Atlanta Signs Joe Johnson to Silly Deal

The Atlanta Hawks won the sweepstakes for Joe Johnson. Regarded as a second tier free agent, who could have guess what team would snatch him up. I mean, he can't be as high on the list as guys like LeBron or D-Wade, right? Well, you sure wouldn't know that from the salary the Hawks dished out.

Johnson signed a silly-huge contract yesterday -- 6 years and $119 million -- to stay with his current squad, the Atlanta Hawks. Is there any way this deal is the right move for the Hawks? I mean, Johnson is a good player. Very good player. But this is a max deal over 6 years. He is usually the second option to Josh Smith on what is at-best a very good offense. Nothing spectacular. His 21.3 points-per-game last season is a fairly pedestrian number given the enormity of his salary. His career averages through 699 NBA games? 17.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists. Solid NBA player with better numbers since he came to ATL. He's averaged over 20 PPG every season with the Hawks. Still... 6 years at $119 million? Absurdity.

If I were a gambling man, I would put that same value of cash with a bookie on Atlanta never winning a championship this next decade. There's a fine line between spending aggressively and stupidly overspending. To me, Atlanta has committed a managerial crime of the latter form.