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A lot about Joe Johnson.
Talk NBA with John Hollinger
Welcome to The Show! On Thursday, NBA Insider John Hollinger will stop by to take your questions on Wednesday's five-team megadeal, all the latest free agency rumors and more.
Send your questions now and join John in The Show on Thursday at noon ET.
SportsNation John Hollinger: Hey everyone, let's get started...
ryan (dc): Your thoughts on Miami? Is J Will an upgrade as far as play maker over both Joneses?
SportsNation John Hollinger: This was a fantastic trade for Miami, because they traded Eddie Jones for three players who, next season, are likely to be a whole lot better, and they unloaded his contract at the same time. J-Will has many flaws, but at the end of the day he doesn't turn the ball over and find the open man. If he plays any defense at all he'll be an upgrade on DJones. Posey will be a much better stopper than Jones was. Still not sure if 'Toine is a great fit, but as long as he's better than Laettner the Heat win big. My only concerns is the Heat overpaid Walker a bit.
Jonathan(NJ): Good Afternoon, oh mighty Statistical one! If I ranked the Central Division for next year: 1)Pacers, 2)Pistons, 3)Bulls 4)Bucks, and 5)Cavs, would you argue wi
th me?
SportsNation John Hollinger: I like Cleveland third and the Bucks fourth. One thing's for sure -- the Central will be murderous this year. All five teams might make the playoffs.
Dan, WV: John, is Zaza Pachulia the only big the Hawks will go after now, or are they still interested in Curry or Chandler?
SportsNation John Hollinger: Zaza is their guy, and it appears the Bucks won't match. Pachulia is a great signing at that price. I think Curry's heart and insurance issues scared Atlanta off, and they never thought they had a shot with Chandler.
Joe (Happy Valley, Pa): With a lot of teams interested in marko Jaric, where will he end up?
SportsNation John Hollinger: Based on what the Clips are saying, it won't matter where Jaric signs because LA will match. PS, retire already Joe.
AJ Galveston Texas: Where do you think Nick Van Exel will end up? With salary caps an issue does houston, dallas, or SA have the best chance?
SportsNation John Hollinger: Van Exel lives in Houston in the offseason, so the Rockets have the upper hand.
Which brings up an interesting question: Why do so many NBA guys like Houston so much? Is there something about 107 degree summer days and sprit-breaking traffic that agrees with them? But I digress...
Joe (Atlanta): Will Harrington at the 5 work? or who will come off the bench for my hawks?
SportsNation John Hollinger: I think in the short-term Marvin Williams will come off the bench and Pachulia will play the 5. Long-term, Harrington will be somewhere else so it won't matter.
Jay (Bakersfield, CA): Can or Will the Lakers sign a big free agent that will contribute at point guard where we need major help?
SportsNation John Hollinger: here's the hang-up -- the Lakers only won't to sign guys to two-year deals. That pretty much precludes any of the coveted guards from signing with them, because they can get five years from other teams. So LA will be left with the scraps.
Kevin (Glen Rock, NJ): What did the Nets find as a "CONCERN" with Shareef's physical? Any chance this deal doesn't happen now?
SportsNation John Hollinger: Glen Rock, what's up. Give a big shout out to the giant rock in the center of town. As for Shareef, nobody is saying what was found yet. I don't see what recourse the Nets have, though. Unless they find his elbow is about to fall off they probably need to go through with the deal, because Swift is already off the market.
Andy (Madison, WI): Why aren't the Bucks matching for Zaza. It's only 4 million for 4 years. After paying Abdur-Rahim money for Gadzuric the Bucks would be crazy to let my boy ZaZa go!
SportsNation John Hollinger: Andy, I'm a bit surprised too. They don't necessarily need Zaza, but I thought they would sign and trade him rather than losing him for free, or at worst match the offer and trade him down the road.
Jeremiah (Miami Beach, FL): TRUE or FALSE? Nesterovic will be traded this summer. Also, How much will Fabricio help us at Center position?
SportsNation John Hollinger: If Nesterovic isn't traded, it won't be for lack of trying. The Spurs are in full-on "what it would take for you to leave the lot today with a Rasho Nesterovic?" mode. Oberto would probably play PF with Duncan/Mohammed moving to C when he's out there, and only play C if paired with Horry. He's really too small to play center in the NBA but he's skilled and will be another source of points.l
Michael (Boston): How have you not had a nervous breakdown? The Hawks' first major free agent "coup" is a shooting guard that you more than anyone know is overrated, since his stats are padded by an abnormally high minutes per game average. Your thoughts?
