Joe Johnson said he will not sign a contract extension

So when Hawks captain Joe Johnson said he will not sign a contract extension and will play out the final year of his contract this season, it's strictly a business-of-basketball decision for the three-time All-Star.

"My sole focus right now is on this team and what we're trying to accomplish this season," Johnson said. "I have some goals set for this season for my team, and I have some individual goals set for myself as well. I really feel like I can be one of the elite players in this league, and it's going to be an exciting year."

Johnson, 28, will be an unrestricted free agent next summer, joining a deep and talented free-agent group that is headlined by reigning league MVP LeBron James and includes All-Stars Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

The Hawks made a four-year, $60-plus million contract offer to Johnson this summer, but Johnson said that he decided not to sign the extension after mulling it over during the offseason. However, anyone concluding that his decision not to sign is any reflection of his feeling toward his teammates or the franchise would be sorely mistaken.

"Like every other man in that locker room, I'm all in for my team," Johnson said. "I don't have any doubts that we're set for a big year, and that's all I care about. We've all worked hard to get to this point, and we're trying to get over that hump this season."

Johnson applauded the franchise's offseason moves, the re-signing of starters Marvin Williams and Mike Bibby and backup center Zaza Pachulia as well as the addition of veterans Joe Smith, Jamal Crawford and Jason Collins and the drafting of rookie point guard Jeff Teague.

"I think with the young nucleus we have with Josh [Smith], Al [Horford] and Marvin and Mike running the show, the sky is the limit for us," Johnson said. "Each year we've gotten better. And I look forward to those guys continuing to improve and our team making more strides as time goes on."

Tuesday's first practice of training camp ended like most every other practice the Hawks had since Johnson arrived from Phoenix in August 2005. Johnson was one of the last players to leave the floor. He stayed on the practice court for an hour, caught up in an ultra-competitive 3-point-shooting contest with Bibby, Crawford and free agents Mike Wilks and Frank Robinson.

Hawks coach Mike Woodson, who also is in the final year of his contract, said Johnson's contract is the least of his worries.

"You can't worry about it," Woodson said. "It is what it is. He had an option to sign or not sign. Just about every other guy on this roster has been in a similar situation in his career before, and you still have to play no matter what your contract situation is."

Woodson pointed out Johnson's service record with the Hawks as proof that no one needs to concern themselves with what will motivate his All-Star this season.

"Joe's been such a big part of the growth and movement we've made as a franchise, so I wouldn’t expect anything but his best as always," Woodson said. "He's not going to let up, I promise you that. We talked about it at our [team dinner Monday]. This team means a lot to him, and we've got some goals that we've set that we all want to accomplish. There's a time and a place for the business that he'll have to deal with. And that's later. But that's not anyone's concern but his. And it should stay that way."

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Phil Pressey gives oral commitment to MU

Point guard Phil Pressey has given Missouri an oral commitment in basketball, multiple sources have told The Star and PowerMizzou.com, an Internet site on the Rivals network.
Pressey, rated the No. 54 overall player in the nation by Rivals for the 2010 recruiting class and No. 13 in the nation among point guards, was not immediately available for comment. He was believed on his way back to Texas after taking an official visit to Missouri during the weekend.
Pressey, a 5-foot-10 senior at the Episcopal School of Dallas, has long been at the top of Missouri’s recruiting board.
He averaged 19 points, 10 assists and five steals a game last season at Episcopal and was also being recruited by Arizona, Baylor, Florida, Connecticut, LSU, Texas , Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Ohio State.
All along, Missouri hoped it had an in with Pressey.
His father, Paul — a former NBA player who is now an NBA assistant coach with New Orleans — and Missouri coach Mike Anderson were roommates as well as teammates in college in Tulsa.
Pressey has been a frequent visitor to Columbia.
On Saturday he showed off impressive passing skills and the ability to dunk in an open gym session at Mizzou Arena with current MU players.
Pressey joins 6-5 Ricky Kreklow, a shooting guard who is the son of MU volleyball coaches Wayne and Susan Kreklow.
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Michael Jordan, a global icon who revolutionized basketball and marketing

Michael Jordan, a global icon who revolutionized basketball as well as sports marketing, will take his place among the game's greats Friday with his induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

Jordan heads a stellar class of 2009 inductees, which also includes his 1992 Olympic Dream Team colleague and San Antonio Spurs standout David Robinson, Utah Jazz stalwart and '92 Dream Teamer John Stockton and longtime Jazz coach Jerry Sloan.

