Hoopinion: Joe Johnson Out, Mike Bibby Questionable For Tomorrow's Game

[Hawksquawk]

Is the injury bug biting the Hawks for the first time this season or does a trip to New Jersey offer a good opportunity to exercise discretion? Michael Cunningham reports:

Joe Johnson (sore Achilles’) is not on the Hawks’ team flight. He’s been ruled out for New Jersey tomorrow and probably is out for Thursday at Toronto, too. Mike Bibby (back) made the flight but is questionable for New Jersey.

The last time Joe Johnson missed meaningful* games through injury, Marvin Williams stepped in and produced like a viable first option against two bad teams on the road. Williams will have another opportunity to step up tomorrow night (and possibly Wednesday) but still figures to be the fourth option behind Josh Smith, Al Horford, and Jamal Crawford.

*He also sat out the final game of last season.

More tantalizing is the prospect of extended minutes in a fairly controlled setting for Jeff Teague. The combined impression given by drafting Teague and signing Bibby to a three-year contract was that as Teague's career gained momentum in his second and third seasons, Bibby's role would be reduced. An early glimpse of the changing of the guard might be at hand.

Teague's play (as well as the impact of Johnson's absence), be it good, bad, or indifferent, probably won't have an impact on Mike Woodson's rotation the rest of this season but it does provide something of a blogger's dream deep in the dog days of the NBA season.

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