Joe Johnson Tells Atlanta Hawks: Somebody's Rocking the Boat

Sure, it is never fun to lose by 20 points, especially against a division opponent.

But, when the team is 4-1, and you are coming back from your first West Coast road trip of the season, a loss like this is a trap wait waiting to happen.

Unfortunately, the Hawks did fall into the trip, and they did get blown out by 20 against the Charlotte Bobcats on Friday night.

They are still 4-2 and are averaging 103.8 points a contest, good for seventh in the NBA.

So, why is Joe Johnson complaining?

“I don’t know when we all of a sudden just really became a selfish team,” Johnson said. “Now everybody wants to go one-on-one. It’s me, me, me. It’s crazy, man.”

“Everybody who touches it wants to score,” Johnson said. “I really think guys on this team don’t know their roles, so it’s killing us. And it’s going to continue to kill us.”

I’m sorry; I was unaware that a 4-2 record meant the team is “killing” itself, especially since one of the two losses came after your first road trip.

They have only played six games and have had just one road trip. At this point in the season, can you really pinpoint, or even know what is “killing” your team.

I wish that Johnson had said just who exactly does not know their “role.”

Since he was mostly referring to scoring, and he, Josh Smith, and Jamal Crawford, took 39 of the team’s 83 total shots, I will go ahead and assume he is talking about them, or at least one of them.

Since Crawford is the new kid on the block, I will also assume that Crawford might be the one “killing” the team.

Crawford is in his first year with a group that has been together for at least two seasons. The Hawks are used to point guard Mike Bibby.

Bibby is what most knowledgeable basketball enthusiast would call a true point guard. Basically, he wants to pass before he shoots.

Crawford on the other hand, is pretty much the exact opposite of Bibby. Unlike Bibby, Crawford could also play the shooting guard position because he has all-around scoring ability.

He can shoot from the outside, is able to take the ball to the basket, draw contact and get to the foul line.

He can also play the shooting guard position, Johnson’s position, while he is point guard, and while they (Johnson and Crawford) are on the court at the same time.

In Atlanta’s two losses, Crawford is a combined 11-of-28 from the field, 0-of-9 from the three, and just one assist.

In their first loss of the season at Los Angeles, Johnson had a standout game. He finished with 27 points, nine rebounds, and four assists. Johnson and Bibby each went 3-of-6 from three, Crawford took five 3’s, and made zero.

He also took 14 shoots; two behind Johnson, and four more than Bibby, playing in almost seven minutes longer than Bibby.

In their four wins, the script has been played a little bit differently.

Their first game of the season, Crawford only played 11 minutes and took just three shots. His season began the next game, at home against the Washington Wizards.

In Crawford’s true debut with the Hawks, Atlanta shot a dismal .410 from the field, and 5-of-20 from the 3-pointer.

However, Crawford and Johnson went a combined 12-of-13 from the free-throw line, and the team shot an almost perfect 31-of-34 from the foul line. The Wizards only shot 22 free throws, making 14.

The free-throw line is where the Hawks got their 100-89 win over Washington.

The Hawks then went on their three-game road trip that began with an eight-point loss the Lakers. Fortunately, the Hawks got over their first loss and got ready for their next game at Portland.

It was Crawford’s night in the 97-91 win. The Hawks trailed by 10 points after the first quarter, and Johnson had a cold start.

Crawford came off the bench and ignited the Atlanta offense with 17 first half points. He would get a game-high 27 points, and seven assists. He shot .500 from the field, hit two 3’s, and went 9-of-9 from the foul line.

Bibby had a poor shooting night, going 3-of-10 from the field, 1-of-4 from long range. He and Crawford each played 34 minutes.

Johnson got his shot back in time for the second half and finished with 19 points.

After being a major catalyst for the victory over the Trailblazers, Crawford took the same effort with him to Sacramento; the final game of the road trip.

Crawford and Johnson’s 26 points tied for the team-high, while Crawford and Bibby played in 34 minutes each for the second straight game. And again, Crawford was up and Bibby was down, but a little bit better.

Bibby shot better against the Kings, but didn’t too much for his teammates with only two assists.

Crawford played well again for Atlanta. He scored 26 points and took only 15 shots. Johnson needed 22 shots to get his 26.

It was a close game and Atlanta walked away with just an eight-point victory; and the difference this time, shooting. The Hawks made more than half of their field goals, and the Kings shot a sub-par .417.

So, with the evidence given, what is the verdict? What is “killing” the Hawks?

I don’t think anything is “killing” the Hawks. I do think the addition of Crawford’s style of point guard is tampering with the offensive game-plan a little, but because Crawford is a veteran, and since the team has playoff experience, I am confident that both sides will be fitting nicely together down the road.

It will take some time, but with 76 games left, time is on the Hawks’ side.