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
I have more talent in my left finger than Joe Johnson
July 7th, 2010
3:38 pm
Why does everyone think Amare is going to turn around the Knicks? He couldnt compete playing with the best PG and great role players.
Wade and Bosh will not win anything because they have no role players. I predict heat will be the 6th seed and exit in the first round. Unless they sign James
GT Alum
July 7th, 2010
3:38 pm
Oh, and you’re about a week late with this article, Mark. This issue has been discussed to death. I think the lines are pretty clearly drawn at this point, and you’re wrong so often that people take the fact that you disagree with them as support for their point of view, so I don’t think this blog is going to change that.
Anyway, it’s a done deal, so all we can do at this point is hope that the Hawks are serious about adding significant pieces and that they are able to do so and that Drew proves that there were better reasons for him getting this job than he was cheap.
bjohndawg
July 7th, 2010
3:42 pm
Koncak …what a bad deal for the Hawks. If memory serves me right and it may not, Detroit played us to a T on that one. Or was it a K.
Tony Eastward
July 7th, 2010
3:43 pm
Mark, you’re kidding me with this article right? This should’ve been the titled of “Final Failureto the Fans” Owners give yourself the pink slip. Let’s really look at the look see factor
- You let the coach go
- You hire his asst (Which has an offense we have never seen in the NBA before)
- None of the big free agents took the hawks as a considered team to play for this year (AGAIN)
- You didnt pick nor sign a strong competive offense guy w/ the strong guys we have on the team so far
- You resigned “4 Jump shot Johnson & too timid to drive to the hole” to a contract that is just @#($#()$$ stupid
What I see is a bunch of NBA guys looking at the hawks management like they are a bundle of 2nd graders. Their treating us like we dont’ understand a 10 dollar bill may have a bigger number on it, but giving me two 5 dollars bills is the same.
I Heart Atlanta
July 7th, 2010
3:44 pm
AMEN, good article
GT Alum
July 7th, 2010
3:44 pm
I have more talent… First of all, unless you’re Jordan or Dr. J or some other HOF quality player, your name is a load of crap.
I agree with you about Amare. Phoenix won’t fall of the map without him, and he alone won’t make the Knicks a contender, especially since the Knicks are likely to lose Lee.
However, before we write the Heat off, even after they sign Bosh and Wade, they only have four roster spots filled. I’m not discounting that Riley can fill that roster out with quality players until I see the final product.
Bull Schmitt
July 7th, 2010
3:45 pm
Breaking News: Arthur Blank has agreed to partner with the Atlanta Spirit Group. Lebron James will be seen tomorrow night wearing a Hawks polo enjoying some lasagne with the Blanks.
Pi$$onaDawg
July 7th, 2010
3:45 pm
well, that made sure nobody will buy the Hawks or want to become an investor either.
TimP
July 7th, 2010
3:46 pm
Dang, two posts by MB in one day I agree with. I must be losing it.
Anyways, I don’t think overypaying JJ was so much the Hawks as it is with the NBA in general. For one, this free agent class was hyped up for 2 years. Second, Wade and LeBron literally added value to Stoudamrie, JJ, & Bosh by forcing their teams to get these players in order to sign them. Thirdly, at least 3 teams ( all in the Eastern Conference) unloaded their rosters to have enough cash to sign at least 2 big free agents.
More than likely, all of these modern day Scottie Pippens were going to get max deals anyways. There is no way the Hawks was going to be competitive next season and possibly the season after that if they lost JJ.
ReddJonn68
July 7th, 2010
3:46 pm
Don’t believe the Hype !!! That’s right Hawks fans we have been believing the hype of the media
every time it comes to making decisions concerning this team. Remember when the experts
had Marvin rated as a top 5 can’t miss pick ? Also Josh Childress out of Stanford, 1st team
All-American, hated playing here so bad he went overseas. Not to mention getting duped in the
Bibby trade, Sacremento knew Bibby was washed up when they traded him the only thing
he did was come in & play hard for another contract.
