[外電] Johnson bears burden of new role
Johnson bears burden of new role
By SEKOU SMITH
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 01/27/06
Joe Johnson's best trait as a basketball player is one that few
people get to see when he's in uniform.
Even fewer people get to hear about it, since there's a better
chance of the Hawks making the playoffs this year than there is
of Johnson starting a conversation.
Johnson's limited gift of gab is much like his understated game,
his coach said, you have to peel away the layers and observe it
for a while before developing a true appreciation for what he
brings to the party.
"Yeah, I know he's not the most talkative guy but I love what
he's given us this year," said Hawks coach Mike Woodson, who
continues to gush about his co-captain even after Johnson
struggles — he played fabulously against Cleveland Wednesday
night before committing three of his four turnovers in the fourth
quarter of a 107-96 loss. "I don't think people realize the
transition you have to make when you go from playing off the ball
to being the guy who's always got the ball in his hands. It's
rough. And Joe hasn't shied away from that. He's given us
everything he has."
Few players in the league are being asked to wear as many hats
as Johnson, who'll face his former team Friday, on Joe Johnson
Bobblehead Night, when Phoenix invades Philips Arena for the
final tilt of a seven-game homestand.
He ranks eighth in the league in minutes per game (39.6) and
turnovers (130). He leads the Hawks in scoring, assists, steals
and clutch plays made and almost made.
He's done it all while guarding the opposition's best perimeter
player most nights and suppressing his natural urge to be the
shooting guard he's been his whole life with the ball-handling
lead guard the Hawks need him to be.
"It has to be tough because you expend so much energy being the
primary ballhandler and defender and then keep everybody else
involved, score the clutch shots," Hawks point guard Royal Ivey
said. "We're asking him to do it all most nights. And when your
natural instinct is to play one way, it's hard to stray away from
what the coach asks you to do.
"Sometime you have to do what you do best and count on your
teammates to fill the void. He's a great 3-point shooter but the
ball is going to be in his hands a lot, too, so he has to figure
out when to make the right plays. It can't be easy."
Johnson is running a Hawks team that's stumbled its way to an
11-29 mark at the halfway mark of the season, with nearly
everyone still struggling to find grasp their roles on a team
full of role players.
"That's the biggest thing for us right now is guys knowing their
roles," said Johnson, who received treatment for his sore
Achilles while the Hawks wrapped up practice Thursday afternoon.
"When we play those roles, we have success. And when we don't,
we destroy our chances to win games. That's the way it's been all
year."
Note: LeBron James didn't appreciate a fan's attempt to disrupt
his concentration with a laser pointer during Wednesday's game
against the Hawks at Philips Arena.
"Those things can damage your eyes something bad," James told
the Associated Press after the game. "I was standing at the foul
line in the fourth quarter when the ref noticed a red dot near
my forehead. That's pretty serious."
An Atlanta police officer, who declined to give his name, said
law enforcement was unable to find or identify anyone shining a
laser pointer from the end zone near the Hawks' bench.
- The Associated Press contributed to this report.
原文轉載
http://www.ajc.com/hawks/content/sports/hawks/stories/0127hawks.html
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