"Hawks general manager Rick Sund believes the team has been "knocking on the door" for entrance into the exclusive club of elite teams in the NBA's Eastern Conference.

The Hawks wouldn't be able to break through without Joe Johnson, Sund said, so they did everything they could to make sure their free-agent guard returned to Atlanta.

Johnson signed his six-year, $124 million contract Thursday at the team's offices in downtown Atlanta. Johnson had agreed to the deal Sunday, but couldn't sign it until the league lifted its moratorium.

With Johnson back in the fold, Sund said the Hawks can continue with their momentum.

"We've come so far in the last couple years," he said. "The last two seasons, we had the fourth- and third-best record in the Eastern Conference with one of the youngest teams. We got to the final eight teams two years in a row.

"We are knocking at the door, and it was a lot of fun. I think the fans and the players and the organization had a lot of fun in these last two years. We want to continue to go forward, and Joe is the foundation.""