The real Joe Johnson.....
Hi Cav fans.
I'm a longtime Razorback fan and love to watch the Suns. I've been lurking the Cav forums because of the interest in Joe Johnson.
I haven't seen this forum before. But since it is the only Cavs-only forum I have found, I'd like to say a few things about JJ.
I've noticed on the other forums that there is alot of misconceptions regarding JJ and his RFA situation. I guess since the Suns haven't been on TV much there isn't much to go on except heresay and boxscores. So I'd like to give my opinions.
I want JJ to stay with the Suns, but that seems unlikely if Redd is staying in MIL. So if he leaves I hope it is to the Cavs, because I think he would fit like a glove.
The Sun's owner, Robert Sarver, has stated many times that he intends to turn a profit (he is one of the "poorest" NBA owners). With 3 All-Stars already making (or will make as with Amaré) $10 million+ per year, that likely can't be done if another team offered him a huge contract-despite the Sun's brass saying they consider re-signing him a top priority. They haven't taken the hard stance of saying they will match any offer, as seems to be the perception.
Anyway, here's my take on JJ:
He didn't seem to fit O'Brien's system in Boston (how many teams are going to get screwed by that coach and his unbendable system, anyway?) and they traded him and a 2nd round pick for Tony Delk and Rodney Rodgers. In the Suns' system, he struggled playing with Marbury, sometimes being used only when perimeter defense was needed. But if you watched the games it was easy to figure out why: Marbury would dribble around, then dribble some more, then either took a shot or passed it to a teamate to take a shot with the shotclock winding down. Since JJ isn't a catch-and-release shooter, he struggled to get a good shot off too often. Couple that with the fact that he shared minutes with Penny Hardaway, he never got into a groove. He is a pure shooter, so he needed minutes to get into sync. The proof to this is that directly after Marbury and Hardaway were traded, he got his minutes for the 1st time in his pro career-and played like an All-Star.
Check out the boxscores from last year. As the Sun's primary scoring option (Amare was out until the very end of the year-so it ws JJ, Marion, Lampe, Barbosa, and Voskul-some lineup, huh?) he put up around 22/5/5 & ~50% FG for the remainder of the year. Or until Amare returned, which seem to throw everything off.
And check out his numbers in the games from this year when Nash was out. Everybody elses' numbers declined, while his improved. He isn't as dependant to Nash as people think.
He has played PG sporadically throughout his career, but the most has been the past 25 games or so. It worked great for the Suns, since he was able to hold or increase leads. That's something Barbosa was struggling with all year.
He has been a whopping 53% 3pt shooter the past 29 games. I don't understand when people try to qualify his 3pt % by saying he is set up by Nash. Does anybody think Hoiberg, Kerr, or Paxson shot many contested 3's?
He shoots 70% from the corners. So does Hoiberg (although far fewer)-its a shorter distance to the basket.
He is very fluid and gets open seemingly when he wants. His runner in the lane is the best in the NBA, hands down. Nobody his size comes close.
His listed height of 6'7" is off. He grew an inch his rookie year. Check him out when he stands next to Stoudemire (who is 6'8"½ without shoes). His weight of 230 is definately off. He is quite a bit bigger than his rookie season. He is easily 240. That is one big PG/SG/SF.
His defense is either underrated or overrated, depending on who is doing the rating. He has incredible stamina that allows him to chase his man all game long. And at his size and athleticism, that makes him a very good defender. But he hasn't learned all the tricks the great defenders know. He just takes pride in defending and working on both ends. He sometimes has trouble shedding screens. Someday he will be a great defender,IMO.
He never misses practice and will never,
ever be a cancer. He just doesn't have the makeup to demand the ball or a leadership role.
He is painfully shy off-court. When he was a sophomore at Arkansas a reporter once asked him if the rumors that he was going pro were true. He excused himself by saying he would be right back, then got in his car and drove to Little Rock to ask his mom how to deal with those situations. He's gotten much better with the media since then, but he is still a bit nervous on-camera.
Despite his shyness, he is very confident on-court. It has been a life-long sanctuary for him. He even engages in trash talking to the man he is defending at times, although he'll never get that reputation.
I don't know why he is called the 4th scoring option on his team. Plays are run for Amaré 1st and JJ 2nd. No plays are run for Marion and Nash is pass-first. So I don't know where that comes from (unless people are thinking 3 all-stars make him the fourth option)
And he never hogs the ball or shoots too much. He enjoys making the extra pass and is constantly improving his game. He just seems like the ideal running mate for LeBron.
Well that's all I can think of.
