Joe Johnson needs to be traded.

[crimedog]

Well I named 3 guys that we could possibly trade for (Monta, KevMart, Redd) but I personally wouldn't pull the trigger on those unless Woody was gone too because none of those guys can play the combo role that Joe does for us.

In reality though, I think we need to let Joe take a game or two off and get his groove back. I thought it was the case last year when Joe hit that swoon and I thought it was the case the season before when he got the calf injury for the first time. For the month of January he's only shooting around 35% but he's still taking a lot of shots, that doesn't help the team. For whatever reasons (I'm guessing its a combination of the calf flare up and general fatigue), Joe isn't getting it done and I think that Woody needs to pull a Greg Poppovich and look at the big picture. Put Joe on the injury list for 2 games and run the offense through Josh and Bibby.

If Joe is going to shoot 35% from the field in those games it won't hurt us that much not having us in and on the bright side, it will give bench guys a chance to improve. At the very worst, we hurt our chances for a couple games but help ourselves in the long run because we reduce the chances of Joe falling into a worse slump.

[NineOhTheRino]

We fans have put unrealistic expectations on Joe. Not one time have I heard Joe proclaim to be Kobe, LeBron or Wade. Joe is being placed there by this coaching staff and fans of the team. Before Joe signed that contract he was not beating guys off the dribble or making exciting power dunks. Joe has always been Joe. He's been a shooter that can make an occasional sweet play at the rim. He's never been a finisher like Kobe or a power guy like LeBron. I say give the man a traditional PG and let him show what he can do. Right now he' is having to burn way too much energy to get a freakin shot off.

Edited January 27, 2009 by NineOhTheRino

[crimedog]

We fans have put unrealistic expectations on Joe. Not one time have I heard Joe proclaim to be Kobe, LeBron or Wade. Joe is being placed there by this coaching staff and fans of the team. Before Joe signed that contract he was not beating guys of the dribble or making exciting power dunks. Joe has always been Joe. He’s been a shooter that can make an occasional sweet play at the rim. He’s never been a finisher like Kobe or a power guy like LeBron.

I wouldn't go that far. We did sign Joe to be our go-to guy, part of the reason was because he was such a good passer. He isn't just a shooter either, he's a fantastic ball-handler too. Reggie Miller was a shooter. All he did was shoot, he wasn't isolating or dishing out a lot of assists, he was running off multiple screens and catching and shooting.

We ask Joe to do a lot but Joe also said he could be "the guy" who could do a lot. He gets paid $14m to do more than just shoot and he can in fact do a lot more than just shoot. The problem, in my eyes at least, is that we ask him to handle the ball so much in a relatively slow system. The fact that its slow means we're often facing a set defense and much of the time we face a set D, we give the ball to Joe to make something. He's also bringing to ball up against pressure a lot of the time so he has to fight his way up court into the teeth of a D thats set to double him as soon as he gets into a position where he can score. The fact that he's not Kobe or Lebron means that he can't do this nearly as often as he's asked. He's also not being best used this way in my estimation because Josh and Bibby have proven that they can have the offense run through them for stretches which would allow Joe to be a catch and shoot guy.

[Plainview1981]

Show me a goto guy not named Kobe, Wade, or Lebron??? You just named Caron Butler, Chris Bosh, Kevin Durant, What are their teams' records???? Are any of the three on a team that has a better record than the Hawks?? Now you are going to start throwing off on Steve Smith. Seriously why do you even watch?

I was saying they play heavy minutes also. JJ is not the only player in the league that plays alot of minutes. But JJ doesn't seem to have great endurance either. He probably is more of a 35MPG guy. In fairness to Joe, if the Hawks have the player they should have Joe wouldn't have to be the go to guy. Instead we got guys like Marvin and Al Horford. Two borderline starter/bench players.

Edited January 27, 2009 by Hotlanta1981

[AHF]

So are there any actual trade proposals here? I think D's question is a good one.

[atlien]

I tried to think of a couple. But honestly, it´s much easier coming up with a trade involving Smoove or Horford for a low-post presence to pair with JJ (Bosh, Amare, etc.).

If we are gonna make a trade, Id rather get someone next to JJ... not get rid of JJ.

[AHF]

I tried to think of a couple. But honestly, it´s much easier coming up with a trade involving Smoove or Horford for a low-post presence to pair with JJ (Bosh, Amare, etc.).

If we are gonna make a trade, Id rather get someone next to JJ... not get rid of JJ.

I understand that perspective, but if you are calling for a trade of JJ that means you think there are realistic trades that are better for this team than having JJ. If that is the case, you should be able to come up with some ideas, IMO.

[gsuteke]

You'd have to believe trading Johnson to be reasonable before you could come up with possible trade scenarios.

[HawkItus]

Only trade I'd make for Joe and I'd even throw in a first rounder.

This Trade Succeeded! Go back to adjust your trade or start over.

Atlanta Hawks

Incoming Players

Photo: Amare Stoudemire

Amare Stoudemire

Salary: $15,070,550 Years Remaining: 3

PTS: 21.1 REB: 8.1 AST: 2.2 PER: 20.80

Outgoing Players: Joe Johnson

Phoenix Suns

Incoming Players

Photo: Joe Johnson

Joe Johnson

Salary: $14,232,567 Years Remaining: 2

PTS: 21.5 REB: 4.5 AST: 6.1 PER: 18.23

Outgoing Players: Amare Stoudemire

[atlien]

I understand that perspective, but if you are calling for a trade of JJ that means you think there are realistic trades that are better for this team than having JJ. If that is the case, you should be able to come up with some ideas, IMO.

