… it’s nice to compete and contend, but there should be no dreams of championships running through the heads of Hawks fans, because that isn’t going to happen.
The Real JC
July 7th, 2010
3:00 pm
@DP – finally, someone talking about Felton – he’d be an amazing addition to the Hawks.
Don’t know if he’s available at the MLE, though – come tomorrow night, there are going to be a lot of spurned LeBron suitors with a ton of cap space who might overspend on Felton as a conciliatory prize.
Paddy
July 7th, 2010
3:04 pm
But Mark, the fans have already stop caring and buying tickets. JJ is not going to win the hearts of the fans back IMHO.
Navigator
July 7th, 2010
3:06 pm
They had to!!! Why did they have to??? Just say no, or more importantly, offer him less, a lot less and if he won’t take it, then play in NY for a lot less than the Hawks lower offer. Nobody wanted him at that price tag, so don’t cover for the morons that run the Hawks. Now for the next 6 years the Hawks have no chance being in the playoff mix for the Eastern Division. Now tell me why they had to again.
DeepDiver
July 7th, 2010
3:07 pm
Mark, sounds like you finally did your homework before posting this entry. The Hawks were between a rock and hard place on this one — there was no way to be a player for any A list free agent because of the cap situation. They faced having to deal with a bad contract in a few years or having to take a significant step backwards with no guarantee of a return to success (it took them a decade to get this far).
I’ll give credit where it’s due — I would have expected another ‘we should’ve made a run at Lebron’ entry from you.
Fear the DEER!
July 7th, 2010
3:08 pm
FEAR THE DEER!
Seneca Media LLC » Blog Archive » The Hawks overpaid for Joe Johnson, but they had to do it
July 7th, 2010
3:08 pm
[...] The Hawks overpaid for Joe Johnson, but they had to do it The Hawks overpaid for Joe Johnson, but they had to do it Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) Kelly Dwyer of Yahoo! Sports and the blog Ball Don’t Lie calls it: “Worst contract, ever.” John Hollinger of ESPN.com’s Insider (link requires registration) … http://blogs.ajc.com/mark-bradley-blog/2010/07/07/the-hawks-overpaid-for-joe-johnson-but-they-had-to... [...]
D
July 7th, 2010
3:09 pm
Mark, you hit this right on the head. I do agree that JJ is not worth the money the Hawks are going to pay him but he may be “re-coachable” with LD coming in and letting him and the rest of them how the play the game of fundamental basketball and not try to be a bunch of overpaid superstars.
Yes, I remember the “worst” contract ever with Jon Koncak. How can you pay someone $2.5 million dollars averaging more fouls than points and your superstar (Dominique Wilkins) wasn’t making that? I know this was done under the old management, but it appears that history with the Hawks is going to repeat itself. I called that deal with Detroit a “sucker” deal and they should’ve sent JK up there.
Now, don’t get me started on the acquistion of Shaq…WTH??
balismith
July 7th, 2010
3:10 pm
i think it was a joke to pay johnson that much money. I believe standings wise the hawks will regress…i wish coach dreew all the luck in the worldbut joe thinks he is a superstar..and joe will not share the ball..teamwise i believe their will be a lot of jealousy concerning joe s contract . it really is hard being a hawks fan. The hawks organization has always been second rate, since the day they aarrived from st louis.some things never change
ATL STEVE
July 7th, 2010
3:12 pm
Scotty…name 1 FA that would even think of coming here…don’t worry, I’ll wait. You and some of these other folks are absolutely dillusional! We’ve been down this “rebuiliding road” before and it’s not cute! You overpaid to get him here and if you hadn’t, we would still stink! Build from what you have!
Marcus
July 7th, 2010
3:13 pm
Also, here in the Philly area, teh local sports hack radio guys always rail on one franchise or the other trying to one-up one another or steal headlines. Most of it reeks of paranoia or deep-ingrained angst and over-analysis, but I will say this in the ATL case:
Hawks management needs the team to stay relevant (meaning in playoff or Eastern Conf. contention) given that the Braves are surpassing 2010 expectations (including the Heyward rookie hoopla) and the Falcons finally achieving consecutive wining seasons and having increased expectations for 2010. The 2 franchises owned by the ASG are arguably the stepchildren for ATL metro fan base behind college football, the Falcons and Braves. No way they can afford (literally and figuratively) to lose ground on the fan base goodwill now.
Simply Hampton
July 7th, 2010
3:16 pm
Before reading this blog I was a town crier yelling let Joe Go but this blog makes me see it from the other side. Did we over pay you betcha. Did we have a choice I still think we did. This team does not play like a team. If you let joe go and bring some team players say a shooter and a big. I’m not so sure we would not be a better team. Drew’s job is gonna be a nightmare of trying to get four individuals ( because I think Al knows how to play team ball he did it at Florida) to play team ball. If he can’t that three year contract will be cut short. I love all of my Georgia teams so I continue to root for them but sometimes its just frustrating to watch the hawks because they have all of that untapped potential and I hope drew is the coach to unlock it. Again I’m not sure.
Andre
July 7th, 2010
3:16 pm
Mark, why did you have to remind us of Jon Kontract!!!
Anthony
July 7th, 2010
3:20 pm
The Hawks need to hire me as a consultant. I told everyone they should have drafted Chris Paul. I certainly hope they do not plan to sign Shaq. Although I don’t think they would have signed him, but they should have tried to sign Dwayne Wade. That would have put pressure on Joe. No one was going to pay the Max. He was other teams second and third choice to sign. Joe knew that he would get more money in Atlanta and the Hawks should have known that too.
I think Joe is a good choice for Atlanta, and Joe will work hard to prove everyone wrong. But I don’t think Atlanta had to pay that much to resign Joe. I blame the Hawks and not Joe. I would have resigned too for that kind of money..
Jeff
July 7th, 2010
3:24 pm
Wow….a Jon “Contract” reference. Been a while.
Jfreak13713
July 7th, 2010
3:26 pm
This article is a perfect example of a liberal mentality when it comes to spending money and that is “don’t worry tomorrow when you can spend it today!” Lets just kick the can down the road and let some other idiot deal with an aging player with a huge contract. It wouldn’t be so bad if the deal made the Hawks better with a potential to wind championship, but the Hawks may be the 5th or 6th place team in the East this year? If they really play well they will finish 3rd of 4th like last year. In my opinion this deal hurts the Hawks and I’d rather take the pain now and build a TRUE contender for the future.
With that said having J.J. does make the Hawks better than if he wasn’t here. J.J. is a very good player and the biggest part of why the Hawks have been a very good team the past few years. It’s nice to know that we have a team that will make the playoffs and most nights is fun to watch play. I hope the Hawks another move or two that will help improve their playoff chances?
I hear Shaq is on the Radar of the Hawks and I think this deal would really change the makeup of this team. Assuming Shaq is healthy and plays 25 – 30 mins per game then Horford could move the PF spot where I think his numbers would improve. I know Shaq doesn’t have much left but he takes up space and can rebound. We’ll see??
ArtVandelay
July 7th, 2010
3:28 pm
Are you joking! Johnson is not a max player, whatever franchise was going to give him a max deal should’ve been allowed to. Goodbye JJohnson. What can JJ do that Jamal Crawford can’t?
SteveW
July 7th, 2010
3:28 pm
Mark – i agree with you! i can’t believe it – wow, I’m stunned.
I have more talent in my left finger than Joe Johnson
July 7th, 2010
3:30 pm
I guess the Hawks will be exiting in 2nd round maybe even first round for the next six years
REALLY??
July 7th, 2010
3:37 pm
What a joke!!! This is why the Hawks will NEVER win a ring!!!