HoopWatch

Atlanta’s Joe Johnson deserves to be in this year’s All-Stars more than Detroit’s Richard Hamilton. The numbers alone tell the big difference. Johnson is an all-around player and he is leading to one of the franchise’s best records since 1993, while Hamilton is just a scorer, nothing more. He can’t even create his own shots.

Joe Cool is averaging 25.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1 steal and shoots 47.3% from the field in 40.9 minutes, while Rip norms 21.8 points, 3.9 caroms, 3.9 dimes, just 0.8 steal and shoots a lower 46.8% from the field. Detroit may lead the Eastern Conference, but he gets a lot of help from Rasheed Wallace, Chauncey Billups, Chris Webber and Tayshaun Prince. All these guys are veterans and they’ve got rings. Johnson, meanwhile, has young guns to assist him. Josh Smith, Josh Childress, Shelden Williams, Marvin Williams, Salim Stoudemire and Zaza Pachulia are athletic players, but they still need experience. The Hawks may be in 11th place but they are out of the cellar, the spot that they’ve been for the past seasons.

In a game against Phoenix three nights ago, Johnson scored 17 of his 32 points in the final quarter, and single-handedly beat the Nash-less Suns. Phoenix was dealt their second defeat against an Eastern team, both at home, the other one against Washington. Now, how can you miss a guy like that. Clearly, he is Atlanta’s franchise player. And an established franchise player has to be in Vegas with his fellow stars.