Know Thy Self - A Look at Johan Petro

Continuing the Know Thy Self series, where we meet the roster of the 2012-2013 Atlanta Hawks, we take a look at the French big man Johan Petro. A lot of his photos are shooting over Elton Brand. We could have used some of that last year.

Johan Petro

Twitter: Frenchi27

Nickname: none that I'm aware of

Born: 1/27/1986 in Paris, France

Everyone knows something about Paris, like it is know as the City of Light. But did you know that the name was only solidified by the city's early and extensive adoption of street lighting. It was already the City of Light before that because Paris was known as a centre of education. Paris is the home to one of the most recognizable man-made landmarks the Eiffel Tower, but did you know that it would be worth 2.48 million dollars if scrapped for metal? The name of the city was not always Paris (it was renamed Paris around 360 AD). It was originally known as Lutetia of the Parisii.

There are plenty famous Parisians to choose from for this article like long time sex symbol Brigitte Bardot. I want to call out Luc Besson because I didn't see him in the huge Wikipedia list of famous Parisians. How could they leave out the man who wrote La Femme Nikita, Leon the Professional, The Fifth Element, The Transporter, and Taken? In music, you probably expect me to cite Edith Piaf like Spielberg did in Saving Private Ryan, but I'm going more current with David Guetta who's had 5 top ten songs in the US over the last several years. Even with that much success David Guetta's biggest impact may have been as producer and co-writer of the Black Eyed Peas' "I Got a Feeling" which was #1 for 14 weeks and was used for possibly the world's largest flash mob to celebrate Oprah's 24th season. When it comes to famous athletes born in Paris can you do any better than Atlanta Hawks' own Dominique Wilkins? I think not.

College: None

Like many international players, Johan was playing pro ball early. He won a French League championship at the age of 18 before heading to the NBA.

Personal Notes: While Johan was born in Paris he grew up in Guadeloupe, a Caribbean island with a tourist economy. Being part of France it should be no surprise that 83% of the tourists are from mainland France with only 3.4% coming from the United States. Guadeloupe is the home of the Karujet Race, the Jet Ski World Championship. Johan plays acoustic guitar and likes to perform as a DJ (like David Guetta). His NBA career started by being drafted by former Hawks GM Rick Sund. Johan was the last person to ever score for the New Jersey Nets.

ESPN Top 500 rank: 397 just behind Quincy Miller (395) and Selvin Mack (396) but just ahead of John Jenkins (398) and Tony Battie (399).

Wingspan: unknown

basketball-reference.com sponsorship price: $30 - think of this as a Q-rating for basketball. Better known players have hiring rates because in theory their stat page will get visited more often.

Horoscope: As an Aquarius I found this free sports horoscope for the year: Your professional life will evolve this year through changes which will imply you personally. One gives you new directives, or this is you who will understand into what you must change strategy. That will not go without hesitations and doubts, especially during spring. You despite everything are supported by a faith in you which will enable you to make efforts of adaptations.

Chinese Zodiac: Born in the year of the ox. People born in this year are probably honest, industrious, patient, and cautious, and do things steadily. They are talent leader with strong will and faith, strong devotion to work and staying power. They are obstinate and poor at communication. Leaders in their career may not discover their abilities.

Outlook for this year: Ox people have average luck in this dragon year. Do not be afraid of the blocks on the way to success. Whenever they encounter a strong competitor in career, they should know flexible ways to overcome the difficulty. Success is not only based on hard working.

Workplace Compatibility:
Work best with monkeys and horses (none on the roster) and other oxen (Anthony Tolliver, Anthony Morrow and Josh Smith).
Not so good with roosters (Kyle Korver and DeShawn Stevenson), snakes (James Anderson), and goats (John Jenkins).

Stats: This block is a combination of data from basketball-reference.com and 82games.com to give an idea of the playing style and effectiveness of a player.

Quick Analysis: A 7 footer by tape measure only, these stats paint the picture of someone who plays outside the lane a lot. Even on defense you don't see Johan's length translating into many blocked shots. Offensively, don't get fooled by 1 for 1 from 3 point range, Johan shot a bad percentage when settling for jumpers. Johan needs to be coached into a more efficient backup big man because when left to his own desires he's a taller embodiment of the worst aspects of Josh Smith's offensive tendencies. I'm not suggesting Johan will ever be a full-time banger, just that his minutes could be more positive with a little restraint on his shot selection. The rankings are out of 478 players listed on basket-reference.com for last season with no qualifying minimums to provide some context for the numbers.

Hopefully, you feel you know a little more about Johan Petro than before. Let me know what you think in your comments. We've pined for a 7 footer that's not Jason Collins for years. Technically, Johan Petro fills that desire, should we have been more specific in our wants? Or can Johan embrace his contract season to be a productive reserve and giving the Hawks length?