Joe Johnson, appears destined to leave

[HMFFL]

The sullen eyes and blank stares still haunt Mike Woodson, forever suspended in a psyche scarred five seasons ago. In his mind, those Atlanta Hawks are forever hunched over stools in that losing locker room. Here was an old Indiana Hoosier with his season on the brink, his reference for a coaching start straight out of his worst basketball nightmare.

Joe Johnson will be a free agent next summer and could join Derrick Rose in Chicago.
(NBAE/Getty)

“I’ll never forget those 13 wins,” Woodson says now, “because I can still see the players and the looks on their faces when we would walk out to the floor and they just couldn’t win games.”

He laughed a hollow laugh, and said, “I was coming from Detroit, a championship, and I didn’t come into that season wanting to win 13 games.”

Looking back, there was just one keeper in 2004-05: Josh Smith(notes). Just a kid out of high school with big shoulders, spry legs and free of true thought on playing the pro game. Every season, there came a fresh face with Smith. Joe Johnson(notes). Marvin Williams(notes). Al Horford(notes). Mike Bibby(notes).

There was a core created, losing turned to winning, and suddenly there was something rare and true for an NBA franchise: all together, all for one. They reached the playoffs. They took the Boston Celtics to seven games. Last season, they beat the Miami Heat and Dwyane Wade(notes) to advance to the conference semifinals. All for one, all together, Woodson has watched these kids grow, watched a rare and true thing in the NBA: a terrific young core, all rising into their primes, all blossoming together.

With three starters 25 and younger, with Johnson a true star, the Hawks march into a Thanksgiving night meeting with the defending conference champion Orlando Magic with the best record in the East, 11-3, with a belief that perhaps the conference’s big three powers are no longer impenetrable.

The Hawks have slowly, surely, been constructed into a conference contender. No bad contracts, no short-term fixes for a long-term vision. Yes, they could be a championship contender had deposed general manager Billy Knight drafted Chris Paul(notes) or Deron Williams(notes) over Marvin Williams, but so it goes.

“I’ve been around this thing a long time, and I’ve failed to ever see young teams win at a high level,” Woodson said. “It doesn’t happen. There were some growing pains. What’s driven me is that I came up with the title runs with the Pistons and that’s been my driving force. I wanted to take a team and build it.”

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=a ... &type=lgns

[ATL DirtyBird]

The more games I see of him dribbling out the shot clock and selfishly shooting us out of games the more I want him gone. Who would replace him if he goes? IDK alot about the cap situation but im pretty sure we can take on a star in 2010. I wonder if the success of this season affects his status. Go to the conference championship he stays? Lose first round he leaves?

Does anyone wanna tell me if we can afford a superstar next summer if he leaves?

[dms269]

Does anyone wanna tell me if we can afford a superstar next summer if he leaves?

No. We won't be under the cap by enough to sign a superstar.

But it isn't like a superstar would come here anyway.

I just wish JJ would tell the front office he doesn't want to play here anyway and tell who he wants to play for. Then we could try and get the wheels in motion to find a replacement for next year, even if it is a young guy.

[Hawkamanic81]

Have you ever noticed that basically nobody wants to play for the Hawks?

[SAUCERY_SWEET]

Have you ever noticed that basically nobody wants to play for the Hawks?

No, where are you getting this info from??

[killbuckner]

Saucery- what do you think the biggest FA signing in Atlanta has been?

[SAUCERY_SWEET]

Saucery- what do you think the biggest FA signing in Atlanta has been?

Zaza??



















Joe of course, i see your point but it is more due to the lousiness of our situation at the time i believe. That's not the case now, if nobody wants to play here now then it runs deeper than i thought.

[johnny878]

if the hawks can somehow snag a point guard that can create for his teammates once joe leaves. i think they could be better.

move jamal into joes spot. and put bibby as the scorer off the bench.

[parson]

40 minutes of Wade as one of the guys, the last 8 as Superman: we'd be unstoppable.

What if we could convince Wade of that? I know it's a pipedream but name a situation for him that'd be better.

[dms269]

40 minutes of Wade as one of the guys, the last 8 as Superman: we'd be unstoppable.

What if we could convince Wade of that? I know it's a pipedream but name a situation for him that'd be better.

How would we get him? We can't just renounce Joe and all of a sudden be under the cap. The only reason we could sign Joe is because we have his bird rights.

[parson]

^Joe would do better with a SNT, so, wherever we sent him, we'd have a large number of trade assets, especially if we added in some of our depth. If Wade leaves, he'd also benefit from a SNT.

The impetus for the trade, I admit, would be Wade's conviction that we'd be his best destination. Again, I don't think there's a better one than us. HOU, maybe, if Yao were healthy, because of their depth and unselfish team play. Wade would be the man there, and with a major-league Center. However, Yao may never be the same.

BOS? Aging.
CLE? Wade would be reduced to an outside shooter with James.
ORL? Great, but they have zero flexibility.

Go out west:
LAL? lol.
PHO? Bah.
POR? Roy'd never allow it.
DAL? Their window is closing.
SA? See BOS.

We could give MIA all the assets we acquired from the Joe trade and add a couple (Crawford/Marvelous/Bibby). I can't see how anyone else could offer them more.

Wade would have the perfect vehicle to carry him to the championship -- and to many more.

[raleigh]

"Sources close to him."

^^^Seriously? That's the best they've got?

The Hawks can pay more money, offer more shots, and have one of the best teams in the NBA. Unless he really wants to join Wade or LeBron, I think he stays.