SportsNation John Hollinger: I was hoping nobody would birng that up today.
Um yes, the Johnson deal. Horrible, horrible deal for the Hawks. So not only do they have to pay Johnson about twicde what he's worth, they have to give up No. 1 picks for the right to do it. And of the two picks, one is only top-three protected in '07 and I believe its naked in '08, so they better get better fast.
michael (detroit): Is it just me or is Jerry West an idiot nowadays?
SportsNation John Hollinger: He's not an idiot, but he's getting a free pass for way too long even when his moves didn't work out. Other than two astute coaching areas, he's mostly been shooting blanks. They made this trade to dump salary in future years after Jones's deal expires, but it cost them two good players.
Code (New Orleans): John, What is your assessment of the Hornets offseason moves? Are they interested in anyone else?
SportsNation John Hollinger: Actually, I'm in the Big Easy slamming down some chickory coffee at this very moment. Loved the Bird Man signing and the Chris Paul pick and Macijauskas will really help. But I'm disappointed they haven't used all that cap space to hunt for bigger prey. I mean, getting Rasual Butler and Kirk Snyder for free is nice and all, but the Hornets have 36 mediocre small forwards already, so this really doesn't change the outlook.
Ted (Atlanta): Will this Hawks-Suns deal be completed? Or is it going to fall through? Somebody has to say something!
SportsNation John Hollinger: Apparently they're just waiting for the owners/Keystone Kops in Atlanta to approve the deal. It will happen, unfortunately.
Joe Dumars (Detroit, MI): John! Help me out here! I'm in a standstill since I lost Larry Brown and I haven't even attempted to sign any free agents! The rest of the East is making moves, but I'm just too scarred after losing my big time coach. Snap me out of it and give me some advice!
SportsNation John Hollinger: Joe, my guess is that you're waiting aroudn for a reason. Like, you want to see who comes available in the amnesty deals before you start dropping that midlevel exception money.
Dan (WV): John, why do you think Johnson is so over-rated? Do you not think his numbers would have been better had he not been the 4th option on offense? I do agree his playmaking skills are over-rated.
SportsNation John Hollinger: Not better, different. Johnson wasn't the fourth option the year before, and the results were what you'd predict: More points, lower shooting percentage, especially on 3s. He'll probably revert to that in Atlanta. As far as his playmaking, putting Johnson at point compeltely wasted the transition skills of Childress and Smith. Hawks would be better off with a guy that can push the ball.
Ryan: (Chicago, IL): So you think the Bulls will finish last in the Central this year? I say second or third barring any injuries.
SportsNation John Hollinger: Let's be clear: They could win 45 games and still finish last in that division. Teams that improve sharply in one season tend to bounce back a bit the next, so it wouldn't surprise me at all to see Chicago drop from 47 wins to something in the 42-45 range.
A.I. (Philly): Any chance Billy King will go after Michael Finley if he is released to help me and Webber?
SportsNation John Hollinger: Probably not. This is where the Korver and Green signings kill Philly -- they could have gotten somebody better for their full midlevel,but now they probably can't use it because they're right at the tax line (after they cut McKie). Not that they had a chance at Finley anyway, but a few other guys really could have helped.
Adam (Hartford, CT): Can you see any team that would take on Blount and Banks off the celtics hands?
SportsNation John Hollinger: Not many, I could see Memphis getting interested in that kind of package though.
Brian (Fairfax, VA): John, Are the Wizards done for the off-season? Do they have any cap room remaining?
SportsNation John Hollinger: Nobody is ever really "done" in the free-agent market. The Wizards, for instande, still have their low-level exception and then can sign players for the minimum ad infinitum. But as far as MAJOR moves, yes they're done. Daniels used up their whole MLE and they're not under the cap.
Scott (Albuquerque, NM): What will the Suns do with the trade exception after the deal? They still have holes to fill. And how much will it be? There were some rumors it would be more then the 4.9 Originally reported.
SportsNation John Hollinger: That trade exception is a huge reason this deal makes sense for Phoenix. I imagine they'll hang on to it until the trade deadline and then figure out what they need, but they could end up getting somebody nearly as good as JJ with it for a fraction of the price.
Kobe (Los Angeles, CA): Will Kwame and Lamar Odom help me win this year? Or will we be another lottery team? Thanks
SportsNation John Hollinger: Kobe, I think you're heading back to the lottery, although you'll stay close enough to .500 to make things respectable.
SportsNation John Hollinger: Folks, that's all the time I have. Thanks for all the questions and we'll do it again soon.
