A. Sherrod Blakely and Gary Washburn are both reporting that Rajon Rondo has been selected to replace Joe Johnson for the All Star Game this Sunday in Orlando. He joins Paul Pierce for his third straight appearance. Hawks fans will argue that Josh Smith should have been the logical replacement for his Atlanta teammate, but Rondo has been a beast since coming back from injury. We can argue whether or not he's a top-5 point guard, but numbers don't lie. He's second in the league in assists and a potential triple-double threat every night.

And let's be clear: this is the All Star Game. Whenever I think about this weekend, I always recall something Isiah Thomas said about playing in the ASG: "I don't want to be remembered for my scoring. I want to be remembered for my passing." An exhibition game like this is tailor made for Rondo. There is no other player in the league better at finding angles, fitting a bounce pass between two defenders, and putting enough English on it so it gets there.

Congrats and happy birthday, Rajon. Tear it up.