Well now begins the Joe Era this decision is either gonna keep this team competitive or destroy the future of it for the next 5 to 6 yrs. I just don’t see Joe being that difference maker like the other premier players out there. He’s good, but he does not make others around him better. Here’s the
Hype; every media outlet stated the Hawks only option was to resign Joe Johnson
I would like to know what if any back-up plan we had in place if Joe would have sign anywhere
else. Do you mean to tell me none of the those teams, that did not make the playoffs last yr, did
not offer some type of S&T deal, for Joe. If not that speaks volumes as to what we have gotten
ourselves into. I just can’t see paying 20$ for the baked potatoe at a steak dinner.
Bob Horner
July 7th, 2010
3:46 pm
Blair Rasmussen and Adam Keefe….
Bull Schmitt
July 7th, 2010
3:53 pm
According to gossip at ESPN The Comic Book, Arthur Blank has agreed to partner with the Atlanta Spirit Group. Tomorrow evening, LeBron will be seen wearing a Hawks polo enjoying a lovely lasagne dinner with the Blanks.
ReddJonn68
July 7th, 2010
3:55 pm
@Bob Horner Rumeal Robinson and Demarr Johnson….
Just Another Example......
July 7th, 2010
4:04 pm
To all you kool-aid dranking sucker hawk fans……….when was the last time this sorry assed franchise signed a worthy FA?
Gamer
July 7th, 2010
4:05 pm
I’m surprise at the max deal, considering Joe’s age, but no business person can fault Joe Johnson for taken a sweet deal…
I question Hawks’s brass business acumen.
Brian
July 7th, 2010
4:08 pm
The Hawks are a footnote in the east.
With Bosh signing with Miami it pushes the Hawks further down the ladder. Now, they’ll be lucky to hold off a young Bucks team for the lousy 4th seed. Woody might be gone, but all they’ve replaced him with is a nickel and dime assistant coach who nobody else was considering for a head coaching spot.
This franchise will always be 2nd rate at best. They’re not contenders. They just lost a series by 25 points per game. That never happens with a legit contender. It doesn’t happen.
Just Another Example......
July 7th, 2010
4:09 pm
They give PHO way too much to get JJ, and they just made another big mistake by overpaying for a “good” number 2 player.
GT Alum
July 7th, 2010
4:14 pm
LOL, Bull Schmitt. Do they explain how the Hawks clear the cap space necessary?
Just Another Example......
July 7th, 2010
4:16 pm
Thank you Brian…………………..how do you get beat by an avg of 25 ppg in the play-offs, resign your “best” player to a max contract that if they had waited for ny, chi, mia or nj make him a much much lower offer, they (hawks) could have just as easily countered. JJ is all about the money, because God knows this franchise will never ever win a championship.
all you haters
July 7th, 2010
4:22 pm
man, all you haters out there make me sick. Atlanta teams cant win for losing, what does it matter if the Hawks overpaid for Joe, its not any of our money, plus they obviously have it to spend, so why not give it to a guy that is a serious piece of our team. Sure, he might not be on the level of Lebron, Wade, Kobe…but hell who is?? Yall are just a bunch of CRABS IN THE BARREL…….fyi, I can’t stand Joe Johnson, but I’d rather have him on my team than not have him!!
Brian
July 7th, 2010
4:24 pm
They lost when they drafted horrible Marvin Williams over Paul and Williams. That’s when they lost.
Now, this is the Hawks circa 1997 when they won a lot of regular season games only to not do squat in the playoffs.
In a related story....
July 7th, 2010
4:26 pm
I happened to OVERPAY for my Hawks tickets.
(They were free from my employer, by the way.)
NBA = League of Extraordinary Tattoo Freaks & Illegitimate Fathers
Westurd
July 7th, 2010
4:31 pm
we are putting the same team out on the floor again that we had last season…..whats left to say…….
jarvis
July 7th, 2010
4:33 pm
Could be worse. We could be the Knicks.
They cleared up all of that cap space for nothing. They have Amare abd a ton of money to spend. All of that and a buck-twenty-five will win you a cup of coffee.
JASon
July 7th, 2010
4:33 pm
Mark, I disagree with you in that the hawks could have gone out and gotten a Bosh or Wade and still be seen as an organization that wants to compete. As much as I don’t like Joe, I hope and pray that with a coach willing to, er, run an offense, that his style of play will improve while still consistently knocking down the mid range jumpers and putting points on the board. I really don’t care about his leadership if he could hit the shots with under 10 seconds remaining in the game. Til now, he hasn’t though. And thats one more thing we can hope he learns.
