Bernucca: Josh Smith should be playing today

Why isn’t Josh Smith in the All-Star Game?

Smith has been the best and most consistent player this season on the Atlanta Hawks, who have the same record (20-14) as the Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets and deserve to have an All-Star.

But the Hawks probably don’t deserve two All-Stars. At least that’s what the Eastern Conference coaches felt, picking Joe Johnson and snubbing Smith, whose numbers are considerably better.

When Johnson had to bow out with an injury earlier this week, it seemed almost obvious to plug in Smith. But NBA commissioner David Stern – who usually defaults to the player with the most coaches’ votes – chose Rajon Rondo.

Rondo has good numbers, too. But he plays on a team muddling below .500 and was serving a two-game suspension for flinging a ball at a referee. Is that the sort of behavior that should be rewarded?

“I really thought that (Smith) would get the invite once word was that Joe wouldn’t be able to play,” Hawks coach Larry Drew told reporters at Madison Square Garden this week. “I mean, you look at Josh’s numbers, he has good numbers. His numbers are good enough to be where he should be an All-Star. Why he didn’t make it, I don’t know.”

Neither do we. Smith is averaging 16.1 points, more than Rondo, Luol Deng, Andre Iguodala and Roy Hibbert. His 9.6 rebounds are as much as Hibbert and more than Chris Bosh. He is the only NBA player in the top 15 in rebounds, blocks and steals.

And it’s not like Smith wouldn’t be an ideal fit for today’s track meet. He jumps out of the gym, runs well, handles adequately for a power forward, hoists the occasional 3-pointer and finishes with fury. And did we all forget this guy once won a Slam Dunk Contest?

Smith is not one of this space’s darlings, either. In fact, we have found some his past behavior and approach to his craft abhorrent at times. But none of that matters.

He’s an All-Star, and he should be playing today.

TRIVIA: Who is the only player to win a Rookie Game MVP and an All-Star Game MVP? Answer below.

THE END OF CIVILIZATION AS WE KNOW IT: A sure sign that Linsanity had permeated pop culture was on display last week at Madison Square Garden, when “fans” such as Eva Longoria and Kevin Costner showed up and bogarted front-row seats to piggyback Jeremy Lin’s popularity and guarantee themselves camera time.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Los Angeles Lakers coach Mike Brown, after watching his team miss six straight free throws in the final minute and nearly blow a seven-point lead to Dallas:

“I’m a little overweight; I’m too young to have a heart attack.”

LINE OF THE WEEK: Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City vs. Denver, Feb. 19: 45 minutes, 19-28 FGs, 5-6 3-pointers, 8-10 FTs, eight rebounds, three assists, four steals, 51 points in a 124-118 overtime win. There were some sparklers in this short week – including Russell Westbrook’s 40 and Serge Ibaka’s triple-double in the same game – but Durant’s league season high took the prize.

LINE OF THE WEAK: Rajon Rondo, Boston at Detroit, Feb. 19: 28 minutes, 1-6 FGs, 3-4 FTs, two rebounds, 10 assists, six turnovers, five points in a 96-81 loss. In addition to a blah performance against rookie Brandon Knight, Rondo was ejected late in the third quarter for firing the ball at a referee, which cost him a two-game suspension resulting in two more losses for the Celtics. There’s leadership from your point guard.

TRILLION WATCH: Nothing truly alarming, with Miami teammates Juwan Howard and James Jones posting 3 trillions in the same game a week ago. There should be some sort of separate award for Rockets rookie Greg Smith, who in Monday’s win over Memphis played 12 minutes and only dented the boxscore with five fouls. Lakers forward Devin Ebanks still leads the pack with his 9 trillion at Utah on Jan. 11.

GAME OF THE WEEK: Minnesota at LA Clippers, Feb. 28. Kevin Love vs. Blake Griffin and Ricky Rubio vs. Chris Paul. The Timberwolves are beginning a stretch of three games in three nights. After this one, the Clippers play six road games in nine days.

GAME OF THE WEAK: Charlotte at Detroit, February 29. It’s Sadie Hawkins Day, when girls are supposed to ask out guys. A perfect excuse to skip this one.