When they gather for enshrinement in Springfield, Massachusetts, Jordan, as usual, will be the undisputed superstar of the bunch.

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With his amazing aerial moves, intense leadership and the adaptability to change his game and use teammates when age took a toll, Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to six National Basketball Association titles from 1991 to 1998, abdicating the throne in 1994 and 1995 when he made a stunning retirement at the age of 30 for an unsuccessful bid at playing baseball.

His first departure on October 6, 1993, return on March 19, 1995, and latest retirement in January of 1999 all commanded worldwide attention.

In addition to his starring role with the original 1992 US Olympic gold medal "Dream Team", Jordan became a popular pitchman for products worldwide.

Shoes bearing his nickname, "Air", helped Jordan make more than 100 million dollars a year from endorsements and salaries above 30 million dollars. Children all over the world sported replicas of his jersey number 23 as they tried to be like Mike.

His mega-endorsement deals paved the way for such super sports salesmen as golf star Tiger Woods, just as his on-court skills inspired later NBA stars such as Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.

Jordan led the NBA in scoring for seven consecutive seasons from 1987 to 1993 and again from 1996 to 1998. He was a five-time NBA season Most Valuable Player and a six-time finals MVP.

He didn't win as many NBA titles as Hall of Famer Bill Russell, who has 11. He didn't score as many points in his career as Kareem-Abdul Jabbar or Karl Malone.

But Jordan's fierce competitiveness made him the quintessential clutch player, his career a seemingly non-stop highlight reel that needed no translation as it was beamed around the planet.

"He's the guy that always comes through in the clutch," said Phil Jackson, Jordan's coach at Chicago. "He's a winner and he's proven it so many times over and over again."

After Jordan's first retirement, in October of 1993, he took up baseball, the sport his late father had always wanted him to play.

When a baseball labor feud threatened to envelope Jordan in 1995, he returned to the Bulls, issuing a simple statement: "I'm back."

With Jordan -- wearing a new number 45 -- struggling in the wake of his layoff, the Bulls lost in the NBA quarter-finals that season.

He went back to number 23 and back to work in the off-season and the Bulls followed with the best season in NBA history posting a 72-10 win-loss record.

In his second NBA stint, Jordan didn't miss a single game, often playing more minutes than he did in his younger days.

After retiring again in 1999, Jordan became president of the Washington Wizards. He made an undistinguished return as a player for the Wizards before retiring again, and became a part-owner of the Charlotte Bobcats in 2006.
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Former Piston Joe Smith joins Hawks

Smith signed for the veteran's minimum of $1.3 million as one the NBA's youngest teams added some veteran leadership.

"The last month or so the Hawks have been coming hard at me," Smith told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "and that shows how much they wanted me down here and what they think I can bring to this situation."

A 6-foot-10, 225-pound power forward, the Hawks will be Smith's 10th NBA team -- he played for the Pistons in the 2000-01 season. The No. 1 overall pick in the 1995 draft, Smith finished last season with Cleveland.

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Minnesota will Wait for Rubio

