Joe Johnson Lacks TigerBlood

This is more of a vent than a blog. I'm thoroughly disgusted in the Atlanta Hawks. I'm even more disgusted in Joe Johnson. I just spent two of the past three nights at Philips Arena. Last Sunday it felt more like Madison Square Garden with seemingly 75% of the crowd cheering for the Knicks. And Tuesday night was Staples Center South as most of the fans cheered on Lakers.

I'm so beyond frustrated that I don't even blame those fans. They came out to see superstar players. Guys like Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudamire and Kobe Bryant. The Hawks do not have a superstar. They have superstar contracts.

I hate to beat a dead horse, but Joe Johnson is the main reason this franchise is screwed. Sunday night vs the Knicks Joe Johnson had 14 points. Some dude named Landry Fields of the Knicks had 15 points. Landy Fields makes $473,000 this season. Joe Johnson makes $16 million this season. I wasn't an economics major at USC and even i know one team isn't getting a proper return on their investment while the other one is. Tuesday night vs. the Lakers Joe Johnson had 11 points on 4 for 14 shooting. That's one more point than Damien Wilkins. He makes $225,000 this season. Joe Johnson is a lifeless, emotionless, leaderless, overpaid guard with no killer instinct. He floats around the court like a bench player just trying to blend in and not screw up. The Hawks should have let Joe walk, blown this whole thing up and signed some run of the mill guard that can average 17 to 18 points per game, which is basically what Joe gives you. He's really no different than Jason Richardson, Stephen Jackson, Kevin Martin. The only difference is those guys probably play with a lot more emotion for less money.

This Joe Johnson contract is the worst contract this city has ever seen. Its more than just the actual numbers. He isn't an 'attraction' to the fan base. There isn't one fan in this city or any other NBA city that is paying money to go see Joe Johnson play basketball. $124 Million Dollar contracts are for guys that create a buzz when they walk on to the court in an arena. They get your heart pumping as a fan. Joe Johnson flat lines. Joe Johnson is a supporting actor forced to play the leading man -- and his body language suggests that makes him very uncomfortable.

As for some of the other Hawks - it's really simple. I've said it before, Jeff Teague is the type of player who wouldn't be on an NBA roster if he weren't on the Hawks. This is a 1st round draft pick. I will never forget watching Ty Lawson being selected one pick ahead of the Hawks on that night. Josh Smith - I'm really getting tired of that permanent sour look on his face. I would start with him as a trade piece if I were the Hawks. Marvin Williams - he isn't even worth discussing. For $35 million he will average 10 points and 3 fall downs per game.

The Hawks are stuck with this roster at least for the rest of this season. The Atlanta Spirit are like that group of guys who run up an large bar tab (bad contracts) and then skip out on the bill (sell the team.). I truly believe, until they can find a taker who sees Joe Johnson as their missing piece to get over the hump, and can afford his contract, the Hawks will be relegated to mediocre in the East.