Joe Johnson? Gone. Marvin? Gone. Danny Ferry? A keeper
A week later, the Atlanta Hawks have been transformed. (AJC photo by Johnny Crawford)
It took Danny Ferry a week to turn a franchise going nowhere into one with room again to grow. It took him a week to reach an agreement to send Joe Johnson to the Nets for a bunch of guys whose principal value rests in the expiration dates on their contracts. It took this general manager a week to ship Marvin Williams, enduring symbol of opportunity squandered, to Utah.
To follow the Hawks is to expect the worst, which means the initial response to this watershed Johnson deal was to figure it would be overturned on some technicality. Maybe we shouldn’t be fatalistic. At the rate Ferry is moving, he might be able to convince the NBA to replay the final seconds of Game 6 against Boston from 1988, and make it so that Dominique Wilkins (and not Cliff Levingston) takes the last shot this time.
A week ago we wondered if/when Ferry would dare to tamper with the Core Four. On Day 1 of Week 2, we got our answer. Ferry gored the Core without having to deal either Josh Smith or Al Horford, and by offloading Johnson he turned this capped-out club into one with a hangar’s worth of financial headroom.
Shedding Johnson’s contract was the only way the Hawks could get better. He makes $20 million per season, which is roughly one-third of what the NBA allows to fund an entire roster. It’s one thing if your $20-million-man is Kobe Bryant, but Johnson, over the two years since he re-upped, has sunk to being third-best among Hawks.
There are two wonders at play: That the plodding Hawks would find a GM bold enough to do what needed doing, and that he’d find such a willing partner. But the Nets are moving to a new arena in Brooklyn and they’re coming off a 22-win season and they’re looking to compete with the Knicks and Linsanity in their big-city marketplace, so they need someone of substance to pair with Deron Williams.
They’re also the property of a Russian named Mikhail Prokhorov, who is rated by Forbes the 57th-richest man in the world. Thus did super-sleuth Ferry identify the only NBA owner who could look on Johnson’s contract and not hurl.
Let’s not kid ourselves. There’s every chance the Hawks will be worse, basketball-wise, next season. On talent, a slightly diminished Johnson is still better than anyone the Nets are slated to send here. (Poor Marvin, however, won’t be missed. He might have been the league’s least essential starter.) That’s how the NBA works: To get better, you must get lucky in the draft or spend big in free agency, and the Hawks were positioned to do neither.
It wasn’t all his fault, but Johnson had become the flashpoint for Hawk failings. He wasn’t quite as good as they needed him to be, and his contract kept them from hiring better players to put around him. (Let’s not fault him for signing what was proffered. You would’ve, too.) But Johnson didn’t endear himself to fans, and it’s never a marketing plus when your biggest name is a sourball.
Neither was it Williams’ fault that Billy Knight chose him over Deron Williams and Chris Paul in 2005. But Marvin played so long here — seven full seasons — to so little effect that it became impossible to watch him without thinking of the point guard not taken. And that, sad to say, was just like the Hawks: They’d whiff in the lottery, and they’d hand Johnson a new $120 million deal at the time they planned to de-emphasize his Iso-Joes.
The Hawks had come to occupy a terrible place: The team as constituted had gone as far as it could, and without cap room there was little hope for tomorrow. Now there is. The Hawks will have money to spend next summer, when Dwight Howard and the aforementioned Chris Paul figure to be free agents. The team with no future just traded for one.
And the new man in charge? Well, he’s in charge. In four years as Hawks GM, the best move Rick Sund made was to trade for the sixth man Jamal Crawford. In seven days, his successor has halved the Core Four and moved the immovable contract. Which would seem to make Danny Ferry an irresistible force.
By Mark Bradley
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309 comments Add your comment
playmeortrademe
July 2nd, 2012
10:18 pm
If Ferry brings back the pac-man logo I’m all in on the new Hawks.
YES!!!!!!!!!!
July 2nd, 2012
10:19 pm
The Hawks finally have something they haven’t had in decades. HOPE. It doesn’t matter if we lose 82 games next year. There is still HOPE that in a couple years we can have a title contender. With that over payed chump Joe Johnson and big booty Marvin there was a never any HOPE to be a title contender. Thank you Danny. For the first time in decades I’m excited about my home basketball team!!!!
2 GOOD DOGS
July 2nd, 2012
10:21 pm
EXCELLENT IDEA. GET RID OF JOHNSON ASAP AND MARVIN TOO. MARVIN NEVER HAD IT GOING. ONLY A PAYCHECK. HELL ,JOHNSON WAS ONLY IN FOR A PAYCHECK. HATE THAT SOB.
IceColdATLien
July 2nd, 2012
10:22 pm
Bruce:
Here’s why the fuss: He’s been an executive for probably the most consistently-great team of the past 13 or so years, so he completely understands the blueprint for success. His moves thus far have demonstrated that he gets it in a way that the previous GMs never did.