Talk NBA with John Hollinger
Welcome to The Show! On Thursday, NBA Insider John Hollinger will stop by to take your questions on Wednesday's five-team megadeal, all the latest free agency rumors and more.
Send your questions now and join John in The Show on Thursday at noon ET.
SportsNation John Hollinger: Hey everyone, let's get started...
ryan (dc): Your thoughts on Miami? Is J Will an upgrade as far as play maker over both Joneses?
SportsNation John Hollinger: This was a fantastic trade for Miami, because they traded Eddie Jones for three players who, next season, are likely to be a whole lot better, and they unloaded his contract at the same time. J-Will has many flaws, but at the end of the day he doesn't turn the ball over and find the open man. If he plays any defense at all he'll be an upgrade on DJones. Posey will be a much better stopper than Jones was. Still not sure if 'Toine is a great fit, but as long as he's better than Laettner the Heat win big. My only concerns is the Heat overpaid Walker a bit.
Jonathan(NJ): Good Afternoon, oh mighty Statistical one! If I ranked the Central Division for next year: 1)Pacers, 2)Pistons, 3)Bulls 4)Bucks, and 5)Cavs, would you argue wi
th me?
SportsNation John Hollinger: I like Cleveland third and the Bucks fourth. One thing's for sure -- the Central will be murderous this year. All five teams might make the playoffs.
Dan, WV: John, is Zaza Pachulia the only big the Hawks will go after now, or are they still interested in Curry or Chandler?
SportsNation John Hollinger: Zaza is their guy, and it appears the Bucks won't match. Pachulia is a great signing at that price. I think Curry's heart and insurance issues scared Atlanta off, and they never thought they had a shot with Chandler.
Joe (Happy Valley, Pa): With a lot of teams interested in marko Jaric, where will he end up?
SportsNation John Hollinger: Based on what the Clips are saying, it won't matter where Jaric signs because LA will match. PS, retire already Joe.
AJ Galveston Texas: Where do you think Nick Van Exel will end up? With salary caps an issue does houston, dallas, or SA have the best chance?
SportsNation John Hollinger: Van Exel lives in Houston in the offseason, so the Rockets have the upper hand.
Which brings up an interesting question: Why do so many NBA guys like Houston so much? Is there something about 107 degree summer days and sprit-breaking traffic that agrees with them? But I digress...
Joe (Atlanta): Will Harrington at the 5 work? or who will come off the bench for my hawks?
SportsNation John Hollinger: I think in the short-term Marvin Williams will come off the bench and Pachulia will play the 5. Long-term, Harrington will be somewhere else so it won't matter.
Jay (Bakersfield, CA): Can or Will the Lakers sign a big free agent that will contribute at point guard where we need major help?
SportsNation John Hollinger: here's the hang-up -- the Lakers only won't to sign guys to two-year deals. That pretty much precludes any of the coveted guards from signing with them, because they can get five years from other teams. So LA will be left with the scraps.
Kevin (Glen Rock, NJ): What did the Nets find as a "CONCERN" with Shareef's physical? Any chance this deal doesn't happen now?
SportsNation John Hollinger: Glen Rock, what's up. Give a big shout out to the giant rock in the center of town. As for Shareef, nobody is saying what was found yet. I don't see what recourse the Nets have, though. Unless they find his elbow is about to fall off they probably need to go through with the deal, because Swift is already off the market.
Andy (Madison, WI): Why aren't the Bucks matching for Zaza. It's only 4 million for 4 years. After paying Abdur-Rahim money for Gadzuric the Bucks would be crazy to let my boy ZaZa go!
SportsNation John Hollinger: Andy, I'm a bit surprised too. They don't necessarily need Zaza, but I thought they would sign and trade him rather than losing him for free, or at worst match the offer and trade him down the road.
Jeremiah (Miami Beach, FL): TRUE or FALSE? Nesterovic will be traded this summer. Also, How much will Fabricio help us at Center position?
SportsNation John Hollinger: If Nesterovic isn't traded, it won't be for lack of trying. The Spurs are in full-on "what it would take for you to leave the lot today with a Rasho Nesterovic?" mode. Oberto would probably play PF with Duncan/Mohammed moving to C when he's out there, and only play C if paired with Horry. He's really too small to play center in the NBA but he's skilled and will be another source of points.l
Michael (Boston): How have you not had a nervous breakdown? The Hawks' first major free agent "coup" is a shooting guard that you more than anyone know is overrated, since his stats are padded by an abnormally high minutes per game average. Your thoughts?
