Dec 19, 2012; Atlanta, GA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook (0) dribbles down the court after a steal in the first quarter against the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

The All-Star reserves will be released tonight, and as is the case every year, they are selected by coaches around the league but each coach is unable to choose for a player he coaches.

The starters have already been announced, as solely voted on by the fans. The Eastern Conference will start Rajon Rondo, Dwyane Wade, Lebron James, Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Garnett. The Western Conference will counter with Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin and Dwight Howard.

I have an opinion of who should but I’ll restrain myself and simply offer who I believe will get selected tonight.There are seven remaining All-Star spots for each side, and it is usually split up as two guards, three frontcourt players and two wild cards, who can be of any position.

For the West, Russell Westbrook should be a lock. Despite playing next to the best player in the Western Conference, he averages almost 23 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals. With the absence of James Harden, Westbrook was expected to not only pick up his scoring production, but also become more of a pure point guard. This is seen in his 8.1 assists per game, up from 5.5 last season. His assist to turnover ratio has also risen from 1.53:1 to 2.31:1 in the same span. The only possible knock is his poor shooting numbers but he is still definitely worthy of an All-Star appearance. The team with the best record has to have at least two All-Star representatives in my book.

The third member of the former OKC Big 3 should also be heading to Houston in February, or rather, simply should remain there. James Harden has gone from 6th man and third option on offense with the Thunder to a being the main scorer for the Houston Rockets. He is now scoring almost 26 points per game by getting to the free throw line over 10 times a game, the highest number in the league. He has taken a Rockets team that was expected to be near the bottom of the Western Conference before the trade and turned it into a likely playoff team.

A Gasol will be flying to Houston a month from now but it will not be Pau. Most did not expect the Memphis Grizzlies to own a top four record in the brutal Western Conference, but Marc Gasol has led the best defensive team in the West, according to defensive efficiency. His per game numbers are impressive, but a top 4 team deserves a member on the All-Star team and Gasol is the most likely choice because of his defensive reputation.

For the big men, Tim Duncan sticks out of the crop. Like clockwork, the Spurs own one of the best records in the NBA in January and Duncan has been the team MVP, despite only playing 30 minutes a game. He is almost averaging a double-double and his reputation and career achievements will almost assuredly win him a roster spot for the All-Star team. For the same reason, Tony Parker will join him as a wild card, with a line of 20 points and over 7 assists per game. There are more worthy candidates but the coaches tend to choose familiar names.

Rounding out the team may be a duo from possibly the most surprising team in basketball. Stephen Curry has fought ankle injuries his entire career but is in the top 25 of the league in minutes played this season. He is an accomplished distributor and creative shooter, and his game lends itself to a more free-form style of play. This and his 20 points and 6.6 assists per game makes him a great candidate to earn his first All-Star appearance. David Lee can accomplish the same things because of the success of the Golden State Warriors. He is averaging a monster double-double and shooting .522 from the field (.561 TS%).

For the Eastern Conference, the choices are not as clear. To break it lightly, I do not see an Atlanta Hawk making the team, possibly due to their recent slide.

Chris Bosh is having a fantastic year and would be more celebrated were it not for his future Hall of Fame teammates. Despite matching up with centers on a nightly basis, he has still proven himself as one of the best offensive big men in the league. His field goal attempts and USG% are down but his efficiency is way up (.606 TS% and .552 eFG%). Throw in over 17 points and 7 rebounds per game and you have Bosh’s 8th straight All-Star appearance.

Like Russell Westbrook, Jrue Holiday is another athletic former UCLA guard and is just now putting it all together. Without the services of the departing Lou Williams and Andre Iguodala, as well as the injured Andrew Bynum, he has shouldered the load of both the Philly offense and defense and has put together a career year thus far. He is averaging 19 points and 9 rebounds while guarding the opponent’s best wing player every game. Though the 76ers may not make the playoffs, Holiday is having an outstanding year.