Of course, tearing something down is much easier than re-building it (of course, trading Joe Johnson so quickly is certainly a feat in and of itself), so we still have to wait to see whether this will all work out in the end. So far, though, he’s done exactly as needed and I can’t see any reason for anyone to complain about that.
IceColdATLien
July 2nd, 2012
10:26 pm
JacketFanMarcus: I can’t see how attendance could really get much worse than it’s been the past couple of years, and it was getting worse and worse. We still have to see how Ferry builds this back up, but it’s clear to me that he at least knew how start this process. Next year will be tough in regards to winning, but we couldn’t just keep running that “core” out there for another five years, that’s for damn sure!
falCans
July 2nd, 2012
10:27 pm
If the Hawks are worse this year its because philly and indiana step up NOT that weve steped back. No Joe means a solid 20 a game from both al and josh and more freedom and room for teagues blazing speed. WE DO NOT NEED DWIGHT AND CP3!! 1 will do (howard) and use the rest of the cap to make a complete TEAM
Jethro
July 2nd, 2012
10:47 pm
Nice work, Mr. Ferry. Suddenly this team looks malleable. Well done! It’ll be fun to see what’s next. i’ll buy a 3-game pass in support.
chem
July 2nd, 2012
10:48 pm
complete teams rarely win championships in bball. you need 2-3 elites. prefer ferry to go for broke after this season in free agency rather than attempt the hit-or-miss “detroit model” again.
Josh Smith for 3
July 2nd, 2012
10:52 pm
It almost seems like Danny Ferry is an evil genius. Not only did he clear some serious salary cap space, he also effectively crossed off the Nets from Dwight Howard’s list of desired destinations. Furthermore, he re-energized Josh Smith’s attitude towards the direction of the Hawks and obtained an extra 1st round pick for next year. It also doesn’t hurt, in the case of Dwight Howard, that he got Anthony Morrow in the trade, who is apparently very close friends with Dwight.
What a great day for Hawks fans. The future is well worth how weak the Hawks may be over the next year or so.
corydillinger
July 2nd, 2012
11:00 pm
What if we can’t get any free agents
corydillinger
July 2nd, 2012
11:01 pm
What if we don’t get lucky in the lottery
corydillinger
July 2nd, 2012
11:02 pm
What if we don’t make the playoffs for 8 seasons again will you still be excited?
Jaded Hawks Fan
July 2nd, 2012
11:04 pm
If we could somehow sign Dwight next summer, then our chances of landing CP3 would increase exponentially. You’re telling Paul wouldn’t love to throw lobs to Superman and Smoove?
That’s a team that could challenge Miami in the East for years to come.
playmeortrademe
July 2nd, 2012
11:05 pm
rather that than watch Iso-Joe and the duck for the next few seasons on a team that couldn’t even take advantage of the gift given to them by Derrick Rose’s injury.
corydillinger
July 2nd, 2012
11:06 pm
All this talk of Dwight coming to Atlanta please someone tell me why he would come here when he says he hates the Hawks
DP
July 2nd, 2012
11:07 pm
Mark Bradley, in the interest of full disclosure you might have reminded everybody that you advocated the Hawks signing Joe Johnson to that ridiculous max contract for 6 years. They had to do something to show fans they were serious, I think that was your “reasoning”.
Kudos to Danny Ferry for unloading the cancer Joe Johnson. We can now see if Jeff Teague can play point guard now that the cancer isn’t monopolizing the ball. I think we’ll see more out of Josh Smith and Al Horford if neither is traded now that the cancer isn’t monopolizing the ball. If they flash to the basket, they might see the ball. What a concept! And as a bonus Ferry also unloads one of the worst #2 draft picks in NBA history, Marvin Williams. I haven’t even looked to see exactly what Ferry got for the cancer and Williams, don’t care if it was nothing but salary cap relief. Addition by subtraction.
corydillinger
July 2nd, 2012
11:08 pm
@ playmeortrademe so now you gonna watch a bunch a scrubs and a 20 win team and be happy?
beone
July 2nd, 2012
11:10 pm
Bravo. So far, so good. Now let’s finish the job!
playmeortrademe
July 2nd, 2012
11:15 pm
Imagine this starting lineup. Paul, Jenkins, Smith, Horford, Howard. If Jenkins becomes the three-point threat he is supposed to be, nobody could defend it. I would sell Paul and Howard on this team, challenge them to come to Atlanta and be the team that takes down the Heat in the ECF.
