The NBA: Roy Hibbert Is No All-Star

Roy Hibbert shouldn't have been an All-Star last year, and, should his regression continue, he sure as hell won't be one this year.

Last season, Hibbert normed nearly 13 points and 9 rebounds, both of which were career-highs, but not exactly meteoric production, unless of course you consider Dikembe Mutombo the paragon of All-Star big men.

Hibbert was by no means awful, mind you. He was a pretty solid post player and an exceptional shot-blocker, but consider the other guys who could've been East All-Stars:

Ryan Anderson: 16.1ppg, 7.7rpg, 2.7 threes per game

Kevin Garnett: 15.8ppg, 8.2rpg, 1.0bpg

Greg Monroe: 15.4ppg, 9.7rpg, 1.3spg

Andrea Bargnani: 19.5ppg, 5.5rpg, 1.1 threes per game

Amar'e Stoudemire: 17.5, 7.8rpg, 1.0bpg

Okay, maybe Bargnani averaging less than 6 rebounds per game is a bust, but one cannot overlook the other guys on that list. Also, aside from Dwight Howard, the other East centers who made the top three in terms of fan votes were Tyson Chandler and Joakim Noah. Noah played just 9 games, so maybe he would've made an awful choice, too, but Chandler not getting picked is another puzzle for me.

To compound things, Hibbert's start this season has been dismal at best.

Roy Hibbert has seen a regression in his game that should
make him a longshot to be an All-Star this season.
(image by Kathy Willens/AP)

Prior to today's game against New York (and Tyson Chandler), Hibbert was putting up only 8.8 points per game (lowest since his rookie season). Worse, he's shooting just under 38% from the field, which is ABYSMAL for a big man, and even more worrisome considering Danny Granger's absence should give Hibbert a bigger window to bloom. He's also shooting just 45.5% from the stripe, and, as of this writing, got himself injured in the second quarter against New York.

I've never been a fan of Hibbert, and I don't think I'll ever be. I don't want to see him become an All-Star this year UNLESS there's a career-boosting rise in his game. Given how both David West and Paul George have been stepping up, though, Hibbert will probably remain in the shadows.

And, perhaps, rightly so.

Game Recaps (courtesy of the Sports Network):

Boston 107, Toronto 89

Jason Terry made four 3-pointers en route to 20 points, as the Boston Celtics took down the Toronto Raptors, 107-89, on Saturday. Rajon Rondo returned to the lineup and dished out 20 assists for the Celtics, who bounced back from a 102-97 loss to the Nets on Thursday. Rondo missed that game with a sprained right ankle. Paul Pierce added 19 points and six rebounds for Boston, which improved to 6-4 on the young season. Kevin Garnett tallied 15 points and Jared Sullinger recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 boards. Andrea Bargnani and John Lucas III ended with 15 points apiece for the Raptors, who have lost nine straight games in Boston. Jose Calderon, DeMar DeRozan, Linas Kleiza and Terrence Ross all tallied 10 points.

Rajon Rondo and the Celtics routed the Raptors at home
to bounce back from a loss to Brooklyn.
(image by Brian Babineau/Getty Images)

Utah 83, Washington 76

Al Jefferson posted a double-double with 21 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Utah Jazz to an 83-76 win over the Washington Wizards on Saturday. Gordon Hayward added 15 points off the bench and Mo Williams scored 12 points and dished out six assists for the Jazz, who had dropped two straight entering the game. Jordan Crawford scored 20 points and had eight assists, and Trevor Ariza had 16 points, nine rebounds and three steals for the Wizards, who are only team in the NBA without a win this season (0-8).

Memphis 94, Charlotte 87

Zach Randolph produced his ninth double- double of the season and the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Charlotte Bobcats, 94-87, to capture their eighth straight win. Randolph finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds, while Mike Conley scored a game-high 20 points for Memphis, which was playing the second of a back-to- back after handing the New York Knicks their first loss of the season on Friday. Rudy Gay fouled out but poured in 16 points and came away with three steals, while Marc Gasol and Tony Allen added 12 points apiece in snapping the Bobcats' three-game win streak. The Grizzlies, who own the NBA's best record at 8-1, matched their franchise record for most consecutive wins.

Dallas 103, Cleveland 95

O.J. Mayo scored 19 points and the Dallas Mavericks put together a strong late surge to record a 103-95 victory over the struggling Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. Chris Kaman finished with 15 points and eight rebounds for the Mavericks, who used a 9-0 run down the stretch to halt a four-game road losing streak and hand the Cavaliers a fifth consecutive setback. Darren Collison and Vince Carter each contributed 14 points to the winning effort. Kyrie Irving netted a game-high 26 points for Cleveland, with Tristan Thompson compiling 10 points and 12 rebounds in the Cavs' seventh defeat in eight outings.

San Antonio 126, Denver 100

Everything's back to normal with the San Antonio Spurs. Two nights after experiencing a rare home loss, San Antonio bounced back strongly, leading virtually wire-to-wire en route to a 126-100 shellacking of the Denver Nuggets at the AT&T Center. Manu Ginobili went 5-of-7 from 3-point range in a 20-point effort, while DeJuan Blair finished with 19 points and eight rebounds as the Spurs easily put behind Thursday's 104-100 setback to the visiting New York Knicks and upped their season record to 8-2. Since the start of the 2010-11 campaign, San Antonio owns an NBA-best 68-11 record at the AT&T Center in regular-season play. Danilo Gallinari led Denver with 15 points, with Kenneth Faried scoring 14 in the Nuggets' third straight defeat.

Milwaukee 117, New Orleans 113

Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings each had 22 points and nine assists in Milwaukee's 117-113 victory over the New Orleans Hornets. Mike Dunleavy added 17 points and Samuel Dalembert had 15 for the Bucks, who won their third in a row to move to 6-2 this season. Anthony Davis posted 28 points and 11 rebounds for the Hornets, who lost for just the second time in the last 13 meetings against the Bucks.

LA Clippers 101, Chicago 80

Blake Griffin tallied 26 points and 10 rebounds in the Los Angeles Clippers' 101-80 rout of the Chicago Bulls. Jamal Crawford added 22 points off the bench for the Clippers, who have won five straight games and are off to their best start since the 2005-06 team came one win shy of the Western Conference finals. Chris Paul dished out 10 assists in the win. Carlos Boozer registered 22 points and 12 boards for the Bulls, who have alternated wins and losses over their last eight contests.

Miami 97, Phoenix 88

Chris Bosh had 24 points, LeBron James battled through an illness to score 21 and the Miami Heat closed out a six-game road trip with a 97-88 win over the Phoenix Suns. Shane Battier hit four 3-pointers for the Heat, who wrapped up their trek with a 4-2 mark. Miami's Dwyane Wade missed his second straight game with a sprained left foot. Markieff Morris led five Phoenix players in double figures with 16 points. Michael Beasley had 14 points and eight rebounds in the Suns' third straight loss.