Josh Smith is having another strong all-around season for the Hawks, so he was understandably disappointed that he didn’t make the All-Star team. He thinks he didn’t get in because of political reasons.
“You’ve got to factor in there is a lot of politics involved in the All-Star selection,” Smith said Friday. “Once you get that it’s really about politics, then nothing really surprises you. I call it ‘Nothing But Associates,’ NBA. It’s all who you know.”
J-Smoove wasn’t voted in as a starter by the fans, but the coaches could have selected him as a reserve. He thinks campaigning for a spot could have gone a long way.
“I can’t really point a finger and blame anybody because, at the end of the day, when you leave it up to certain people that still have ties to their agents, [and] players in this game today probably [are] just putting in a bid over the phone, or however they do it,” he said. “You have to factor that in.”
The 26-year-old forward is in his eighth season in the NBA and has yet to make an All-Star team. A big reason why he was left off is because there is so much competition at the forward position in the Eastern Conference. The guys who made it ahead of him all deserved a spot. Paul Pierce, Andre Iguodala, and Luol Deng are all very good players on winning teams. Maybe Smith deserved a spot over Deng or Iguodala, but not Pierce. But he’s not the only guy who was left out — Ryan Anderson, Carlos Boozer, and Danny Granger all can make great cases too.
The best way to set yourself up for a bid in the future is by complaining in the present. This might help Smoove for next year.
