Joe Johnson “Armadillo Cowboy” is Back to NBA
The Hawks have their top player, Joe Johnson back again. A cluster of 15,006 basketball fans at Philips Arena cheerfully received shooting guard Joe Johnson who returned
to the Atlanta Hawks’ starting lineup after missing nine games, as he recovered from surgery on his right elbow.
About an hour before the game against Charlotte Bobcats, there was no news regarding the return of Johnson into the team. Johnson’s sudden return was a great surprise for
his teammates.
“I didn't believe him at all when he told me he was going to play,” “I mean, c'mon, the man just had elbow surgery!” said Atlanta's power forward Marvin Williams.
Two-and-a-half weeks ago, Johnson had an elbow surgery and was been expected to miss four-to-six weeks, however he made an unexpected return in a match against Charlotte
Bobcats. His comeback could have major fantasy implications.
"The therapy just went great, the swelling's gone down," "I've been shooting without pain and it's been feeling great. I just didn't feel like it was necessary to wait another
two weeks and leave the guys hanging out there like that, man, when I could get out there and give them everything I've got," Johnson said.
Johnson tested the elbow in pregame warm-ups and decided he was ready to play against the Charlotte Bobcats, hoping to help the Hawks snap a two-game skid.
Finally the day came to serve his team and he provided his mates with a great win over the visiting Charlotte Bobcats at 90-85, proving how well he has recovered. He scored
a team-high of 16 points, grabbed 8 assists, and five rebounds. In addition, he drained two free throws with 24 seconds to play to help seal the seventeenth victory of the season for Hawks.
"I think our energy's been there. We've been playing hard, we've just been short-handed," "That's kind of the way it is. It happens throughout the season. We've just got
to play with what you've got," Johnson said.
While Johnson was being sidelined, the Hawks lost some ground in the standings and went 5-4 to fall three games behind streaking Miami Heat in the Southeast Division.
Johnson is quite determined after returning, as he said, "Now that it's out of the way, we can get back to playing basketball, just try to get into a rhythm as a basketball
team," "Just see what we have."
Although it is great to see Johnson back in the team, at the same time, he has many responsibilities on his shoulder regarding his shooting percentage, which has, been running
down. His usage rate is down to 25.07- - at its lowest since joining the Hawks. His minutes per game (35.6), and shot attempts (15.5) are both down from last season.
His fans are not panicking yet as they were looking for a breakthrough after his recovery, and he gave a mediocre performance considering his surgery. We are looking ahead
for some breath-taking shooting from Johnson’s end.
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