Joe Johnson will be making his 4th consecutive appearance in the NBA All Star game this year becoming the first Atlanta Hawk to go to 4 straight since Dekembe Mutombo. We as fans should not be surprised. Often times this season Hawk fans have been critical of Joe and I have found myself questioning some of his shot selection and decision making. Make no mistake that Joe Johnson is well respected around the NBA. Probably more so than he is in Atlanta. He is probably the type of talent that we won’t realize how good he is until he is no longer playing. I think if Joe has a problem right now it is trust issues with his teammates. That isn’t too uncommon as we have seen elite talents like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and on a lesser scale in my opinion Dwayne Wade struggle with those types of things before ultimately figuring them out. Prior to this season Joe had been asked to put the team on his shoulders and carry it so many times, that responsibility is hard to let go of now. Joe has to realize that he has a strong supporting cast now in fellow All Star Al Horford, Josh Smith, and Jamal Crawford. It is just part of the evolution of this team. Last week I was listening to ESPN radio’s NBA Today podcast with Ryen Russillo. The topic of discussion was the top 10 NBA players. Ryen originally had Joe in his top 10 before settling on probably top 15. I myself won’t put Joe as an elite talent but he is not that far away. He could possibly crack my top 10 but would most definitely be in my top 15. So Atlanta fans, especially in a contract season need to enjoy what they have in Joe Johnson. He has been the one constant in this team’s turn around.
Let me first say this. Al Horford is an NBA All Star and he deserves to be there representing the Hawks. No when I looked at it I didn’t think he would make it. I thought Josh Smith would be the unanimous choice and that the only chance Horford would have would be as an injury replacement. I am glad that the NBA coaches out there have taken notice of exactly what Al Horford brings to the Hawks. The minute he was drafted he was thrust into a leadership role with the Hawks. That is something that most rookies aren’t asked to do and aren’t capable of doing. He has gotten better every season and is a complete warrior on the floor despite lacking size enough to compete with the really big centers. You have to love the hard hat going to work mentality that he brings to the Hawks each and every day. His offensive game has improved so much that it has me and other bloggers from the Hawks blogosphere calling for a bigger role in the offense. There is going to be much debate over Horford’s selection over David Lee. Lee has an awesome game and has put up outstanding numbers all season. Fact is though Lee’s team isn’t currently at the top of the Eastern Conference so how much effect has his good numbers had? Sure you could say where would the Knicks be without him, but look at where the Hawks are with Al Horford.
Over the course of Josh Smith’s career I at times have been one of his biggest detractors. I admit Josh has proven me wrong this season. I didn’t think he was capable of looking at his game and what he does best and be objective about it. In years past he has chucked up long jump shot after long jump shot while simply trying to be something that he wasn’t. This season he has scrapped the 3 point attempt and focused on doing what the Hawks need him to do and the results have been off the chart. Somewhere during the off season Josh figured it out. While Al Horford has had a great impact this year I believe that Josh Smith is the single most reason to the Hawks have taken the next step and are now contending with the big 3 in the Eastern Conference. I badly wanted Josh to make the All Star team and really never gave much thought that he might get left off. Gerald Wallace is a very deserving player and puts up amazing stats. His rebounding rate for a forward his size is a testament to his hard work. However, I will use the same argument I used in regards to David Lee. Where do the Bobcats stand in the East and where do the Hawks? I know Josh has to be disappointed but I hope that he uses this as motivation starting tonight against the Celtics.
That said I am ecstatic to see two Hawks on this squad. I hope that if for the unfortunate reason that someone currently on the East squad can’t play in the game that commissioner Stern will choose Josh Smith as a replacement much the same way he did Mo Williams last season. If you have followed the Hawks the last 5 seasons it has been a long hard journey to where we are at the moment. I for one am happy to see the team getting national recognition that they have worked hard for. Congrats to Joe Johnson and Al Horford 2010 NBA All Stars.