TWO MINUTES: On NBA TV on Tuesday night, the crawl feed spelled the Lakers GM’s last name “Kupchack.” It’s Mitch Kupchak – no second C – and he’s only been in that position for 12 years. Nice job. … Getting a little tired of Linsanity? So are a handful of players. Nets guard Deron Williams was the opponent for Jeremy Lin’s coming-out party three weeks ago as he was victimized for 25 points and seven assists. In the rematch Monday, Williams dropped 38 on Lin, becoming just the fifth player in NBA history with eight 3-pointers and 10 free throws in the same game. “I don’t really watch too many games, but I do see Twitter,” he said. “People tweet me and every three lines it was ‘Jeremy Lin destroyed Deron Williams.’ So I definitely took offense to that in the first game and definitely, like I said, I had it circled.” Three nights later, Lin faced the Miami Heat, whose torrid streak had been obscured by Lin’s exploits. With a game plan designed to choke off his ability to run the offense, the Heat held Lin to 1-of-11 shooting and three assists while forcing eight turnovers. Both Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole picked Lin’s pocket and streaked in for their first dunks of the season. “I’m sure they were all geeked up for him, and they took the challenge and they did a great job,” Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni said. “It’s hard to be Peter Pan every day.” … The Clippers are in first place at the All-Star break for the first time in franchise history. That includes their San Diego days with Bill Walton and World B. Free and their Buffalo days with Bob McAdoo. … The Wizards should just change their nickname to the Knuckleheads. Remember earlier this season, when Flip Saunders publicly criticized JaVale McGee for doing an off-the-backboard dunk in the middle of a game, and McGee didn’t think he did anything wrong? On Wednesday, Randy Wittman – who took over when Saunders was fired – publicly criticized Nick Young for showboating. “I know the term has been used – style over substance,” Wittman said. “We got a guy going in for a layup and does a reverse 360 and misses the whole thing. Crowd ‘oohed’ and ‘aahed.’ We didn’t get any points out of it. Until we’re committed to making winning basketball plays the whole game, it’s going to look like that.” Just like McGee, Young didn’t feel like he did anything wrong. “I did that in the past,” he said. “If I make it, everybody’s on my side. If I miss it, then it’s a bad shot. … I was just trying to get things going for my teammates. They brought me here for that and that’s one of the parts of my game.” … There’s two ways to look at Philadelphia’s 4-8 mark since a 16-6 start. One is that injuries and a tougher schedule finally caught up with the 76ers. Another is Elton Brand’s take. “We are four last-second shots from having 24 wins right now,” he said. “We’ve lost four games (New Jersey, Denver, LA Clippers, Minnesota) on buzzer-beaters or late shots or not getting a stop.” … Part of the reason why the Bobcats are a league-worst 4-28 is because they have a ton of “quit” in them. After a 35-point loss at Indiana last Sunday, Boris Diaw – the team’s lone veteran with a winning pedigree – said, “I think the beginning of the game set the whole tone for what happened. Especially missing so many shots, and things just got too out of hand to come out and be more competitive.” Yes, Charlotte dug itself a 21-2 hole after nine minutes – and had climbed within 24-17 less than five minutes later. Does seven points down with 34 minutes to play sound like it’s too out of hand? Diaw and fellow bigs Bismack Biyombo, Gana Diop and Tyrus Thomas combined to go scoreless on 0-of-9 shooting in 63 minutes. That’s what quitting looks like. … Bucks forward Ersan Ilyasova erupted for 29 points and 25 rebounds in Sunday’s win over New Jersey. It was the first 25-25 game by a Milwaukee player since 1976, when Swen Nater had 30 and 33 vs. Atlanta. In the locker room, teammate Jon Brockman picked up a box score, looked at Ilyasova’s line and said, “He should frame this.” … Wolves swingman Martell Webster had a serious brain cramp Monday vs. the Nuggets. Denver had the ball and a three-point lead with 3.9 seconds left when Webster stole Julyan Stone’s inbounds pass and streaked upcourt – blowing past the arc and going in for a layup. “When I saw him pass the 3-point line, I just said, ‘Thank you,'” said Stone. What was Webster thinking? “What was going through my mind was go to the rim and possibly get fouled,” he said. “The contingency to that shot was get a bucket, get a foul, they miss free throws and we get another shot.” Hunh? … Pacers coach Frank Vogel has said some bold things this season and let loose with another gem just before the break. “Our team has no ceiling,” he said. “I’ve said that from day one. I know we can play with the best in the league. We’ve just got to do it on a consistent enough basis to earn one of the league’s best records. We are near the top. We want to be at the top. We’ve got great talent at every position. We’re not a mega-star team but we’ve got stars on our team.” Indiana (21-12) is third in the Eastern Conference despite subpar seasons from former All-Stars Danny Granger and David West and should be getting back combo guard George Hill next week. The Pacers also have room under the cap to take on a salary for a draft pick or trade exception before the March 15 deadline. … Cavs rookie Tristan Thompson had perhaps the best quote during Friday’s inane media availability session at All-Star Weekend. Asked if there was anyone he was looking forward to seeing this weekend, Thompson deadpanned, “Yeah, my mother.” …

Trivia Answer: Allen Iverson. … Happy 53rd Birthday, Rolando Blackman, the pride of Grady High in Brooklyn, Noo Yawk. … Lookalikes: Kenneth Faried and character actress Hazelle Goodman, who had a recurring role in the awesome Homicide: Life on the Street. … Otis Smith’s cell phone is starting to blow up right about now.

Chris Bernucca is a regular contributor to SheridanHoops.com. His columns appear Wednesday and Sunday. You can follow him on Twitter.