The Return of Joe... Will you be applauding?

[Bahamut]

I'm only going to this game to hear one thing:

"That foul was OFFENSIVE.........JOE JOHNSON!!!!"

[Guest]

To those who wish to discredit Joe's contibution during his Hawks tenure here you were just never a fan. Nothing wrong with giving him claps durings introductions. He did not request a trade at anytime.

[AHF]

Clap for him both because he played a lot of great games for us and because it sends a message about our fan base if we don't show some appreciation for his play. You want them message to be that coming to the Hawks means you will have a lot of life-long fans -- not that the fans will turn on you the moment you are gone.

Once the whistle blows, then root for the Hawks and against the Nets as hard as you want but send a message about how we treat our former players rather than about JJ specifically if the contract or lack of free throws, etc. bothers you.

[Ruckus]

Clap for him both because he played a lot of great games for us and because it sends a message about our fan base if we don't show some appreciation for his play. You want them message to be that coming to the Hawks means you will have a lot of life-long fans -- not that the fans will turn on you the moment you are gone. Once the whistle blows, then root for the Hawks and against the Nets as hard as you want but send a message about how we treat our former players rather than about JJ specifically if the contract or lack of free throws, etc. bothers you.

Well put. I was incredibly glad when we traded him but not because of his abilities or character. Only his contract. It would be a shame if fans show any disrespect towards him. It would only reiterate what most ppl already think of Atlanta fans. Stay classy Atlanta.

[macdaddy]

Well put. I was incredibly glad when we traded him but not because of his abilities or character. Only his contract. It would be a shame if fans show any disrespect towards him. It would only reiterate what most ppl already think of Atlanta fans. Stay classy Atlanta.

I'm at the point of not caring what other people think of Atlanta fans. Atlanta fans rain the field with beer cups on a unbelievably ridiculous infield fly rule in an absurd game and people say how terrible and embarrassing it is. Philly, Boston, and NY fans get tongue in cheek giggles for being so 'passionate' that they hurl batteries at outfielders and shout obscenties about their families. "That's just Philly. fans" BS.

I wouldn't boo Joe but if people want to then why not. He's a man and he certainly didn't go out of his way to endear himself to the fans here. I don't care if that's not his personality or not. Anyone can make an effort. Just look at Zaza. That guy will get a standing O every time he sets foot in Philips for the rest of his life. Steve Smith, Dikembe, SAR, Tree, Spud. The fact that we are even discussing whether Joe will get cheered or booed tells you something about his time here. Was there any thought of booing Steve Smith when he returned?

[Guest]

I think he gets a clap at the intros...after that boo him...he is now the enemy.

[tonegully]

I miss Joe. I wanted him to retire as a Hawk. 08 playoff game he bought us hope. How can you fans forget moments like that. Joe doesnt deserved to be booed. He should get a standing ovation in the intros and then boo him when the game starts. We havent had a good FA signing since.

[Guest]

Per AJC: Johnson will not be made available to the Atlanta media until postgame.

[ATLscrubLove]

I did not catch any of the reaction for Marvin. How was the reaction?I would actively not do anything for Joe. He never cared for the fans anyway.

A few cheers throughout the arena. Nothing big time honestly, they showed the vid during a timeout but not that many people were actually paying attention.

[coachx]

What's going on in Brooklyn isn't a Batman and Robin situation. D-Will is "billed" as a Batman, but he hasn't been close to that all year. Lopez has arguably been the best player on that team.Brooklyn is more like The Avengers.Deron = Iron ManJJ = Captain AmericaLopez = ThorGerald Wallace = Nick Fury . . . ( Nets fans think Gerald is the true leader and heart and soul of the team )Reggie Evans = Hulk

For those of us not into comics.......What does that mean ? Are the avengers wimps compared to Batman ?

[jhay610]

Joe was the best Hawk since 'Nique. Write that down.

And as Northcyde has touched on already, the Celtics-Hawks series was one I'll remember, as a Hawks fan, for the rest of my life. Philips was electric in Games 4 & 6. You can go an entire lifetime as a fan and not see something like that -- a team that had been so abysmally bad for so long, that was not given one iota of a chance against the Boston juggernaut and had been blown out on the road in each of the first two games -- to come out and shock the world was really special.

Everyone knows he is not in that upper elite class but he was an All-Star and the only reason to watch in the early days. On any given night he could do something special. He helped drag this franchise from its hopeless depths as a perennial doormat back to relevancy. He did not walk out or skip town even after the little riff with fans after the Orlando series; he was traded.

For all of that, I thank him and I will be cheering tonight.

[High5]

I'm not going to applaud him for loyalty. He was getting paid the most absurd amount of money and he was a big reason the Hawks never advanced further than they did. But, as mentioned, I will always be appreciative of what he did against Boston that first year. His shot over Powe was basically my most thrilled moment as a Hawks fan.

[MQDnATL01]

Probably will during the intros but thats as far as I will go.

[DrReality]

No

[benhillboy]

He got booed throughout the game and played poorly like usual. Perfect.

Edited January 17, 2013 by benhillboy

[AHF]

For those of us not into comics.......What does that mean ? Are the avengers wimps compared to Batman ?

I think it is a statement on relative power.

Batman and Robin situation is a situation where one person is the lead and clearly superior player. A "Batman" player is a true #1 while a Robin is a #2.

The Avengers analogy is referring to a committee approach where no one is a transcendent star and numerous guys need to chip in for them to win.

I'm not a comic person, but that is my interpretation.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

I think it is a statement on relative power. Batman and Robin situation is a situation where one person is the lead and clearly superior player. A "Batman" player is a true #1 while a Robin is a #2. The Avengers analogy is referring to a committee approach where no one is a transcendent star and numerous guys need to chip in for them to win. I'm not a comic person, but that is my interpretation.

And your interpretation is correct.As for the fans at Philips, they should've clapped during the intros. But once the game started, I personally wouldn't have had a problem with them booing him like they did. That booing probably threw him off a little.I remember Phoenix fans booing him in that same fashion the first few times we played them. That situation was a little different in the fact that he actually did leave Phoenix, while he was traded from Atlanta.I wonder if the people at Philips will boo Josh Smith when he's on a different team next year? Probably not, since he's the favorite son of ATL, even if they don't like the way he plays.