[LL Cool Scott]

I fully expect him to leave. He left a chance at multiple championships in Phoenix. I just hope we can sign and trade him for something good. And then I will boo the crap out of him every time he returns here, just like Phoenix fans do.

[evildallas]

It's a long season and too early to make a judgment. Sometimes it does appear in his play that Joe Johnson is torn between what's best for his next contract and what's best for the team. I wonder if the spotlight is becoming too diffused for his liking here with the strong play by Josh, Jamal, and Al?

Barring a injury Joe Johnson will likely get a max contract next summer. Whether he'll still be worth it at the end of such a deal is a hard call. After the money, what's a hard call is what Joe wants. From his statements and past actions he doesn't want to return to the type of role he had in Phoenix (what I imagine Chicago or New Jersey would be like because of their PG situations, not enough iso-Joe for his ego). I'm not sure he's ready to be someone's Scottie Pippen either even though it could mean best shot at a ring (what I imagine Miami or Cleveland would be like because they have a bigger star). If personal stardom is more important than winning then New York might hold appeal. It Atlanta is willing to pay him the max we'd have the combination of most credit with a solid chance of winning.

If the Hawks organization doesn't want to pay him the max and someone else does then yes he is destined to leave. What we do if that happens is a different matter and we'll have plenty of threads throughout the year to ponder it.

[ATL DirtyBird]

It's a long season and too early to make a judgment. Sometimes it does appear in his play that Joe Johnson is torn between what's best for his next contract and what's best for the team. I wonder if the spotlight is becoming too diffused for his liking here with the strong play by Josh, Jamal, and Al?

Barring a injury Joe Johnson will likely get a max contract next summer. Whether he'll still be worth it at the end of such a deal is a hard call. After the money, what's a hard call is what Joe wants. From his statements and past actions he doesn't want to return to the type of role he had in Phoenix (what I imagine Chicago or New Jersey would be like because of their PG situations, not enough iso-Joe for his ego). I'm not sure he's ready to be someone's Scottie Pippen either even though it could mean best shot at a ring (what I imagine Miami or Cleveland would be like because they have a bigger star). If personal stardom is more important than winning then New York might hold appeal. It Atlanta is willing to pay him the max we'd have the combination of most credit with a solid chance of winning.

If the Hawks organization doesn't want to pay him the max and someone else does then yes he is destined to leave. What we do if that happens is a different matter and we'll have plenty of threads throughout the year to ponder it.

I dont want to give this man a max contract as long as he plays like this selfish ball hog. Its obvious hes hindering progress, by dribbling out shot clocks. No one knows what Joe thinks bc he doesnt speak enough.

[MaceCase]

^Joe would do better with a SNT, so, wherever we sent him, we'd have a large number of trade assets, especially if we added in some of our depth. If Wade leaves, he'd also benefit from a SNT.

The impetus for the trade, I admit, would be Wade's conviction that we'd be his best destination. Again, I don't think there's a better one than us. HOU, maybe, if Yao were healthy, because of their depth and unselfish team play. Wade would be the man there, and with a major-league Center. However, Yao may never be the same.

BOS? Aging.
CLE? Wade would be reduced to an outside shooter with James.
ORL? Great, but they have zero flexibility.

Go out west:
LAL? lol.
PHO? Bah.
POR? Roy'd never allow it.
DAL? Their window is closing.
SA? See BOS.

We could give MIA all the assets we acquired from the Joe trade and add a couple (Crawford/Marvelous/Bibby). I can't see how anyone else could offer them more.

Wade would have the perfect vehicle to carry him to the championship -- and to many more.

Chi
Ca
Go

[raleigh]

Why would Joe want to go to Chicago?

They have some nice young talent in Rose/Deng/Noah, but is that really better than what the Hawks have accumulated around him here?

Joe left Phoenix for two reasons - money and role. The Hawks can offer both of those in abundance.

[MaceCase]

For Joe? No, but Parson was talking about Wade having limited options and us being his best candidate. He seemed to have left off all the rather obvious FA destinations for him. Perhaps either he or I am confused by his post.

Not for nothing but does anyone remember this moment in offseason boredom history

On my way back to tha ATL [b]had a great time in the CHI[/b] about 1 hour ago from mobile web

oh and this nugget

How u a cab driver and don't know the city where they do that at

[parson]

Why would Wade go to CHI? Rose would take the ball out of his hand, especially down the stretch, when Wade loves to go to isolation plays; the Hawks have better 3pt shooters for Wade to kick the ball out to; and CHI's athleticism is inferior to the Hawks'.

Why would Joe, either, for that matter? (for pretty much the same reasons)

[MaceCase]

Well Parson the attraction of Chicago as a destination for Wade hinges on a few things
1) capspace to sign him outright
2) it's his home
3) Top 3 media market
4) the feeling that Rose will become a star

For Joe, some of those attractions apply but I'm teasing the Woj column by adding Joe's own admission of his love for the city of Chicago. Doesn't mean anything though, Joe could love Cabo but it doesn't mean he would go play for their local team. I just found it odd that Chicago was mentioned in the article and wondered where such an idea came from before I made the connection with Joe's remarks from his twitter. Perhaps the "sources close to him" were his boys that he was pulled over with by the cops

Beyond that I noticed you left off the blatantly obvious free agent destinations from your list. I sincerely doubt New York is a player unless they grossly overpay for a second tier agent like Joe but New Jersey is looming in the distance. They've cleared the largest legal hurdle for the move to Brooklyn, have plenty of young wings, a good PG and a soon to be stud center. Depending on who they pick with their guaranteed top 5 selection in a reportedly loaded draft they can lure anyone to come lead them to the top of the east.