Discussion Topic #2- DerMarr Johnson's potential

[TheDude]

I know this may sound crazy but I wanted to get you guys' take on it. Last year seeing DerMarr and the way he plays, I thought there was a chance he could become a poor man's McGrady. I don't know about it now though.

PreInjury-

I thought he had the POTENTIAL to be pretty damm good. He has the athleticism, heighth at his position, and shot to be like I said, a poorman's T-Mac. Heck if he could regain his form, that would be phat.

PostInjury-

Not sure now. It's a good sign he's making quick progress but is it too rushed? I don't know if he'll be the same as before once he's completely healed. BUT if he is, that would be nice. I think he was up and coming last year.

What we should do if he does show the same talent as last year, at some EARLY point next season, have our stars like terry and reef(if they're still here) sit out a few games(call it madeup injuries) and let him lead the group for awhile. That is how Tracy came into his own.

Your opinions on DerMarr?

[TheDude]

ok so nobody like dermarr...neither did i..

just kidding...

[Traceman]

Most of us hope that he will recover completely and that we will resign him next year.

I think he still has the potential to be a very good player in this league if he recovers fully from his injury. I think he would have made a significant difference on this team had he been healthy and playing this year. We really miss his 3 point shooting, his athleticism and his perimeter D.

[Guest]

I think he should be resigned cheap but I wouldn't

count on him being a star or a lock for a starting

position.

[TheDude]

so is the consensus was that he was never going to be a star?

i'll disagree cuz i beleive he WOULD have been a superstar but hey, that's why i work for a cable company, not an nba team.

[Guest]

I think he could have been a Sean Elliot(in his prime)

caliber player....but not a superstar.

[KB21]

I think DerMarr had the talent to be a superstar, but he lacked the superstar mentality.

Your true superstars dominate the game. Players like Shareef Abdur-Rahim, or a Steve Smith in his prime, were players who didn't dominate, but put up solid to great numbers by letting the game come to them.

I think DerMarr could have turned into a Steve Smith type of player, and he may have Steve Smith in the near future to tutor him.

I think it is unfair to DerMarr to ask him to be a Tracy McGrady. He was unjustly compared to McGrady when he simply lacks the type of aggressiveness McGrady has.

[TheDude]

true kb....but whatifs are fun

[Iman]

DJ is hard to evaluate. He seems to kinda have a meek personality and that's taken further just by watching the way he seems lost at times and even sorta walks dorky. But I still think he remembers how dominant he was back in high school and realizes he has been slow to develop into his NBA game. He and Dion both probably needed another year or two of dominating in college to help them transition. Now they both lack the confidence to take over even though they may have the talent.

I think DJ has to develop more ball handling skills and work hard on his short range game. If he puts in the work he should be good but I have to agree, allstar potential seems more reasonable than superstar.

[TheDude]

very good observation iman...didn't 'think of that

[Gray Mule]

I am and have been a real fan of DJ.

Waiting for him to mature while he learned how to play

NBA ball was, at times, disheartning. I defended him over

and over again, saying "Wait for him to grow up."

Sometimes I felt as John the Baptist must have felt when

they said, "He is a voice crying in the wilderness."

While I admired his pure athletic ability and his size to play

a very good defense, hit the three from the corner and

sometimes do the spectacular dunk, many continued to

point out his mistakes, which were many in the early part

of his career. Some mistakes he corrected and others

were coming less frequent.

I expect him to come back - maybe not until next season,

but he will be back. If {And that's a big if} he comes back

near 100 % I believe he will be more mature, more hungry

to preform as a star athlete.

A healthy, maturing DerMarr would have made a difference

this season and if he is still a Hawk, he will make a big

difference next season -- we can only hope that every-

thing works out for him and the Hawks.