Johnson spearheading the Hawks' rebuilding effort

	Joe Johnson has a good chance to become the Hawks' first All-Star since 2002. AP
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ATLANTA -- If not for his imposing size, Joe Johnson wouldn't have much trouble blending into a crowd. Reserved only begins to describe the 6-foot-6 guard, who, despite his status as one of the league's elite scorers, has no problem vanishing into the Atlanta landscape. Not on this day, anyway.

"We'll find him," Hawks vice president of public relations Arthur Triche says from behind the wheel of his SUV. "Don't worry about that."

Recently my mission was to track down Johnson, Atlanta's leading scorer (26.1 points per game) and its best hope to become the team's first All-Star since 2002, for a story scheduled to run in next week's SI Players. Triche was guiding the way; problem was, we couldn't find Johnson -- anywhere.

He wasn't at practice. "Joe went to see the foot doctor," says Triche, explaining that Johnson's sore toe had kept him out of practice the last two days and required him to see a specialist. "We'll go see him there."

He wasn't at the foot doctor. "Um, Joe left about 20 minutes ago," says a physician at the door. "Was he supposed to wait for you?" (Enter visual of Triche cringing.)

Finally, we located Johnson, about five minutes from the doctor's office, flopped on a couch in his picturesque home in suburban Atlanta, a mansion that once belonged to the Hawks' last All-Star, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, but now is property of this 26-year-old bachelor.

While tracking down Johnson off the court proved to be difficult, finding him on the court couldn't be easier -- just look for the guy scoring all the points. In his second year with Atlanta, Johnson has developed from a reliable scoring option to a bona fide No. 1 player, the kind of player the Hawks thought they were getting when they acquired Johnson from Phoenix in exchange for forward Boris Diaw and two first-round picks.

"This year," Johnson says, "I'm just much more comfortable. With everything."

Was Johnson uncomfortable last year? You couldn't blame him. After blossoming into a feared scorer the previous three seasons in Phoenix, Johnson was asked last season to carry the flickering torch for a destitute Hawks franchise that hasn't had a winning season since 1999. Johnson hasn't exactly made San Antonio look in the mirror (Atlanta is a combined 35-76 in his two seasons), but he does have the organization pointed in the right direction.

"Look, we just have to grow up," he says. "Once we do, we're going to have something."

If Johnson meant that literally, well, he's been reading his stat sheets. The Hawks are the league's youngest team (average age of 23.65) and, as expected, have experienced growing pains. They have had close losses (in November the Hawks dropped three straight games by a total of eight points) and brutal losing streaks (they currently have lost seven in a row and nine of their last 10).

"I won't lie, it's been hard," says Johnson, who had one losing season (as a rookie in 2001-02, after Phoenix obtained him from Boston prior to the trade deadline) before he arrived in Atlanta. "But we believe we can pull ourselves out of it."

Johnson better hope he is right. The Hawks have little reason to tank games; they owe Phoenix their 2007 first-round pick if it's not on the top three (scary thought: picture Joakim Noah in a Suns jersey next season). And let's just say a young player isn't exactly what the doctor ordered.

The Hawks need veterans. They need a reliable second scorer to help Johnson. They need a proven veteran to assume some of the leadership role. They need a center in the worst way, and with a payroll that is $8 million under the salary cap, well, they have the means to do it. Right now the albatross around the Hawks' neck is the ownership battle, which pits former owner Steve Belkin against the controlling partners of the Atlanta Spirit Group. Belkin has gone to court seeking control over his former team (the case is still pending).

The Hawks' cupboard is not bare; it just needs a little restocking. Just ask Johnson, but wait until you see him on the court. It's the easiest place to find him.