Forman, ‘Pax’ must resist temptation to settle on Johnson

I’ve always said that Joe Johnson is a victim of his own name.

The often overlooked wing has made four straight All-Star appearances and averaged over 20 points a game since 2005-2006, yet he is rarely among the names floated in the conversation of the league’s top wings.

Blame his traditionally unsuccessful teams, his soft-spoken nature, or, if you’re like me, his Witness Protection Program name.

Regardless if the relative anonymity is due, this column has one request to Mr. Johnson (if that is your real name). Please don’t sign a contract with the Bulls. Sounds like a silly plea for a man that appears to fit in well with the wing-starved Bulls. He’s big (6-8, 240), he has a reputation for being a sharpshooter, and he would provide some much-needed scoring.

Not so fast. I admit I used to count myself among the NBA fans who played the “Joe Johnson is the league’s most underrated player” card in hopes of sounding enlightened. Once I examined his resume, I began to realize that it may not be his bland name or Atlanta membership keeping him from puncturing the “elite wing” conversation. Look no further than the Hawks’ abysmal four-game performance against the Magic. Truthfully, it’s far too generous to call it a performance. More like debacle. And at the center of it all? Mr. Johnson.

While Dwight Howard was making arena technicians cringe with rim-rattling alley-oop after alley-oop, the man charged with providing the Hawks with a consistent scoring threat was nowhere to be found on the other end.

12.8 points a game is all Johnson could muster against Orlando, and 14 points on 5-15 shooting in 44 minutes when his team needed it most in Game 4. Any coach around the league would tell you those numbers are unacceptable for a player like Johnson given that he isn’t able to provide his team with the non-scoring impact like LeBron can when his shot isn’t falling.

To be fair, and for those of you who choose to buy into the NCAA Tournament committee school of thought, one series shouldn’t make or break a player’s full body of work.

Listen closely, Dan Guerreros of the NBA fan base, this column will humor you. Compare the two stat lines below:

A) 21.3 ppg, 3.4 assists, 4.9 rebounds, .369 3 PT, PER 19.33
B) 20.7 ppg, 3.4 assists, 3.4 rebounds, .410 3 PT, PER 17.02

Pick which one you think fits better with the Bulls need of a scorer who can stretch defenses at the guard position.

B sound like a match made in heaven? With risk of revealing that you have in essence kissed your sister by mistake, the man behind door number two is none other than Ben Gordon (right).

These numbers are from his last season with the Bulls in 2008-2009. To think that a stat line like Johnson’s that is hardly better than Gordon’s is a worthy recipient of a max contract is, well, the kind of decision making that lands you Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva for $85 million (taking notes, Joe Dumars?)

While four letter words like Wade, Bosh, and ‘Bron dance in the heads of Bulls fans young and old, they should be writing to their local congressman to prevent Bulls GM Gar Forman for settling on Johnson should the “Big Three” sign elsewhere.

Johnson apparently matches up well with Milwaukee, evidenced by his 27.3 points a game against the Bucks this season, not a bad consolation. Such success would come in handy down the stretch as the Bulls jockey for second in the division behind the Cavaliers.

But Johnson is just that, a consolation. His underwhelming PER (the brainchild of ESPN’s John Hollinger) of 19.33 in 2009-2010 put him behind the likes of Nazr Mohammed and Corey Maggette. Forget his reputation as a long range threat, his .369 percentage from behind the arc this season would fail to solve the issue of long-range scoring.

Meanwhile, at the penthouse of the PER rankings, Bosh and Wade, the Bulls most coveted and realistic free agent signees rank No. 2 and No. 4 on the list with James at No. 1 and scoring champion Kevin Durant at No. 3.

The nail in the coffin? Johnson’s game could represent a clash with the Bulls’ offense. To quote Hollinger, “(Johnson) often initiates the Hawks' offense while the point guard spots up on the weak side.” If the statistical comparison to Ben Gordon didn’t alarm Bulls fans, than this scouting report should. If there’s one thing Derrick Rose made clear in his breakout second season, it’s that he is best with the ball in his hands. Mike Bibby may be able to play second fiddle to Johnson as he creates shots (which, by all accounts, is on of Johnson’s strengths), but putting Johnson in the same backcourt with Rose could either A) neutralize Rose’s impact on the game or B) neutralize Johnson’s impact, a la the Orlando series.

Dwayne Wade figures to provide a similar effect in the Bulls’ offense. As one of the elite players in the game, he would expect to take full control of the offense. This would give the Bulls a great player at a position they already have a near-great talent at. Think of it as the sweet and salty factor. Wade represents the chocolate bar to Rose’s caramel apple. Both are spectacular in their sweetness, but to eat a caramel apple along with a Milky Way would be to significantly lower the impact of the caramel apple. Enter Bosh, Mr. Salty in this scenario. Bosh is a 6-10 scoring monster who gives defenders fits in the paint despite his wiry frame. He would give the Bulls the low post scoring threat they have lacked since, well Bob Love, and should be the No. 1 priority of Forman and Co. Having Bosh in the lineup would do little harm to Rose’s production, as the team would be ill-advised to double down the post and Rose on the wing, whereas it would be easier to hound Rose and Wade if they are both on the perimeter.

Whatever happens this offseason, hope that the Bulls brass has the guts to wait another year to strike should Wade, Bosh, or James, be beyond their reach. Another year of eight place finishes followed by the signing of Carmelo Anthony or Kevin Durant would be much more palatable than five years of paying Joe Johnson to play a role he isn’t cut out for.