True. My perspective is that it would be difficult to get a trade for JJ that makes us better (because who are we going to get... Melo? Durant? Roy?).

The only major trade I see working in our benefit is to try to turn Smoove or Horford into an All-Star low post presence to play along side JJ.

But yeah, Hotlanta... lets see some JJ trades!

[AHF]

Only trade I'd make for Joe and I'd even throw in a first rounder.

This Trade Succeeded! Go back to adjust your trade or start over.

Atlanta Hawks

Incoming Players

Photo: Amare Stoudemire

Amare Stoudemire

Salary: $15,070,550 Years Remaining: 3

PTS: 21.1 REB: 8.1 AST: 2.2 PER: 20.80

Outgoing Players: Joe Johnson

Phoenix Suns

Incoming Players

Photo: Joe Johnson

Joe Johnson

Salary: $14,232,567 Years Remaining: 2

PTS: 21.5 REB: 4.5 AST: 6.1 PER: 18.23

Outgoing Players: Amare Stoudemire

Those would be interesting starting lineups:

Bibby

Flip

J. Smith

Horford

Amare

Nash

JRich

JJ

Hill

O'Neal

Not sure about that balance.

[thecampster]

Incoming Players

Tyrus Thomas

6-8 PF from LSU

8.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 0.9 apg in 23.9 minutes

Ben Gordon

6-3 SG / PG from Connecticut

20.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 3.7 apg in 36.2 minutes

Kirk Hinrich

6-3 PG from Kansas

9.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 4.5 apg in 26.6 minutes

Outgoing Players

Speedy Claxton

5-11 PG from Hofstra

No games yet played in 2008-2009

Joe Johnson

6-7 SG from Arkansas

21.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 6.1 apg in 39.9 minutes

Try this instead...contingent on resigning Gordon. Bulls get cap flexibility and Johnson we get a better overall backcourt adding hinrich as a backup

[HawkItus]

Those would be interesting starting lineups:

Bibby

Flip

J. Smith

Horford

Amare

Nash

JRich

JJ

Hill

O'Neal

Not sure about that balance.

I think you put Hill on the bench and let Ameunson start. And if you are the Hawks you put Marvin at the 2. I know I know, but to start the game that's your best lineup.

[AHF]

I love the idea of getting Hinrich but Thomas wouldn't play much for us (basically an inferior version of Josh Smith) and the idea of watching the Bibby/Gordon backcourt play defense....whew.

I don't see how that moves the ball for us.

[Yubs]

Joe Johnson needs to be traded.

So are you going to actually propose a trade, one that legitimately makes us better, or are you just going to continue to stay silent on the subject? After 5 pages, I'll just take your silence as acknowledgement that you can't think of a legit proposal, and that you just wanted to vent. I mean, it's fine if you have issue with his play, you can say whatever you want, but if you make a post suggesting that we trade JJ and can't even end it with a viable trade proposal, then you might as well have titled this topic, "I don't like JJ." Trust me, you'll still get your 5+ pages of replies.

Don't get me wrong, I too am disappointed with his play as of late, but without his solid play the first two months of the season, we're not relevant. I even sat here, trying to think of trade proposals that would work and actually make us better, and I can't really think of one. Maybe trade him for expirings, start over, tank the rest of the season, and hope for James Harden? :white flag:

[thecampster]

I love the idea of getting Hinrich but Thomas wouldn't play much for us (basically an inferior version of Josh Smith) and the idea of watching the Bibby/Gordon backcourt play defense....whew.

I don't see how that moves the ball for us.

Because Gordon gets his own shot better than Johnson and draws more fouls. And Tyrus Thomas is only like Smith in that he blocks shots. He's a project in my eyes that could easily be developed by a big man coach but is a much better big man option than Morris, Gardner, etc

This is shift in thinking on the starting 5 trade and an upgrade on the backups...this could easily make up a 10 deep team. Second unit would be

Hinrich, Murray, Evans, Thomas, Pachulia

[gsuteke]

I just put in a trade of

Birdman (I love that guy)

Steven Hunter

Chauncey Billups

for

Joe Johnson straight up

that netted us a loss in pts and only gave us a little bit in assists back

LOL

[mrhonline]

You'd have to believe trading Johnson to be reasonable before you could come up with possible trade scenarios.

You could trade him under two scenarios:

1. To start over if your team sucks, a la Gasol-Memphis. --> That doesn't apply to the Hawks.

2. If some team stupidly offered you a superstar for him. --> With JJ's impending free agency, this goes from a 1 in 1,000,000 chance to 1 in 1,000,000,000.

[gsuteke]

You could trade him under two scenarios:

1. To start over if your team sucks, a la Gasol-Memphis. --> That doesn't apply to the Hawks.

2. If some team stupidly offered you a superstar for him. --> With JJ's impending free agency, this goes from a 1 in 1,000,000 chance to 1 in 1,000,000,000.

Dirk Nowitski?

:computer8:

[PureGreatness]

Joe Johnson and solomon jones for for JR.Smith, Kleiza.

Denver gets Joe who will be putting up better numbers, better shooting % because he wont be tired from playing joe 40 minutes every game.Maurice Evans is a hustle player and plays decent defense.

Atlanta gets JR. Smith who is a good shooter like Joe and handles the rock like joe. The only negative about JR is his poor shot selection. His defense isnt stellar but it isnt as bad as we believe it to be. Kleiza is a scorer off the bench. zaza, flip, mo and kleiza off the bench should help alot.