Doug
July 7th, 2010
4:34 pm
You act like making the playoffs is some hard task. Half the teams in the league make the playoffs. It was a stupid move for a average player who chokes when the game is on the line and in the playoffs. I won’t be attending any games this year. Go broke. I don’t care anymore.
rainman
July 7th, 2010
4:36 pm
The Hawks really didn’t have any choice but to sign JJ to the max. From a fans standpoint, at least we should have team projected to make the playoffs; and, from an owners standpoint, at least they didn’t lose 30 or 40 mil. in team value overnight.
If we could get Shaq for 2 yrs. at 5.8 – that’s the best we could do to plug the hole – given the financial constraints (even then, the ASG would be subject to luxury tax).
In reality — Teague may determine the Hawks sucess in the next two or three years.
Pete
July 7th, 2010
4:37 pm
They will not beat out Miami and Orl in their division. Think about that. They are not even the 3rd best team in their division and you spend all that money for what? Yeah real smart bradley. No wonder you work for a paper and don’t run a business. You’d fail miserably as the hawks will.
jarvis
July 7th, 2010
4:39 pm
3rd in the Division = 5th in the Conference.
How well does this team play on the road?
Kapoonka
July 7th, 2010
4:41 pm
It;s going to be a very interesting season. I hope the Heat sucks!!!! Wade and Bosh played Chicago to the hilt…you still can’t buy a championship. One ball and two to three “superstars” does not guarantee a winning team. Injury prone Wade and Bosh won’t last the season. The Hawks are still about 2 to 3 players short of being contenders. Get rid of Bibby, ZaZa and Marvin altogether….what a waste of bench space. Marvin Williams and Sheldon Williams were both incredibly dumb picks. Yeah they need a real center for defense..how about Iggy from Cleveland or maybe they can nab Brad Miller (he can shoot 3’s too)? Definitely not Shaq. As far as JJ…you pretty much have seen it…he won’t get better, won’t talk more…won’t grow emotions…but perhaps a different coach may change things. The Hawks have to find a way to beat Orlando, and that’s not negotiable. Miami is going to be tougher for them too. It’s gonna be interesting….
MannyT
July 7th, 2010
4:45 pm
Good article MB.
The one thing I would add is the necessity for the ownership to be willing to pay Joe to start to rebuild their reputations. Free agency in the NBA is a very subjective thing where perception is critical. Many NBA players are willing to buy a home here, but almost none have come here in the 21st century as free agents.
If your ownership rep is bad, it is almost impossible to get better players to come to the Hawks. Once you get beyond the few teams with big cap space, the regular challenge is to get a decent free agent to take the same mid level exception money that every team has available. Hopefully this is another step in the marketing rehabilitation of the ASG that will give them a better chance to get good free agents.
Brian
July 7th, 2010
4:46 pm
Joe outside of his 10 minutes of fame in game 4 against Boston a few years ago has played downright poorly in the playoffs. He stood there and shot blanks while his team lost a series by an average of 25 points per game. And you hand him 120 million dollars for that? To shoot 27% and average 12PPG against Orlando. A big reward for that?
Winning 53 regular season games don’t mean crap. I mean, go ask Cleveland how they felt about their season after Orlando beat them. You think they cared that they won 61 regular season games? Not likely? And they didn’t suffer the worst beating in NBA playoff history like the Hawks did.
They should have sign and traded him. Even his agent mentioned that was an option… But they decide to keep him. And the thing is that JJ might actually have a no trade clause now. It’s rumored to be in the deal he is going to sign tomorrow. If that’s true, they’re STUCK with him. They’re stuck with a borderline all star taking up 40% of their cap space. 40%.
What a bunch of screw ups.
Damn. Were not even talking about a 25PPG scorer. Joe is barely a 21 PPG scorer despite having the ball in his hands so much. In a well designed offense where he cannot dominate the ball so much he is a 18PPG scorer because he is too big of a wimp to take contact and get to the FT line.
He goes to the foul line THREE times a game.
WOW! Everyone should be impressed by that.
jarvis
July 7th, 2010
4:46 pm
Kelly Dwyer also makes a good point in the article today. The Heat have TWO players under contract.
