ORLANDO, Fla. -- No one is suggesting that the Atlanta Hawks are better off without Joe Johnson in the lineup, but this really makes you question the wisdom of giving him that six-year, $123 million contract, making him the richest free agent of the past summer.They look pretty good without him now, moving the ball, spreading the wealth, becoming a much-less predictable team.
The Hawks (14-8) are 3-1 in Johnson's absence, which is expected to last another 4-5 weeks as he recovers from elbow surgery. Included in that stretch was a 80-74 victory Monday night in Orlando, where the Hawks had lost six consecutive games (a combination of regular season and playoffs) with Johnson dominating the ball.
"We have to do things a little differently without Joe here,'' said first-year Hawks coach Larry Drew, who has been preaching a more balanced attack and sharing the ball this season, even before Johnson had left. "We're trying to get more guys involved. And that can be a good thing. We're less predictable. We miss him, but we've still got the pieces to make it work without him.''
In the Johnson-less streak, the Hawks also beat Memphis and Philadelphia. They lost at Miami Saturday night, 89-77, but they played the Heat close until the final few minutes.
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Source: http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/12/07/hawks-learning-to-win-without-joe-johnson/
Jonathan Albaladejo Andrew Brackman A.J. Burnett Steve Garrison Phil Hughes Damaso Marte
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