April 21, 2012; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Philadelphia 76ers point guard Jrue Holiday (11) brings the ball up court against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Philadelphia defeated Indiana 109-106. Mandatory credit: Michael Hickey-USA TODAY Sports

Paul George, like Jrue Holiday, has been the focal point of a Pacers team missing Danny Granger. He fills up the box score every night like Atlanta’s own Josh Smith with 17 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assist, 2 steals and a block a night. Like the Memphis Grizzlies, the Pacers deserve an All-Star for being in the top 4 of their conference.

Without Derrick Rose, many Chicago Bulls are logging insane numbers of minutes but they have remained a top 3 defense all season long. The cog of that defense is center Joakim Noah, teammate of Al Horford at the University of Florida. He is averaging a double-double and plays more than 38 minutes a game. In a similar fashion, Tyson Chandler acts as an anchor for an otherwise underperforming New York Knicks defense. He shoots a ridiculous .674% by taking a high number of shots at the rim and also averages a double-double. However, his otherworldly defense is Chandler’s signature and it is time for the All-Star team to better recognize defensive accomplishments.

Brook Lopez, on the other hand, will never be mistaken for a dominant defense center, although he does block 2 shots a game, but his offensive talents in the post have kept the Brooklyn Nets afloat in the Eastern Conference. In only 30 minutes a game, he averages almost 19 points per game on .521% shooting. It would be his first All-Star appearance. Paul Pierce will most likely get a bid as well, but neither he deserves it nor do the Celtics to have 3 All-Stars. However, he is a recognizable name and isn’t exactly having a poor season.

Like stated before, it seems unlikely that either Al Horford or Josh Smith will be able to represent the Hawks in the All-Star game. Should the opportunity be there, Horford would probably get the nod over Josh, but the Hawks are not concerned with All-Star appearances regardless. Look for the focus tomorrow to be on getting revenge on the Boston Celtics, disregarding tonight’s results.

If you’re a Hawks fan, and considering you’re reading this article I’m going to assume you are (and if you’re not you should be), the first thing that comes to your mind when you think Josh Smith is his abysmal shot selection. Or shot “selection”, really. At least I know I’m guilty of that.

But right as we start to settle into our holiday groaning at Smith’s expense, he’s named the Eastern conference player of the week. And rightfully so.

Smith averaged a staggering 21 points, 12 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2 steals, and about a million classic Smoove moments, as Atlanta rounded out the week at a perfect 3-0.

Including a decisive late game steal and dunk by Smith to seal a win over the Denver Nuggets. Finishing the evening with 16 points and 13 rebounds.

A thoroughly Clark Kellogg worthy, “stat sheet stuffer” performance against the Washington Wizards. Where he logged 23 points, 15 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals.

And maybe most notably, his effort in a signature win over a powerhouse Memphis Grizzlies club. Where he notched 24 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals on a 10-17 shooting performance.

I obviously don’t need to say much as to why Smith deserved the award. Because his production can clearly speak for itself.

And while that may be, I will say that I think it’s important that we start acknowledging everything that Smith brings to the table. He’s a phenomenal talent, that I feel we as Atlanta fans often under-appreciated. Well, at least I do.

So if nothing else, this can serve as a reminder as to remember the positives of Smith’s game, before we condemn him for his negatives.

A huge congratulations to Josh Smith from Soaring Down South on the second NBA player of the week award of his career.

He is now the second Atlanta Hawks player to receive the award this season. As frontcourt mate Al Horford claimed the award two weeks ago.

Dec 5, 2012; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks small forward Josh Smith (5) celebrates after a dunk in the final seconds of the second half against the Denver Nuggets at Philips Arena. The Hawks won 108-104. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

The Atlanta Hawks took the floor on national television Wednesday night as they matched up against the Denver Nuggets.

Atlanta, being fresh off a heart-wrenching loss to the Cavs five days earlier, had more than enough time to right the ship. Namely, their woes on the glass and defensively.