The get Wade back and add Bosh, but still don’t have enough players to field a team. They are going to have some serious depth problems.
jarvis
July 7th, 2010
4:47 pm
Brian I hope Miami does suck, but we’ve now seen many “bought” championships.
cdog
July 7th, 2010
4:54 pm
SINCE THEY OVERPAID JOE JOHNSON, NOW THEY NEED TO BRING SHAQ AND ANOTHER FREE AGENT SIGNEE ABOARD.THEY NEED ANOTHER POINT GUARD OR SMALL FORWARD.HOPEFULLY LARRY DREW WILL UPGRADE THE TEAM DEFENSE.WITH BOSH SIGNING WITH MIAMI, THE HEAT MAY HAVE ON PAPER, VAULTED AHEAD OF THE HAWKS.RICK SUND CAN’T MESS AROUND WITH CELL PHONES STUCK IN HIS EAR AND DO NOTHING THIS OFF SEASON AS HE HAVE BEEN DOING IN THE PAST.HE NEEDS TO START WORKING ON MAKING THE HAWKS BETTER NOW.JUST LIKE MIKE WOODSON, THIS OFF SEASON IS HIS MAKE OR BREAK YEAR OR HE WON’T BE BACK AFTER THIS UPCOMING SEASON
Crippled Hawks
July 7th, 2010
4:55 pm
keep this in mind about the heat… sure they have 2 great players… but without a supporting cast, that doesnt matter. would the lakers have won back to back titles if they didn’t have a great supporting cast to fit their stars… Bynum there to let Pau play the PF position. Odom there to add a great wing and primary ball handler when kobe’s out of the game… the heat, as long as they dont get james, will have $14M to fill out their roster (if they can pull off a sign and trade and get rid of beasley’s contract)… they can make some decent pickups with the MLE and bi-annual exception…but $14M to spread across 7-9 roster spots is tough to fill out effectively… heat aren’t going to win a title immediately with just wade and bosh (wade + bosh isnt as efficient and effective as kobe + pau)
Blue Fox
July 7th, 2010
4:55 pm
I agree, Mark, Jon “Kontract’s” deal was by far the worst Hawk’s blunder in history.
jarvis
July 7th, 2010
4:58 pm
The hiring of Billy Knight was quite a blunder.
Moonlight Mile
July 7th, 2010
4:59 pm
The NBA is a player’s league and noone without an absolute HOF superstar is winning the title. Detroit and maybe Boston (since KG is older) are the only exceptions in probably the last 30 years or more. So the Hawks could either put out a good product (at a premium) and compete or go back to irrelevancy and hope they don’t whiff again on half of it’s lottery picks.
I’ll take the JJ contract and hopefully a better version of the 2010 Hawks.
Taylor Hanson
July 7th, 2010
5:04 pm
Bring back Bob Weiss.
ricky smith
July 7th, 2010
5:19 pm
Koncak, you are the worst, pal!!!
Dejay
July 7th, 2010
5:23 pm
You know, it’s rare that I agree with Northcyde (and anyone who’s a member of Hawksquawk knows that all too well) but he’s dead-on, a bullseye on the mark. Everyone knows that the Hawks overpaid for JJ; there’s no denying that. But the $64,000 question of the week is who else were they going to bring in? Remember, under CBA rules, they would only have the MLE and LLE available to lure free agents and NOT JJ’s caphold, even if he skipped town. In other words, as Rick Pitino would say, Lebron wasn’t walking through that door, folks. Neither was Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade, or Carlos Boozer.
That’s the whole gist of the story. They overpaid to keep JJ all the while still having a shot of making hay in the East with the right tweak (did anyone see the Jamal Crawford deal coming last year?). I’m not saying that it would’ve been a good shot, but at least they still have one. Without JJ? They would’ve been dead men walking before the Falcons broke training camp and WE ALL KNOW IT.
You may trust that Josh Smith will become the next all-everything player, but until he gets a jump shot and a post game to match that athleticism of his, I’ll wait.
You might bank on Jeff Teague and Jordan Crawford being players one day but until they show the world they can be, I’ll wait.
You might wish/dream/pray/hope that Marvin Williams stop with the Derrick McKey-esque disappearing acts and make us forget about Billy Knight passing over CP3 and Deron to get him but until I see otherwise, I’LL WAIT.
