Al Horford is our best player!!

[Wurider05]

There is no need to think otherwise. He seems to be the only player with any type of heart to match his play.

[atlien]

He's not our best player just yet, but he will be. Without a doubt in my mind, HE is the franchise player to build around. That means ANYONE else is on the block if we can get players that complement Big Al. The guy will be a top 10 big man for years to come. Bank on it.

[Lascar78]

He is not our best player but he has the most heart.

HAVING SAID THAT, it's easy to not be as disgusted with everything your first year in the league. JJ was nothing short of extraordinary his first year. He was even better in his second year. Then eventually you have the weight of having to carry a franchise, getting no real help from a GM who promised you the moon, and having to deal with a completely incompetent coach running you into the ground with minutes. It gets old, and eventually you can't take it any more. I want to rip my hair out at home because Woody still has a job. I can only imagine if I had to play for him.

[troubleman]

No, Horford is not the Hawks best player yet, but as others have said he does have heart. Joe Johnson is still the Haws most complete, and best player, but he seems to be trying to do to much.

[Plastic Man]

While I don't think Al is our best player (yet), he is the only one on our team who shows these traits EVERY SINGLE GAME:

Desire

Tenacity

Intensity

Relentlessness

Consistency

Maturity

Fun

[oiatlhawksfan]

It definitely ain't Joe I can tell you that.

[Atlantaholic]

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It definitely ain't Joe I can tell you that.

I don't know who this impostor is who has replaced Joe this year... but I would love to have last years Joe back.

All these people saying that Joe is playing like crap because he is playing to many minutes and he is getting double teamed have a short memory... That has been the story for Joe since he has been here... he just isn't the same player... hardly comparable to be honest. Everyone blames Woody (and I don't disagree he has a lot of blame) but if JJ of 2006-2007 was on our roster we would be the sixth seed right now.

[Lascar78]

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All these people saying that Joe is playing like crap because he is playing to many minutes and he is getting double teamed have a short memory... That has been the story for Joe since he has been here... he just isn't the same player... hardly comparable to be honest.

You're ignoring the effect of time. Year 1 you think you can turn everything around, they're about to get you the other star players to dominate the conference etc... By year 3 you've been through 2 seasons of grueling minutes including 1 with no offseason, and you realize that the situation is hopeless as far as getting a real coach, or real help on the team. It wears down on you eventually. I could tell something was wrong with Joe from pre-season. I think he did some thinking in the offseason, as shown by his comments at the beginning of the year.

Anyhow, nice to see the real Joe out there again last night. That's what, the 5th or 6th time this season?

[Atlantaholic]

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All these people saying that Joe is playing like crap because he is playing to many minutes and he is getting double teamed have a short memory... That has been the story for Joe since he has been here... he just isn't the same player... hardly comparable to be honest.

You're ignoring the effect of time. Year 1 you think you can turn everything around, they're about to get you the other star players to dominate the conference etc... By year 3 you've been through 2 seasons of grueling minutes including 1 with no offseason, and you realize that the situation is hopeless as far as getting a real coach, or real help on the team. It wears down on you eventually. I could tell something was wrong with Joe from pre-season. I think he did some thinking in the offseason, as shown by his comments at the beginning of the year.

Anyhow, nice to see the real Joe out there again last night. That's what, the 5th or 6th time this season?

I definitely don't think he is the same player mentally or physically.. but it has nothing to do with his age, his playing minutes, injuries, or anything like that... I agree that the situation must be getting to him, and I also truly believe that he is not in tip top shape... definitely not the same type of shape that he was in during our previous seasons.

I don't think that any of it is an excuse for Joe though. He is the franchise guy... if he was playing the way he played last year we would be a top 6 seed this year... I'm sorry he feels he is in a helpless situation, but true leaders and franchise players elevate their game to try to overcome obstacles... not wallow and let themselves go physically and mentally. That's the type of things that the Vince Carter's of the world do... the type of thing LOSERS do.

Last game he showed that maybe he is ready to put up a fight... Hopefully he has found the determination that you should expect from a leader, and he continues to play at that level. Hopefully he can inspire our team to be better and make the playoffs... It would be a huge turn around, considering what he has done all year.