Any doubt about who is the franchise player on that team?

[saloonyk8]

if Joe was injuired for 82 games, the Hawks would still make the 6th or 7th seed in the east easily.

false. no way we're playoff team without him.

true that we'd be better off long-term with matthews instead of jj. false that we'd get matthews by letting jj go.

we also would not look like a team/ownership willing to pay to keep players if we let joe go, and it's not like FA have been clamoring to come to atlanta.

more importantly, if joe had walked, we were NOT under the cap, so getting an upgrade at PG or C for MLE, unlikely.

[myrak433]

LOL. LeBron, Kobe, and Wade don't get doubled all that often, and you're claiming Joe gets doubled nonstop? XFD

If Horford saw the number of FGAs JJ gets, he'd average more PPG than JJ does.

Did I say Lebron,Kobe, or Wade don't get doubled? I said no one else on the Hawks gets double often but JJ.

[azuresou1]

You misunderstand, perhaps deliberately. LeBron and Co. RARELY get doubled, and they face far more pressure than someone like Joe, so it's a joke to make it seem like Joe Johnson faces all this pressure nonstop from other teams.

[SAUCERY_SWEET]

You misunderstand, perhaps deliberately. LeBron and Co. RARELY get doubled, and they face far more pressure than someone like Joe, so it's a joke to make it seem like Joe Johnson faces all this pressure nonstop from other teams.

Lebron & Wade are on the same team now so that's maybe why they don't get it as much as usual and on the Hawks JJ does see endless doubles i admit. And i admit he makes a nice pass to the open guy but sometimes to the wrong open guy(Josh) when he should be passing it to Crawford/Bibby. Sure josh you've improved by leaps at shooting but your still not Ray Allen.I just feels sometimes he can just effect the game in so many ways that he gets unfocused.

[BAMABIRD]

Its hard to double team Kobe in the triangle offense, especially with a player like Gasol in the paint. JJ is not the best player in the world but he's pretty good, and no one ever mentions the defense that Joes brings to the table.

[myrak433]

JJ is the best player the Hawks can get face it. wade, lebron, nor Kobe are coming to Atlanta.

[Harry10]

if Joe was injuired for 82 games, the Hawks would still make the 6th or 7th seed in the east easily.

false. no way we're playoff team without him.

true that we'd be better off long-term with matthews instead of jj. false that we'd get matthews by letting jj go.

we also would not look like a team/ownership willing to pay to keep players if we let joe go, and it's not like FA have been clamoring to come to atlanta.

more importantly, if joe had walked, we were NOT under the cap, so getting an upgrade at PG or C for MLE, unlikely.

Hawks went .500 when Joe hand elbow surgery, we know for a fact that the Hawks can stay above .500 if Joe was subtracted

[D21]

why are certain people so hard on JJ. his the best player on this team...

And being the best player of this team (a team that never pay Luxury Tax) makes him deserving almost 21M/yr ?

Please, we are not in a binary world, with Joe deserving 0M or 21M.
If it was the case, he's maybe deserving more 21M than nothing, but there is a world between the two values.

If Al deserves 12M, how is it possible that Joe deserves twice what Al gets ?
If Joe was getting between 13 and 15M, I would not be "so hard", because for what he gets, we could have Joe + a MLE player, and we need that, but we can't because some guys in front office made one of the most stupid offer ever, and Joe took it, while he could still say " hey, thanks, but if I take that, we won't go anywhere, and I want to go further than a sweep in second round".

I am sorry, but Gilbert "biggest ego" Arenas did it. It was nearly a joke, as it still killed the team, but he got a 120M offer and took 111M.

If think that Joe at 90M/6yrs is not a player being not paid enough.

And even if it's right than we would not have got lots of cap room with Joe walking for nothing,
no one here can be sure that it's what would have happened, and more, there were more chances of a sign-&-trade, because it's what happens in most cases, so the "Joe for 124M or nothing" is just a ridiculous summary of the situation.

[azuresou1]

I actually can't blame Joe for taking the money because I'd rather get 6/124 than 6/90 any given day, but I sure as hell can't blame this joke of a FO.

[Jamaaliver]

Giving Joe the Max is not what's wrong with the Hawks...

we had to max joe....... we would be where Cleveland is right now if we didn't have JJ, well maybe not that bad but I doubt we would have a winning record right now.

You guys ever go back and read some of the predictions we used to make about our teams. Some of them stand the test of time (Josh is still a blockhead), others are pretty laughable. This one in particular stands out.

[Jamaaliver]

if Joe was injuired for 82 games, the Hawks would still make the 6th or 7th seed in the east easily.

false. no way we're playoff team without him.

Ditto this one.

[myrak433]

Giving Joe the Max is not what's wrong with the Hawks...

we had to max joe....... we would be where Cleveland is right now if we didn't have JJ, well maybe not that bad but I doubt we would have a winning record right now.

You guys ever go back and read some of the predictions we used to make about our teams. Some of them stand the test of time (Josh is still a blockhead), others are pretty laughable. This one in particular stands out.

that is hilarious digging up old post from about 3 or 4 years ago. But you can't tell me if we have the same team now only swap out Carroll for JJ, we wouldn't be a better team. I still stand by want I said. No body wanted to come to Atlanta then and it appears noone still wants to come here. Joe Johnson is the closest thing to a star player we have had since Dominique. I know that is sad but it is true.

[Jamaaliver]

Oh, I've found some doozies. Mine are included...believe me. I made some pretty crazy predictions myself.

I dig all the time, but the ones from 2008/2009 are particularly telling