Re: Suns playing Joe Johnson at PG - HOOPSWORLD (Ravi)

[CeltsSteve@xxxxxxx]

Point Guards Come and Go

Word out of Phoenix is that the Suns are going to use former Celtic swingman Joe Johnson as a point guard at times this upcoming season. While this talk started at the end of last season when newly minted head coach Frank Johnson took one look at the 6'7", 225 pound swingman's game and saw point guard written all over him, the Suns waited until the off-season to make an official announcement.  In any event, moving the soft spoken, multi-skilled player to the one, even if it's not on a fulltime basis, is a solid move for the Suns as current point guard Stephon  Marbury is much more suited for the shooting guard position. Mainly because he really likes to shoot.  Johnson?  He could care less really and seems to be just as happy finding open teammates to launch shots.  Sound like a true point guard?  You bet. 

Of course, one needs the prerequisite skills to play the position and Johnson absolutely does not fail in this regard. He may be raw at times and may make the incorrect decision on the break more often than not as he learns to run an NBA team, but the young man has the skills and most importantly the high basketball IQ necessary to play the position.  He's got great handle, court vision, and outstanding natural ability to draw defenders and dish to open teammates. He's got a sweet shooting stroke to boot and can rebound in a pinch. And the advantages of being able to rebound at that position cannot be overstated.  

Former Celtic great Larry Bird often stated the reason he loved Antoine Walker's game was because when you find a player capable of getting the defensive rebound on one end and then taking it coast to coast and finishing on the other end, you have a special player.  Not many in the NBA are capable of doing that consistently and it is one of the qualities that separates a good player from a great player.  Joe Johnson has the ability to take it coast to coast, at will mind you. 

This is not to say that Johnson is going to make Phoenix fans forget they had the league's premier point guard on the roster just two seasons ago. Johnson is not Jason Kidd and will never be.  However, given time, which the Suns have as they retool the team with a youthful core that includes the former University of Arkansas product, and star in waiting Amare Stoudemire, not to mention Shawn Marion, Johnson will develop into an above average point guard in the league. Think future here. Think three years out for the player who just turned 21 years old on June 29th.    

Which is not something that Chris Wallace and the Celtics did when they traded Johnson and this summer's first round pick along with salary cap throw ins Milt Palacio and Randy Brown for Rodney Rogers and Tony Delk near the trade deadline last season. Of course, at the time, the Celtics made a good decision in trading for Rogers specifically as he was one of the main reasons the Celtics reached the Eastern Conference Finals, but the fact that Rogers bolted for New Jersey means that trade now stands as Joe Johnson and a number one draft pick for reserve guard Tony Delk.  Ouch. Luxury tax be damned. 

In all practicality, Johnson probably would not have fit in Boston even if he did develop the point guard skills he seems to naturally possess. He is a player projected to play best with the ball in his hands working defenses to find open shots for teammates. In the case of the Celtics, Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker dominate the ball and a player of Johnson's multifaceted skills get lost as he gets sort of reduced to a Craig Hodges have-to-be. You know, that player that waits patiently at the three point line for the kickout from the star players, in his case Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, and then launches the wide open three.  No, Johnson was not that type of player and at times seemed quite frustrated by head coach Jim O'Brien's insistence that he become so. Shammond Williams and rookie JR Bremer? Their style is more suited to the Celtics system and rest assured there will be no issues with either of them launching threes. - RS