Joe Johnson will indeed be unavailable to play in the NBA All-Star Game and the NBA Three-Point Shootout competition over the weekend due to a left knee injury, the Atlanta Hawks announced on Wednesday. The news was first reported on Tuesday by Zach Klein of the Wall-Street Journal.
Joe Johnson Injury Update: Atlanta Hawks Guard To Miss NBA All-Star Game
Via Hawks PR:
Atlanta's Joe Johnson will miss this weekend"s All-Star Weekend because of the tendinitis in his left knee.#Hawks
— AT - HawksPRGuy (@HawksPRGuy) February 22, 2012
Johnson's absence opens up a spot in the All-Star Game for another player. Many expect that Johnson's teammate, Josh Smith, will be the man tabbed to replace him, but that decision has not been made. We do know that New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin will not be the guy, as NBA commissioner David Stern told David Aldridge of NBA.com that he will not step in to give Lin a spot in the game.
Johnson is averaging just 17.6 points per game this year, his lowest average since joining the Hawks in 2005.
For more on the Hawks, visit Peachtree Hoops and SB Nation Atlanta.
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