Behold, the Eastern Conference ballot for the 2009 NBA All-Star Game in Phoenix. Notice anything interesting about it? Squint if you need to!

That's right, there are five Hawks on the ballot, one for each position on the court. The Hawks are one of only three teams in the East to place all five of their starters, joining East heavyweights Boston and Detroit (this was approved before the Billups-Iverson trade, but assume Iverson takes Chauncey's place and McDyess comes back to Detroit in a month).

Not too shabby, eh?

The question I'm sure you are all asking is, what is the likelihood of all five players making it? Or rather, which of the five stand the best chance?

I'm glad you asked, fictional blog reader! Let's take it case-by-case:

Joe Johnson
Obviously, he's the one we most expect to be there in Phoenix. JJ has made the last two Eastern Conference All-Star teams, and based on his play thus far it's hard to imagine him not making that three in a row. In fact, Joe is playing so well, I wonder if he doesn't stand a chance of actually starting. The Hawks' limited national exposure will hurt his case, but if the team continues down the path it's on right now, I think it comes into play. If the Hawks are, say, one of the top 2-3 seeds in the East come January, I think he'll have a pretty good shot at it (provided he keeps his numbers up). Dwyane Wade will obviously be a starter, but the other guard spot is up for grabs with Jason Kidd gone to the Western Conference. The wild card in all this will be Allen Iverson in Detroit - AI has long been a fan favorite and started last season for the West.

Mike Bibby
Mike has famously never been an All-Star, and at 30 he is nearing his last opportunities to make that happen. Bibby's numbers haven't been off the charts so far, but more nights like the 19 points and 12 assists he had in the win over Toronto will help make a case for him. He certainly has the name-recognition, and he gets a lot of credit for the Hawks making the playoffs last season. If the team continues it's excellent play, that will also play in his favor.

Josh Smith
Josh nearly made the All-Star team a year ago, and his stat-stuffing ways and penchant for highlight-reel plays makes his candidacy easily promotable. Playing at the level he was the first few games of the season, I'd say he was in pretty good shape. How he responds to his ankle injury will definitely factor in here. If he only misses a couple weeks and is able to get back to his current high level of play early, I don't think he'll lose too much momentum. If he misses a month though, it might be too big of a hill to overcome. Several players are able to overcome injuries to make All-Star appearances, but generally speaking they are already established presences in the midseason showcase.

Al Horford
Al's candidacy is an interesting case. His numbers (to this point) don't jump out at you, yet he's playing exceptionally well so far. More to the point though, check out his competition at center in the Eastern Conference. Dwight Howard is a given, but after that, is there anyone else you'd consider a shoo-in? Jermaine O'Neal was once a perennial, but he's faded badly the past few years thanks to injuries. Emeka Okafor has talent but hasn't put it all together yet. Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Andrew Bogut, and Samuel Dalembert are all talented players, but frankly I don't know that any of them are better than Al. If he can stay around a double/double all season, I wouldn't be at all surprised to see him pulling double-duty come February with the Rookie-Sophomore game and the real deal on Sunday.

Marvin Williams
Of all the Hawks starters, I think Marvin has the toughest road to hoe at this point. He's been perceived so far in his career as a solid rotation player and starter, and he has put up decent numbers. But I don't think the league looks at him yet as a potential All-Star, which means he'll need to put up pretty big numbers to change that perception. I'm not saying Marvin isn't capable of doing that, but I don't know if there will be enough shots to go around on this team to make that happen. Still, if he can capitalize on Josh Smith's absence and start really making teams respect his outside game, who knows? I think Marvin is capable of being a 20-point scorer in this league if given the opportunity. He's probably going to need to be really close to that to get consideration for this season.

There is still a lot of basketball to be played between now and when the ballots close on January 19th, so anything can happen. But it says something already about this team that so many of the Hawks players are highly enough regarded to be included in the voting, and that in and of itself is a good sign for what's to come this season.