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
Two days ago, Rajon Rondo had nearly a week off for the All-Star break. Now he’s an extremely busy man. The star point guard of the Boston Celtics, added Wednesday to the Eastern Conference All-Stars as an injury replacement for Atlanta’s Joe Johnson, will also fill in for injured Stephen Curry of Golden State in the Skills Challenge on All-Star Saturday. The NBA announced the move Friday, hours before media availability begins in Orlando, Fla. Sheridan Hoops is on site and will
Rajon Rondo is in; Joe Johnson is out. In a compressed season where the injuries have come one after another, it was nothing short of miraculous that all of the chosen 24 All-Stars were relatively healthy and would be in action Sunday. Until now. Johnson, a reserve on the Eastern Conference, will skip the weekend festivities to rest a sore left knee, the Atlanta Hawks announced Wednesday. The Hawks had already Johnson would sit out Wednesday’s game at New York and Thursday’s contest vs.
Kevin Love will be in the Three-Point Contest. The field was announced by the NBA on Wednesday, and Love is among the six gunslingers who will be hoisting on All-Star Saturday night Feb. 25. Known more for his rebounding, Love is shooting 36 percent (44-of-122) from 3-point range this season, slightly below his career mark. The All-Star forward of the Minnesota Timberwolves is participating for the first time. Also in the field are defending champion James Jones and Mario Chalmers of the Miami
The Atlanta Hawks, in desperate need of a big man to defend the paint, signed veteran Erick Dampier to a 10-day contract. The team announced the deal Thursday, hours after the Hawks ended a three-game losing streak – all at home – with a win over Indiana. All-Star Al Horford may miss the rest of the regular season with a torn pectoral muscle. Initially, Atlanta seemed OK without him, winning nine of its first 11 games without its starting center. But then Jason
In a stacked 13-game appetizer for tomorrow’s Super Bowl, two playoff-bound teams look to bounce back from uninspired losses when the Philadelphia 76ers visit the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday. On Friday, the Sixers (16-7) fell to Miami for the second time this season, 99-79. Philadelphia proved it can hang with big boys by beating contenders Orlando and Chicago earlier this week, but Thaddeus Young’s 18 points weren’t enough to keep up with the Heat in the Sixers’ third straight tough game. After a
The Atlanta Hawks are running out of centers. Already without Al Horford – perhaps for the rest of the season – the Hawks announced Saturday morning that veteran center Jason Collins will miss at least two weeks with a sprained left elbow. Collins suffered the injury in Thursday’s loss to Memphis, which dropped Atlanta to 9-3 since Horford went down with a torn pectoral muscle. Horford is not expected back until mid-April. Collins was averaging 1.0 points and 1.6 rebounds in 13.0 minutes.
