Being in a small market is only a partial excuse. Tim Duncan is in a small market (San Antonio) and he's been on 10 All-Star teams. Dwight Howard (Orlando) plays in a small market, too, and at 22 is making his second All-Star appearance. Clyde Drexler made 10 All-Star teams, eight of them when he was playing in Portland.

If small markets are such a problem, how come anyone has ever heard of Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre?

Chris Webber made three All-Star teams playing in a small market (Sacramento). Reggie Miller made five All-Star teams in Indiana. David Robinson made 10 All-Star teams in sleepy ol' San Antonio.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was on six All-Star teams in Milwaukee.

That doesn't mean there aren't inequities. After the public picks the first five players — which in itself is fickle and sometimes stupid — the rest is up to the coaches. New Orleans/Western Conference coach Byron Scott immediately chose two of his own, David West and Paul. No surprise there. But one of the debatable choices is Portland's Roy (another small-market guy), appointed by the coaches to the Western Conference team. Roy's numbers are good (19.7 points, 5.8 assists, 4.7 rebounds, 1.0 steals) but almost identical to Williams (19.1 points, 9.7 assists, 3.0 rebounds, 1.1 steals). Yet the Jazz are 5 1/2 games ahead of the Blazers in the standings.

Williams deserves to be in Sunday's game, but a case can be made for Golden State's Baron Davis, New Orleans' Tyson Chandler, Houston's McGrady and New Jersey's Vince Carter. As good as Williams is, which guard would you kick off the Western Conference team to make room?

Williams should just keep doing what he's doing, which is to say giving 'em hell, Isiah. People will notice, small market or not. Once he has separated himself from the rest — as did Stockton and Malone — the voters and coaches will know exactly where to find him.

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