Minnesota Timberwolves No. 5 draft pick Ricky Rubio is staying in Spain for two more years. Perhaps that’s the best possible outcome for the Timberwolves.
The excitement about Rubio is based more on his potential that on his stats. It’s harder to project NBA performance from Euroleague performance than from U.S. college stats, in part because former college players still outnumber former Euroleague players in the pros. Nonetheless, Jon Nichols of Basketball-Statistics.com compared European players’ stats in the Euroleague — a multinational tournament that levels the continental playing field between domestic leagues of disparate strength — with their eventual NBA stats and found that some are highly predictive. Three-point shooting, rebounds, assists and blocks are the most translatable from Europe to the NBA.
Using his calculations of how these stats translate, Nichols projected Rubio’s career performance before the draft. His expected numbers per 36 minutes were not the stuff of legend: an average of just 10 points, and three steals but also three turnovers. More promisingly, Nichols’s Box Score Prediction System projected Rubio would hand out almost seven assists per 36 minutes.
ESPN’s John Hollinger used a similar technique to translate European stats, and found that assist rates tend to rise upon moves to the U.S., but shooting percentage and scoring rate drop. That would make Rubio — who already has more assists and scores less than most star guards — an even more one-dimensional NBA player. (DraftExpress broke down Rubio’s weak jump-shooting.) Overall, European players’ performance drops 30% in the NBA.
These troubling numbers help explain why Kevin Pelton of Basketball Prospectus argues that Rubio’s decision to stay in Spain may be a boon for Minnesota. “How can it be considered a bad thing that Rubio will spend the next two years developing and maturing physically in Spain on Barca’s dime?” Pelton asks. “When he does come over, Rubio will be better prepared to contribute immediately.”
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May Not Be on the Timberwolves

Without a doubt, the most entertaining aspect of the Ricky Rubio saga are the Kahn jokes.
David Kahn, the Minnesota Timberwolves’ rookie team president, is getting pummeled in some quarters for failing to sign Rubio, the dazzling young Spanish point guard, after selecting him with the fifth pick in the June draft. Rubio, 18, just announced he will instead spend at least two more years playing in Spain.
On the Web, the news prompted an onslaught of Kahn puns (Kahn job, Genghis Kahn) and endless references to “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” — and most comically, to William Shatner’s immortal scream (“Khaaaaaan!”).
The angst among suffering Wolves fans is understandable, and some of the criticism is legitimate. But, puns and Capt. Kirk jokes aside, this is not a tragic outcome for the Timberwolves. It could, in fact, work in their favor.
For all of his talent, Rubio is widely regarded as an unfinished product. According to  , Rubio is turnover-prone, a poor shooter and has shown only average athleticism and explosiveness. At 6 feet 4 inches, 180 pounds, Rubio also is considered too thin. A number of N.B.A. scouts and executives have expressed doubt about his ability to make the transition at this stage of his career.
Rubio turns 19 in October. Few teenagers, whether born abroad or in the United States, make an immediate impact in the N.B.A. The learning curve is even sharper for a point guard.
Shaun Livingston, the last 18-year-old point guard to be drafted in the top 10 (No. 4 in 2004), averaged a modest 7.3 points and 4.6 assists as a rookie for the Los Angeles Clippers. Scouts at the time were comparing Livingston’s court vision and passing skills to Magic Johnson, but they were also concerned about his skinny frame; indeed, Livingston has never lived up to his promise because of a severe knee injury.
Sebastian Telfair, another high school star, was taken nine spots after Livingston. He averaged 6.8 points and 3.3 assists as a rookie and has played for three teams in five years.
The teenage stars who do become stars usually take a year or two to blossom. Orlando’s Dwight Howard was solid as a rookie (12 points and 10 rebounds per game) but did not become an All-Star until his third season, at age 21.
It is possible that Rubio, had he signed with the Timberwolves, would have shattered all of the doubts, become an instant star and revived a flagging franchise. It is also possible that he would have averaged 7 points and 4 turnovers a game for a 25-win team, absorbing nightly jeers while he tried to adjust to a new team, a new game and a new country.
There is little risk here for the Timberwolves. They hold Rubio’s rights in perpetuity and will get another chance to sign him in two years, when Rubio can buy out his contract with Barcelona. There were no other sure things left on the draft board when they took him at No. 5. And although they gave up two starters — Mike Miller and Randy Foye — to obtain the fifth pick, neither player figured into their long-term plans.
Barring injuries, Rubio should only improve in the next two years, and Minnesota should welcome a more polished, more physically ready player — and potential star — in 2011.
Until then, the Timberwolves will hand the offense to Jonny Flynn, whom they selected with the sixth pick, one spot behind Rubio. In two years, they can trade one of them and be no worse off for it.
This saga may yet produce a happy ending for Rubio, depressed Wolves fans and the suddenly embattled Kahn. In the meantime, there’s always Shatner to provide comic relief.

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