Eb
July 2nd, 2012
11:16 pm
Blow it up! Joe Johnson is one sad sack who will make $50M more than he should have due to the incompetence of the ASG. He is a piece of garbage and will deservedly receive a chorus of boos every time he comes back to ATL. Marvin Williams is a nice guy and an overpaid bench player. I hope he saved some of that money because his next contract will be cut in half if not more. These guys are just two examples of the rabid incompetence we’ve experienced with ASG, Billy Knight, and Rick Sund. I hope today’s moves demonstrate that ASG is willing to hand the reigns over to Ferry to make intelligent basketball decisions. Something that’s been missing here for almost a decade.
playmeortrademe
July 2nd, 2012
11:17 pm
already watchin a team of mostly scrubs win 40 games and exit the playoffs by round 2. At least the season will be over two weeks earlier and I won’t have morons telling me that the Hawks can make a deep run like they did this year.
Frank
July 2nd, 2012
11:17 pm
Dwight Howard don’t want to come to the Hawks why would he want to come to the Hawks when Josh Smith has already said he would rather not be in Atlanta cause of the temptation factors of the city. Josh and Dwight need to team up together in Orlando.
thepro
July 2nd, 2012
11:18 pm
No matter how u feel about this trade the Hawks had to get rid of those mammoth contracts of Joe and Marvin (yes i consider Marvin’s contract mammoth even though its only 8.3/yr…just look at his production)…even if it means we may not be as good next season, as a Hawks fan are you honestly happy with the way this team was constructed before Ferry made the moves?
IMO it was something that HAD to be done!!!!!
Jaded Hawks Fan
July 2nd, 2012
11:18 pm
“All this talk of Dwight coming to Atlanta please someone tell me why he would come here when he says he hates the Hawks”
1. He’s great friends with Josh Smith and Anthony Morrow
2. The Hawks are one of the few teams with the resources needed to acquire Dwight
3. The Hawks have a new GM who has clearly shown he’s dedicated to building a winner
4. The Hawks can entice him with the possibility of teaming him with Chris Paul, who the Hawks could also afford to give a max deal to
Notice I didn’t include that Atlanta is hometown. I’ve always thought that was an overrated draw for athletes. However, there are plenty of other compelling reasons for Dwight to consider the Hawks, and many of those reasons did not exist until today.
Frank
July 2nd, 2012
11:23 pm
Josh Smith is next to go Danny Ferry is gonna blow the whole team up. The Hawks are going back to being a sorry lottery team.
Whopper Dawg
July 2nd, 2012
11:23 pm
I actually teared up when I heard the news. Good riddance. Ferry for mayor.
Eb
July 2nd, 2012
11:24 pm
Sheldon Williams- gone; Marvin Williams- gone; Speedy Claxton- gone; Joe Johnson- gone; Billy Knight- gone; Mike Woodson- gone; Rick Sund- gone; ASG- well…can’t have everything. The future just became exponentially brighter for the Hawks!
dwight to the city
July 2nd, 2012
11:25 pm
dwight’s heading to NY or LA—book it. He want nothing to do with the mediocre hawks and lame club scene in atlanta. In nY or LA, he can make millions more in endorsement deals, party 24/7 at the top clubs with hot chicks all over him and have the top movie / music superstars at court side every night with invite only parties post-game.
playmeortrademe
July 2nd, 2012
11:26 pm
Hawks would OWN Atlanta if Ferry gets Howard. Braves going nowhere, Falcons have hit a ceiling. It would be Vick all over again except with a guy that actually would be a respectable citizen. Ferry gearing up for it. Even if he fails to get him, that’s better than the zero hope that existed before today.
Frank
July 2nd, 2012
11:31 pm
Dwight is either going to the Mavs or Lakers he would have the two best shots at winning a title going to one of those teams. Dwight really wants to be in a big market Atlanta is not big of a market than New York is he really wants to be in the Big Apple with either the Knicks or Nets.
Josh Smith for 3
July 2nd, 2012
11:33 pm
The Hawks will not rush to trade Josh Smith. He has certainly said he wants to leave Atlanta, but Ferry might be able to sway him
“The flurry of action, after years of restraint from the Hawks, has also made a fast impression on Smith, sources said. Smith had been vocal for months about wanting to be dealt, but sources told ESPN.com that the swingman is excited about the direction Ferry has taken things in his brief time in charge.” — Marc Stein, ESPN
playmeortrademe
July 2nd, 2012
11:38 pm
Ferry will have to sell him on Atlanta. Atlanta is about as untapped a market as you will ever find in the NBA, or in pro sports period. A championship team in Atlanta with a top 5 superstar would give Howard all the exposure he would ever want. Why go to NY (third banana to Yankees and Timmy Tim Tebow), LA (Kobe!), or Dallas (NBA is just to pass time waiting for Cowboys news)? If Atlanta could be the team to knock off LeBron, Howard could write his own ticket and he would become LEGENDARY in Atlanta.