I won’t even go there concerning Childress; experts around the league are still laughing at Billy Knight for passing over Andre Iguodala, Al Jefferson, and Luol Deng for nothing more than a glue guy off the bench. No small wonder why he hasn’t been hired to run NBA personnel for a team after he left.
If JJ would’ve left, there is no guarantee whatsoever that this franchise would’ve had the wherewithal, much less the $$$ available to bring in a guy who is just as good, if not better (what, Carmelo’s coming here?). There simply isn’t. And everyone knows that the words ‘rebuild’ and ‘Hawks’ should never, EVER go together in a sentence. This franchise don’t have it in them to get that part right and this city doesn’t have the patience. I know I don’t….
TS
July 7th, 2010
5:56 pm
This is like the Derek Lowe contract. It’s bad, really bad, from day 1, but it’s year 3 and 4 (and for the Hawks, year 5) when the contract turns into an absolute nightmare. I don’t know why people assume that a contract like this can be moved in year 3 if the Hawks aren’t contenders.
Paddy
July 7th, 2010
5:59 pm
Well that about ends the search for minority investment money!
Veteran Fan
July 7th, 2010
6:08 pm
“Crippled Hawks” is right! The sign and trades are still available as is David Lee of the Knicks. Varajao or Lee would solve our Center issue finally and Deng would replace JJ in a heartbeat and all three players work hard and play above the rim which JJ does not. My preference would be to trade Josh and Marvin for Carmelo and to go after Felton to run the team and include Bibby to the Bobcats in another sign and trade. Also resign Childress and you have one heck of a team that could run, shoot and defend with anyone. Please also get rid of the Highlight Factory. That is embarassing all by itself. The fans will show up to see a team that works hard and gets up and down the floor, not walk it up the floor and stand around! Lebron and the other “stars” can only be at one end of the floor at a time!
nique
July 7th, 2010
6:13 pm
Not sure what re-signing Joe at the max says about their motivation to hire LD as coach. I originally thought the move was to save money, but clearly they are willing to spend. Do they really think LD is a better coach than Avery Johnson or the other bigger names that were available? Can’t imagine so.
Justin
July 7th, 2010
6:33 pm
If Drew wanted Joe to be an queal, why do they pay him so much money?? HES A GOOD PLAYER, NOT A MAX PLAYER.
kelvin davis
July 7th, 2010
6:34 pm
I think we are better than the Heat still.. I would take our first 5 over their first 5
Billy
July 7th, 2010
6:36 pm
Just another very costly mistake made by your ATLANTA HAWKS…………………………….
northcyde
July 7th, 2010
6:49 pm
Miami will have very little problem attracting veteran players to go to South Beach to play with Wade and Bosh. If they don’t get Lebron, they’ll keep Beasley ( or trade him for value )
Starting lineup:
PG – Chalmers
G – Wade
F – Beasley
PF – ???
C – Bosh ( for now )
Draft picks:
C – Dexter Pittman ( 6-11 . . 300 lbs . . good scoring big man )
PF – Jarvis Varnado ( 6-9 . . 210 . . NCAA’s all time leading shot blocker )
F – Latavious Williams ( 6-8 . . 210 . . super athletic forward )
SF – De’Sean Butler ( 6-7 . . 225 . . slasher SF . . tore his ACL in the Final 4 . . was a projected 1st round pick before the injury )
So that’s 7 players in the mix right now, with Butler being #8, and maybe being the best out of the draft class, if he can recover fully from his injury. Varnado is the guy I wanted the Hawks to take, when they obtained that #31 pick. If his defensive abilities cross over to the NBA, watch out for him.
There are way too many veteran players out there that could play with Wade and Bosh that could help that team.
They still have enough room to add a PG like Raymond Felton
They can still re-sign one of their old horses in Udonis Haslem
They can still add a journeyman guard like a Flip Murray
Kelly Dwyer is an idiot. A lot of these sportswriters just write. They don’t even try to think things out. All they see is what they see on the surface, and just type away.
Miami may not be championship caliber next year, but they will be a damn good team that we’ll have to deal with.
LOL . . people forget that they beat us 3 times last year, with only Wade on the squad.
Having said all of that . . because we’re coming back at full strength, I wouldn’t jump Miami ahead of us . . not quite yet. Let’s see what Mr. Teague can do at the point, and let’s see if we can add a quality big to the roster.