“I think we have some tough guys, it’s just a matter of when we get out there on that court, bringing some type of physical presence, and we didn’t do it well enough against Cleveland,” Hawks player development instructor Nick Van Exel told Hawks.com “And we know against Denver, they’re just as tough as far as going to the offensive glass, so we’ve got to be prepared for that.”

With a glaring disparity between Denver and Atlanta in offensive rebounding, being ranked first and 25th in the league, respectively, the Nuggets were set to give the Hawks an absolute nightmare on paper.

So of course it was only natural for the Hawks to go on to outrebound the Nuggets 19-11 offensively, ultimately becoming one of the games deciding factors.

Basketball is fun, isn’t it?

That said, while a win is a win. What good would it be unless I got to over-analyze and overreact to every players performance?

Fine, it’s still pretty awesome. But you’re stuck with me anyway.(players will not appear if they did not play at least 15 minutes*)

Jeff Teague: F

Yikes. It was just a night to forget for Teague. He logged 9 points on 4-16 shooting and only dished out four assists. He also managed to make Ty Lawson look like the second coming of Derrick Rose, as Lawson dropped 32 on him.

Lawson was due though. He had been dealing with a shooting slump for the better part of this season and things just started connecting for him. I honestly don’t think it would have mattered all that much who was guarding him, he was just feeling it. So don’t look too much into this one. It is what it is.

Devin Harris: B+

Look, I know what you’re thinking. And no, it’s not a typo. Harris actually looked like the real deal in this one. Maybe he was having New Jersey flashbacks or something. Regardless, he was excellent in dictating the pace with the ball in his hands, he was aggressive but didn’t force the issue(5-6 FG) and notched three steals. I wouldn’t bank on this kind of outing consistently, but he seems to be steadily finding his groove in Atlanta.

DeShawn Stevenson: C+

Stevenson remains the quintessential role player. Never thought you’d hear that, did you? He’s a sturdy defensive presence more often than not, and while he’s not Kyle Korver he’s been a stalwart from beyond the arc. He finished with 9 points on 3-5 from deep. It’s not exactly the kind of performance that’s going to have you naming your future children DeShawn, but there’s something to be said for not trying to do too much and simply letting the game come to you.

Josh Smith: B

Yeah, yeah. His steal, dunk and free throw were the dagger that sealed the game, I get that. But it still doesn’t change the fact his performance just didn’t sit right with me. He finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds. And while that might look fairly “stat sheet stuffer supreme” on the surface, it was the manner in which he played that had me, and I’m guessing the entirety of Hawks’ nation, cringing every other 20 seconds.

As in typical J-Smoove fashion he’d make an amazing open court play, dishing it off to Al Horford in a flat-out spectacular sequence one second, then follow it up with some lackadaisical transition defense and cough up a panicky turnover off a double team the next.

To be honest, the Hawks looked better when he was on the bench more often than not. And if we were to weigh this performance against a max contract, Smith is treading water.

Al Horford: A+

25 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, 1 block, 12-20 FG. Horford’s stats are a lot like his game. He can let it do the talking.

Lou Wiliams: B-

First off, Lou had Andre Miller guarding him. So how he didn’t drop like a billion points is beyond me. However, he did finish with 16. Although it was on 4-13 shooting.. He rounded out the night with six assists, two steals and a bit to be desired at the line going 2-6. Yeah, just another night at the office for Williams really.

Zaza Pachulia: B

Zaza was decidedly Zaza. 11 points, 7 rebounds, 1 block.

Ivan Johnson: B+

Ivan Johnson is a beast. I say that figuratively, but with each passing game I start to question that just a little more. He only played 15 minutes, but he successfully rattled Danilo Gallinari to the point where he had no lasting impact on the game. His six points and four boards were really just icing on the cake, because as usual his presence extended far beyond the box score.

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The Hawks will look to build on the win against Washington Wizards at home, Dec 7th. It will be the second time the teams have faced off this season, as Atlanta took the first game in a 101-100 thriller.

You can catch the game live with NBA League Pass or check Fox Sports South for your local scheduling. You can also check back daily with Soaring Down South for everything Hawks.

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