Hawks, Schmauks
July 2nd, 2012
11:39 pm
It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood……
Devil's Advocate
July 2nd, 2012
11:40 pm
Now we can start respecting the Hawks…
Jaded Hawks Fan
July 2nd, 2012
11:41 pm
The Nets and the Knicks don’t have the cap space to sign Dwight. The Mavs and Lakers, with aging superstars, wouldn’t be better positioned for a title than the Hawks would be if they could land Dwight and CP3 as a package deal.
I realize I’m speculating wildly here, but none of this far-fetched. As of this afternoon, I did not believe there was a chance Dwight would come to Atlanta. But today’s moves were game-changers.
smithyred
July 2nd, 2012
11:41 pm
It is about time that some big moves are being made for the Hawks. Keep going, maybe we can get some great talent. Great moves by Danny Ferry. How about getting Dwight Howard, he might not want to come here but he would do a good job.
Frank
July 2nd, 2012
11:41 pm
@Josh Smith for 3
The whole team needs to be rebuilt they should just start over get rid of Josh Smith & Al Horford keep Teaque that’s it. The team need to be fully changed I think they also should look into changing the team colors back to red and white.
Brian K
July 2nd, 2012
11:45 pm
Introducing 2013-2014 NBA Champion Atlanta Hawks,
PG: Chris Paul
SG: Someone with Two Legs
SF: Josh Smith
PF: Al Horford
C: Dwight Howard
Eddie
July 2nd, 2012
11:47 pm
Can I buy a Danny Ferry jersey?
playmeortrademe
July 2nd, 2012
11:56 pm
It really lines up. Ferry has played it just right. Even if Howard gets traded to say, Dallas or Houston, he’s going after him next year with boatloads of money to throw at him. Keep Smith and Horford, actually play them at SF and PF. Let Jenkins get a no-pressure season under him, Keep Morrow as a six man long range threat, and get Chris Paul. Remember how crazy Philips was in the Boston 2008 series? Imagine that 10x greater with that lineup. It will be a madhouse the likes of which we have not seen since Vick in 2004. Atlanta will support a team, we’re just not like other cities that blindly support a team. We can see through a BS team and will not support it.
DannyTheManFerry
July 3rd, 2012
12:02 am
I just like the name “Josh Smith for 3″ Nice. Really made me LOL!
It’s a great deal overall, no if, ands or BUTTS! This team was going NOWHERE and was going to lose Josh after next season anywho. They now have a reall Bball man running the show and he has a FAT wallet. Let him do the job all you nay sayers! LET’S BLOW UP THE BRAVES NOW STARTING WITH FREDI G!!!
BravesSuck.com
July 3rd, 2012
12:04 am
Yes DannyThemanFerry – let’s blow up the Braves!
I am David Stern
July 3rd, 2012
12:12 am
…and I need someone to develop a rivalry with LeBron besides Okay-see. What’s that city down in Georgia kind of close to Miami? You mean they have an NBA team already? Exxxcellennttt….Mwaaahaahaa.
DDPO
July 3rd, 2012
12:14 am
He’s the best GM in the state. Maybe Michael Adams can sign him to replace Reverend Richt???
JSS
July 3rd, 2012
12:40 am
After Chipper hits the bricks, there is only 1 sacred cow left in town and his days are numbered (the other #2)!!! Dang, this year is getting better by the minute!!!
Pat
July 3rd, 2012
12:44 am
The NBA is horrible, but these are fantastic moves for our home team.
When does football start?
No Dwight
July 3rd, 2012
12:52 am
dwights going to a real city with big dollar endorsement opps–not atlanta. Drop that fantasy.
Mike Geigerman
July 3rd, 2012
12:55 am
GM of the year.. Inspired hope in a hopeless fan base ! Go DF you the man
mp
July 3rd, 2012
1:05 am
sorry guys, i don’t like jj’s game here, but we got NOTHING!! from NJ. NOTHING. We should have got Marshon Brooks!
We will lose for a long time again and need at least Marshon to help ease the pain.
BlueDude
July 3rd, 2012
1:12 am
I love how much room to manuver the hawks have now but while many are hopeful of a Paul/Howard combo it’s unlikely Paul really wants to be in NY. As for Howard, he got a crude wake up call today I say hawks will attemp to ship horford and some picks and one or two of those new Brooklyn contracts for Howard if it falls through hawks will gladly wait till next summer. If Howard happens now then I see a Teague resigning as well as Smith and even Morrow. That gives the hawks three happy Atlanta natives(check me on morrow I know he went to GT not sure if he’s a Georgian) then use whatever cap space left to sign a SG Ellis would be cool but im sure there will be nice secondary options if Monta is too expensive. That would create a great starting five Teague,Ellis or other fa SG,SF or PF (maybe a three team trade for Howard and we grab scola),Smith,Howard that’s a contender