What Next for the Atlanta Hawks?

SBN’s Atlanta Hawks blog, Peachtree Hoops, comes through with a comprehensive look at the Joe Johnson situation.

We have talked about this issue before here. First and foremost, what the no-sign means today is the Hawks still have a chance to sign Joe Johnson to a deal that is not over market value. Despite the immediate positive reactions of both the assumed and the surprising over the idea of having Joe on their team, I still contend that the market for Johnson in 2010 will not be nearly as feverish as maybe the Hawks brass and Joe himself assume. The cap is shrinking, the money is limited, and an enormous amount of players big and small will be looking and taking a piece of that pie. Even with all the exemptions and weird loop holes, their is still a finite amount of cash to spend. When it is gone, it is gone. And for the unrestricted guys, there is not a qualifying offer to fall back on.

The weird part about this whole rejection is what was rejected though. Four years 60 million. That is 15 million a year, a raise from his previous max contract. On the surface, the deal appears fair, even advantageous, for Joe Johnson to sign it. He would not have to worry about injury, secure his long term future, etc. etc. But Joe did not sign it. He wants to” focus on the season” or some other generalized idea that could probably be more easily done by actually signing a contract.

The no-sign raises a lot of possibilities. And the good news for Hawks fans is very few of them are outright bad. So without further ado lets venture to a land of possibilities, a place I call “the land of ……possibilities.”

From there, they explore both Atlanta’s options, and Joe Johnson’s motivations in turning down the deal. Does Joe Johnson simply want out of Atlanta? Is he waiting to see whether he’ll benefit from a more competitive market next year? Does he want a fifth year on the end of that extension? All good questions, and Peachtree considers each one.

Regardless of what happens, though, they recognize Joe Johnson’s contributions to the franchise over the past few years. That is, he’s made them respectable again. And while he’s not worth another max deal—by anyone’s standard, really—he does figure to be one of the more intriguing prospects on the market next year.

Because while 2010 features a bunch of big names, most of them are either flawed (Amare, Bosh), old (Dirk), or other-worldly superstars that’ll either play in New York, L.A., or return to their old teams. A player like Johnson represents a sort of compromise—he won’t single-handedly change the trajectory of a franchise, but he’s still very good, and as a second option, could be a real boon to a contender.

Joe Johnson’s been the superstar for Atlanta, but he’s betraying his destiny in that role. In fact, he’s more suited to Pippen role, next to someone else’s Jordan. On his own, we’re talking about a player with a few superstar qualities, but without the ability to strike fear into opposing teams simply by showing up for the game. Next to a superstar that can do that, though, he becomes a much, much more imposing player.