SportsNation John Hollinger: I was hoping nobody would birng that up today.
Um yes, the Johnson deal. Horrible, horrible deal for the Hawks. So not only do they have to pay Johnson about twicde what he's worth, they have to give up No. 1 picks for the right to do it. And of the two picks, one is only top-three protected in '07 and I believe its naked in '08, so they better get better fast.
michael (detroit): Is it just me or is Jerry West an idiot nowadays?
SportsNation John Hollinger: He's not an idiot, but he's getting a free pass for way too long even when his moves didn't work out. Other than two astute coaching areas, he's mostly been shooting blanks. They made this trade to dump salary in future years after Jones's deal expires, but it cost them two good players.
Code (New Orleans): John, What is your assessment of the Hornets offseason moves? Are they interested in anyone else?
SportsNation John Hollinger: Actually, I'm in the Big Easy slamming down some chickory coffee at this very moment. Loved the Bird Man signing and the Chris Paul pick and Macijauskas will really help. But I'm disappointed they haven't used all that cap space to hunt for bigger prey. I mean, getting Rasual Butler and Kirk Snyder for free is nice and all, but the Hornets have 36 mediocre small forwards already, so this really doesn't change the outlook.
Ted (Atlanta): Will this Hawks-Suns deal be completed? Or is it going to fall through? Somebody has to say something!
SportsNation John Hollinger: Apparently they're just waiting for the owners/Keystone Kops in Atlanta to approve the deal. It will happen, unfortunately.
Joe Dumars (Detroit, MI): John! Help me out here! I'm in a standstill since I lost Larry Brown and I haven't even attempted to sign any free agents! The rest of the East is making moves, but I'm just too scarred after losing my big time coach. Snap me out of it and give me some advice!
SportsNation John Hollinger: Joe, my guess is that you're waiting aroudn for a reason. Like, you want to see who comes available in the amnesty deals before you start dropping that midlevel exception money.
Dan (WV): John, why do you think Johnson is so over-rated? Do you not think his numbers would have been better had he not been the 4th option on offense? I do agree his playmaking skills are over-rated.
SportsNation John Hollinger: Not better, different. Johnson wasn't the fourth option the year before, and the results were what you'd predict: More points, lower shooting percentage, especially on 3s. He'll probably revert to that in Atlanta. As far as his playmaking, putting Johnson at point compeltely wasted the transition skills of Childress and Smith. Hawks would be better off with a guy that can push the ball.
Ryan: (Chicago, IL): So you think the Bulls will finish last in the Central this year? I say second or third barring any injuries.
SportsNation John Hollinger: Let's be clear: They could win 45 games and still finish last in that division. Teams that improve sharply in one season tend to bounce back a bit the next, so it wouldn't surprise me at all to see Chicago drop from 47 wins to something in the 42-45 range.
A.I. (Philly): Any chance Billy King will go after Michael Finley if he is released to help me and Webber?
SportsNation John Hollinger: Probably not. This is where the Korver and Green signings kill Philly -- they could have gotten somebody better for their full midlevel,but now they probably can't use it because they're right at the tax line (after they cut McKie). Not that they had a chance at Finley anyway, but a few other guys really could have helped.
Adam (Hartford, CT): Can you see any team that would take on Blount and Banks off the celtics hands?
SportsNation John Hollinger: Not many, I could see Memphis getting interested in that kind of package though.
Brian (Fairfax, VA): John, Are the Wizards done for the off-season? Do they have any cap room remaining?
SportsNation John Hollinger: Nobody is ever really "done" in the free-agent market. The Wizards, for instande, still have their low-level exception and then can sign players for the minimum ad infinitum. But as far as MAJOR moves, yes they're done. Daniels used up their whole MLE and they're not under the cap.
Scott (Albuquerque, NM): What will the Suns do with the trade exception after the deal? They still have holes to fill. And how much will it be? There were some rumors it would be more then the 4.9 Originally reported.
SportsNation John Hollinger: That trade exception is a huge reason this deal makes sense for Phoenix. I imagine they'll hang on to it until the trade deadline and then figure out what they need, but they could end up getting somebody nearly as good as JJ with it for a fraction of the price.
Kobe (Los Angeles, CA): Will Kwame and Lamar Odom help me win this year? Or will we be another lottery team? Thanks
SportsNation John Hollinger: Kobe, I think you're heading back to the lottery, although you'll stay close enough to .500 to make things respectable.
SportsNation John Hollinger: Folks, that's all the time I have. Thanks for all the questions and we'll do it again soon.
