http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/...es/MYSA112005.14C.COL.BKNmonroe.26329b10.html Mike Monroe: $20 mil can't buy contentment San Antonio Express-News Watch guard Joe Johnson struggling through any of the winless Hawks' games, and his body language screams: "What did I get myself into?" On the other hand, watch French-born power forward Boris Diaw sprinting, rebounding, passing and scoring for the Phoenix Suns, and his body language says: C'est magnifique! Diaw was the player the Hawks tossed the Suns' way in order to accommodate a sign-and-trade deal that allowed Johnson to optimize his free agent deal after he opted to sign an offer sheet with the Hawks in August. Through a quirk of the NBA schedule, both players visited the SBC Center last week. The looks on their faces and that telltale body language left little doubt who is happiest with his situation. Johnson's words before Tuesday's Spurs-Hawks game were almost apologetic. Asked if he recalled the last time he had played at the SBC Center, in the Suns' Game 4 victory in the Western Conference finals, he said: "When I walked in the arena today, I thought, 'When was the last game I played here?' And after a second or two, I remembered. But that's all in the past. It's a new era, a new team, and I'm a new person." A very wealthy new person, to be sure. His front-loaded contract is worth about $20million this season. But Johnson already has confided to some that the Atlanta experience has gotten him down. Meanwhile, the Suns have made Diaw feel so welcome, he actually is interacting with his NBA teammates for the first time since entering the league in 2003. "Boris is very, very happy now," said Spurs point guard Tony Parker, one of Diaw's closest friends. "It's the first time he's talked to his teammates. He feels the confidence his coach has in him. They give him the ball, and he's got a lot of freedom. (Mike) D'Antoni coached in Europe, so he knows how Boris wants to play. He's just playing free-minded, and it can make a big difference in a player when you play with confidence." When the Suns made a trade that D'Antoni knew had robbed him of one of his best players, he knew the rap on Diaw: too passive to take advantage of size; strength and quickness rarely seen. But what D'Antoni discovered was a player who had been waiting for an opportunity to play a free-flowing game. In other words, Diaw was perfect for the game the Suns play. And he was bigger than advertised, measuring 6-foot-9 and weighing in at 240. As fate would have it, he was the perfect player to plug into the vacancy created when Amare Stoudemire had to have knee surgery that will keep him sidelined until February at the earliest. The Suns are working hard to help Diaw improve his perimeter shooting, His lack of confidence from that range is something he shares with his good friend from Paris. "The biggest thing right now," D'Antoni said, "is not questioning whether or not he shoots. Let him be Boris Diaw. Where we're playing him, at the 4 and 5, is his natural position. Yeah, he has to get a little bigger and stronger to defend guys like Tim Duncan, but he is 6-9 and 240, and we think he can be a good 4 in this league." Diaw missed a triple-double in the Suns' third game of the season, at Utah, by a single rebound, and went into Saturday's game against the Spurs averaging 9.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists. D'Antoni believes he will record several triple-doubles this season and eventually become "a consistent triple-double type of guy," especially when he learns how to finish better on drives to the basket. He might want to consult Parker about that. For now, Diaw is just happy to be out of Atlanta and into a more positive situation. "I think the situation here is all different," he said. "I'm playing, and maybe my teammates see me as someone who can really help the team. I feel that trust, and I trust them, too. It's amazing how everybody on this team has the same goal. There are no personal goals, no complaining. Everybody just wants to win and go to the playoffs. "It's so different when you start losing so many games. It's really tough. Even when players have good intentions, they try to save the team by themselves. They try but maybe not in a good way. And then, when you lose so much, maybe you just try to get something for yourself so you can get something out of it, because you are losing so much." That's what Johnson is going to face in Atlanta all season, and why not even $20million can keep his body language from speaking volumes about his state of mind on the basketball court. Moral of the story: Be careful what you wish for.
he has no one to blame but himself. he is the one who put big $$$ before winning and signed the contract.
If he really cared about 'winning' more than 'money', he would have stuck it out in Phoenix. However, since he made the smart long-term decision of securing his financial future over winning, he should be more than content with the situation he's in now. He's still a young guy, and he'll have enough time after his current contract is up to ride the bench/start for a playoff team.
What a dumb ass. He might the single most stupidest guy in the NBA. Phoenix offered him the money and the opportunity to win, but yet he chose the Hawks because he wanted to be "da man". Freakin loser.
you had to know when you sign with atlanta you are going to LOSE.....what a moron. you wanted the cash and you got it. why are you upset, because if you really did care about winning you wouldn't have signed with the flippin' HAWKS!!!!!
Right on the "money". For players that haven't won a championship, money is 99% of the equation. Like JJ, players like to use "respect" (or lack thereof) as the reason they didn't take the lesser money from the better team. What JJ better be careful of is his body language and public statements. Hawks' fans are glad to have him but if his body language starts drooping and he doesn't lay it on the line every single game, they could turn on him. Their roster is poorly constructed and a couple of trades could make them functional. Waiting on all of their young players to develop may not be a viable strategy. If I were them, I'd choose which ones were the true building blocks and trade the others. Mike Woodson has a very tough job this year.
I'll add my vote for dumbass of the year. you went to the damn hawks, what'd you expect? a finals bound team?
well I don't kurr about him being dumb but he's an awesome player that I would love to see play in Houston
Suprise, suprise. He must have forgotten how many players have enjoyed their time in Atlanta since the Nique days. Well boo hoo, JJ knew what he was getting himself into and took the money, now he must pay the price as well.
foodworld saw this in Boston -- this guy is the most sensitive player in the NBA. It's not so much ego, he just walks around with a perpetual "nobody likes me, everybody's mean to me" pus.
If he'd gone from the Lakers to the Hawks. I'd applaud him. Cause the Lakers have already won something. and maybe that's tell ya he wants to do something new. But Pheonix has never won anything. So he could also be the man in Pheonix if he had wanted it. But what he's learning now is it takes at least two great players and a bunch a good ones to get it done. He's got a ways to go. Marvin Williams is a good start tho'.
Well there's a surprise. I thought he was going to love it there. I have ZERO sympathy for guys that go for the money rather than the hope of winning. He got exactly what he signed up for. Good job JJ.
from what i have read there is not going to be the light at the end of the tunnel type draft this year to land another superstar..... so really they will have to suck for another two seasons, pick up a PG this year and then add Ogden after that and along the way trade one of there gizzillion swing men for another big guy
do they have cap space to offer ben wallace the max? if they do and can keep harrington i think they can have a turnaround like the clips?
The "Joe Johnson is unhappy in Atlanta" angle in the article sounds pretty trumped up. His evidence is that he's confided to some that the situation has him down. Oh, and his body language. I'm sure he said he's unhappy with losing -- who wouldn't be? -- but I seriously doubt he regrets his decision at all. Anyway, I'm happy for Diaw.
