Joe Johnson and the fairness doctrine

[HawkItus]

I've was thinking today after reading a quote in that chicago article about Joe Johnson. If everybody on the the team in recent contract negotiations took a lesser salary, how would us paying Joe the max sit with them? I mean for instance with Josh and Marv you can directly say that their willingness succeed their personal goals for the team have lead directly to not only the team's success, but Joe's. They give up shots so Joe can get his in Iso-Joe. Yet, them having a smaller scoring average probably cost them money. Now if Joe comes along and makes the absolute max he can, I could see them saying this isn't quite fair. They sacrifice and Joe benefits. Where exactly would he be sacrificing for the team? Any thoughts?

[Wurider05]

Man i was thinking the same thing. I am sure that it wouldn't sit well with them. JJ doesn't deserve the max.

[gsuteke]

I'm thinking we can be the 4 seed with Jamal as the SG.

Sund has something to figure out and figure it out quickly. Can Joe win a championship? Seriously, we can lose in the 2nd round of the playoffs with you and without you.

What most Hawks fans will not understand is the team can't sign someone to replace Joe under the cap restraints. The majority of people that post here do no understand the CBA.

In short we're not screwed if Joe bolts but we're not winning a title with him this year either.

Joe would be stupid to bolt to Miami or Chicago in my opinion. There is more talent surrounding him here in Atlanta.

Edited February 11, 2010 by gsuteke

[Plainview1981]

I'm thinking we can be the 4 seed with Jamal as the SG.

Sund has something to figure out and figure it out quickly. Can Joe win a championship? Seriously, we can lose in the 2nd round of the playoffs with you and without you.

What most Hawks fans will not understand is the team can't sign someone to replace Joe under the cap restraints. The majority of people that post here do no understand the CBA.

In short we're not screwed if Joe bolts but we're not winning a title with him this year either.

Joe would be stupid to bolt to Miami or Chicago in my opinion. There is more talent surrounding him here in Atlanta.

I think Joe is wondering if the franchise will go the extra mile to try and win a championship and it clearly looks like they're not prepared to make that kind of effort. Problem is, neither is Miami.

[spotatl]

Who has taken less money than they could have gotten with another team? Hell- Josh Smith signed a contract with the Grizzlies because he wanted more than the hawks were offering.

[niremetal]

Who has taken less money than they could have gotten with another team? Hell- Josh Smith signed a contract with the Grizzlies because he wanted more than the hawks were offering.

Sit down, you're rocking the boat.

[HawkItus]

Who has taken less money than they could have gotten with another team? Hell- Josh Smith signed a contract with the Grizzlies because he wanted more than the hawks were offering.

You're missing my point. With a better scoring average Josh would have definitely gotten more money. But, with Joe dominating the ball on the offensive end other players have been told to sacrifice for the good of the team. Josh and Marvin have done this. To their detriment at contract time.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

You're missing my point. With a better scoring average Josh would have definitely gotten more money. But, with Joe dominating the ball on the offensive end other players have been told to sacrifice for the good of the team. Josh and Marvin have done this. To their detriment at contract time.

JJ gets the most shots because he can score in the most ways . . . without anyone having to feed the ball to them. When Crawford arrived, I think everyone knew that the complimentary guys were going to get less shot attempts, mainly because Crawford has the same skill set as JJ, from a scoring standpoint.

Bibby probably got overpaid. So did Zaza. The deal Marvin got was about right on target. Smoove doesn't make 11 million if not for the Memphis offer.

Could any of those other guys gotten better deals, had they been able to take 18 shots a game like JJ? Of course.

But the "fairness doctrine" doesn't apply here. No matter what they, or the fan base believes, they're not more talented of a basketball player than Joe Johnson is. The guy is regarded around the league as a top 20 player at least. So he'll get paid top 20 player like money, even if he doesn't get MAX dollars.

As far as teke's comments about the Hawks being the 4 seed without JJ, and with Crawford, people have to keep this in mind.

As great of an offensive talent that Crawford is, the one thing that kept him from making megabucks, was his wild inconsistency as a player. Being the #2 or sometimes 1a guy to JJ, has helped him tremendously. He doesn't have the pressure of having to be the high volume offensive machine and distributor for 35 - 40 minutes a game. He basically only has to concentrate on scoring.

So the question may not be if we can or cannot win a championship with Joe Johnson. The question may be, regardless of if Joe Johnson is here or not, can we win a championship with Horford at C, and Smoove at PF?

[Packfill]

JJ gets the most shots because he can score in the most ways . . . without anyone having to feed the ball to them. When Crawford arrived, I think everyone knew that the complimentary guys were going to get less shot attempts, mainly because Crawford has the same skill set as JJ, from a scoring standpoint.

Bibby probably got overpaid. So did Zaza. The deal Marvin got was about right on target. Smoove doesn't make 11 million if not for the Memphis offer.

Could any of those other guys gotten better deals, had they been able to take 18 shots a game like JJ? Of course.

But the "fairness doctrine" doesn't apply here. No matter what they, or the fan base believes, they're not more talented of a basketball player than Joe Johnson is. The guy is regarded around the league as a top 20 player at least. So he'll get paid top 20 player like money, even if he doesn't get MAX dollars.

As far as teke's comments about the Hawks being the 4 seed without JJ, and with Crawford, people have to keep this in mind.

As great of an offensive talent that Crawford is, the one thing that kept him from making megabucks, was his wild inconsistency as a player. Being the #2 or sometimes 1a guy to JJ, has helped him tremendously. He doesn't have the pressure of having to be the high volume offensive machine and distributor for 35 - 40 minutes a game. He basically only has to concentrate on scoring.

So the question may not be if we can or cannot win a championship with Joe Johnson. The question may be, regardless of if Joe Johnson is here or not, can we win a championship with Horford at C, and Smoove at PF?

People need to wrap their heads around the fact that JJ remains far and away the best player the Hawks have. Without him, they are a mediocre team with limited upside. It is highly unlikely at this point that Josh, Al or Marvin will become big time scorers unless a Steve Nash type of point guard is brought into the mix (i.e., someone who can create shots for those guys).

A championship is probably out of the question as the team is currently constructed. That said, they are currently exceeding expectations so it is hard to lament what appears to be a ceiling on the teams potential achievements.

[HawkWeisErrr]

I still think Josh Smith is this team's MVP. Crawford is a close 2nd. Joe Johnson 3rd.

Sure JJ gets the accolades but he rarely steps up when needed. Josh and Crawford have been the driving force behind this team. As I've said before, Horford's emotion, as well as his play, is another reason this team is doing well.

Our bench after Crawford and Zaza is laughable and easily our biggest weakness. A few of the guys on our bench wouldn't make most other teams. I am curious how they were even good HS players. I guess size is what got them out of college.

Josh Smith team MVP!