Lou Williams joining the Hawks

[fatboy11]

Joe's problem now is that his footspeed is gone. His ability to create his own shot is far more limited now than before. He needs to play with a point guard like Williams who can create shots for him.

The Hawks are going with younger players who can run up and down, which Joe can't do anymore. Teague, Williams, Harris, Morrow, Jenkins can get up and down, which is what we need.

No disagreement there. I know the Hawks needed to move on. I knew giving Joe that contract was a bad idea, but at the same time, that's pretty much the only way they can get good players to play for them - overpay for guys they already have. No good free agents want to go to ATL, so they have to keep what they have if they're anywhere near being as good as Joe Johnson. I think it's a good move to start over, though.

[hawksdogsbraves]

Joe is five full years removed from his best season. His game is clearly on a precipitous decline, and I never in a million years thought a team would be dumb enough to take on the rest of that contract for a guy who is worth maybe half what he's paid.

That's really irrelevant in this discussion, the point is that I love the Lou Williams signing, and I think he'll give us a scoring punch that we desperately needed in the backcourt with Joe gone.

[CLTHornets4eva]

I'm not saying Williams is or is not a good signing. I'm saying it's ridiculous to hold him up to Joe Johnson and suggest there isn't a drop off in production or quality. Add to that the fact that you'd have to compare Lou Williams' career year to Joe Johnson's worst year as a Hawk to even come close.

Holding Joe Johnson up to prime Joe Johnson is rediculous and suggest there isn't a drop off in production or quality and there won't CONTINUE TO BE A FURTHER DROP. Add the increasing contract from Joe and compare any future career year to his worst year with the Hawks and it doesn't come close.

If your discounting his value and also discounting his future production your only speaking of the past accomplishments that Joe had - which no one is debating, and thus not really argueing anything at all.

[fatboy11]

Holding Joe Johnson up to prime Joe Johnson is rediculous and suggest there isn't a drop off in production or quality and there won't CONTINUE TO BE A FURTHER DROP. Add the increasing contract from Joe and compare any future career year to his worst year with the Hawks and it doesn't come close.

If your discounting his value and also discounting his future production your only speaking of the past accomplishments that Joe had - which no one is debating, and thus not really argueing anything at all.

Go back and read my posts before you roll your eyes. I've already talked about what I think will happen in Brooklyn.

I never once suggested there wasn't a drop off in production or quality.

Declining Joe Johnson still is better than Lou Williams. That's the whole reason I stepped into this argument. People were acting like Lou Williams is equal to Joe Johnson and that just isn't true. Even a declining Joe Johnson brings more to the table than Lou Williams does.

[CLTHornets4eva]

Even a declining Joe Johnson brings more to the table than Lou Williams does.

Once again not weighing value of contract compared to production.

[fatboy11]

Once again not weighing value of contract compared to production.

We're arguing two different things.

I never said Lou Williams wasn't a good value for his contract.

[CLTHornets4eva]

We're arguing two different things.

I never said Lou Williams wasn't a good value for his contract.

All your saying is Joe Johnson is slightly better, which in the scheme of building a team doesn't really mean anything anymore.

[fatboy11]

All your saying is Joe Johnson is slightly better, which in the scheme of building a team doesn't really mean anything anymore.

I am not saying he is slightly better.

What does building a team have to do with anything?

[CLTHornets4eva]

I am not saying he is slightly better.

What does building a team have to do with anything?

That's a clown question bro.


From the perspective of adding Lou Will and dropping Joe, it has everything to do with team building.

[Hotlantadude81]

Wait a minute. Hawks fans really thinking playoffs with that current roster? I thought Ferry trading Johnson and Williams away made it clear that they are rebuilding.

Unless they land Dwight, I hope they don't. But I wouldn't rule it out. The east is shit. Their current team could push 40 wins and make 8 seed. Their current team isn't as bad as they need to be if they hope to get a top draft pick. Maybe he hasn't been at that level in a couple of years, but Harris/Smith and Horford are basically they low tier all star level players. That plus a couple of shooters, and some health could be enough to get in.

[Hotlantadude81]

Give Ferry a little credit. He's not done making moves, and he's not just going to run a mediocre team out there to battle for the 8 seed. He's going to try for Dwight and if that falls through I think you'll see the Hawks blow it up (read: trade Josh Smith) and rebuild around Horford.

You've been saying all along (just like every other Hawk fan) that the previous iteration of the Hawks was a second round team at best and that Marvin and Joe needed to go. Well that's happened, so if anything you should be excited about the direction Ferry is taking the team.

It would be foolish not to at least take a shot at Dwight, until he is moved you won't see the Hawks do anything.

What I'm worried is that Ferry will fail to hand Howard, and they'll try to make the playoffs and build from there with cap space and 2 mediocre first rounders.