He’s Caught in Glare of All-Star Spotlight : Basketball: When A.C. Green was chosen ahead of Karl Malone, the Utah forward was angry. And there was no way for the Laker forward to get even.

Laker forward A. C. Green’s desire to go through life as anonymously as a pro athlete can has been blown apart, thanks to his selection by the fans to the Western Conference’s starting lineup for Sunday’s NBA All-Star game.

Because he edged Utah Jazz star Karl Malone, generally regarded as basketball’s best power forward, Green’s All-Star weekend in Miami figures to bring him unprecedented, unexpected and undesired attention. Worse, not much of it will be complimentary, either.

To many, Green represents a symbol of the inherent flaws in fan voting. Basketball pundits have termed Malone’s omission from the starting lineup a travesty and cry for reform of the selection process. Malone’s angry reaction to the voting only increased the attention.

Some have speculated that Western Conference coaches would have left Green off the team altogether, had he not been voted in by fans. One local columnist suggested that Green could not even crack the Clippers’ starting lineup.

In the first game after the All-Star lineups were announced on Jan. 25, the scoreboard at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City flashed the message, “A.C. Who?” Banners pinned to the walls also disparaged Green’s selection. And Malone punctuated his displeasure over the fan voting by scoring 61 points against the Milwaukee Bucks that night.

So, either directly or by implication, Green’s talent and contribution to the Lakers’ success this season have been denigrated. Green is averaging 13.6 points and 9.3 rebounds, both career bests. But that pales compared to Malone’s 30.8 scoring and 10.9 rebounding averages.

Anonymity--at least in relation to Green’s more high-profile Laker teammates--might be preferable to this type of notoriety.

It only figures to get worse this weekend. Microphones will be directed Green’s way and reporters’ questions figure to be as pointed as Dennis Rodman’s elbows.

Green says he is prepared. He says he is not going to let the Malone affair spoil what should be a proud moment for him.

“I don’t think that’s going to be a problem for me, because it’s all a matter of a person’s attitude,” Green said. “People are going to speculate about a lot of things, the second guessers. It’s just a matter how I’ll handle the situation.

“It hasn’t bothered me to this day. You guys in the media and friends have told me, but I don’t read the papers. I don’t watch the newscasts. I don’t get caught up with what’s going on. By the time it gets to me, it’s old news.

“Members of my family and friends are going down (to Miami), so I’m going down there with the attitude just like the rest of the guys--to enjoy the situation, enjoy the honor God has blessed me with. I’m going to make the best of it. I can’t worry about all the other stuff, what people are saying about me, because that would try and take away from what I want to do.”

Green may not be upset, but Laker Coach Pat Riley, who will coach the Western Conference team, said Green is being unfairly criticized.

Although both Riley and Green acknowledge that Malone belongs in the starting lineup, Riley said what he perceives as Green bashing is neither fair nor an accurate portrayal of his power forward.

“A.C. is a premier power forward,” Riley said. “He plays a specific role on this team. He averages 14 points a game and 10 rebounds. He does a hell of a job. For anyone to slight him is not right. What (Times columnist) Allan Malamud said about him not starting (for the Clippers) is a joke. We should have A.C. show his three championship rings to (Danny) Manning and Charles Smith. A.C. helped us get those.

“Karl should be the (All-Star) starter, OK. But in this league, you cannot judge your opinion of yourself from other people. It could bother you. Everybody is going to judge based on their own commentary and perspective. But I don’t think it has bothered A.C. yet. He knows what he is worth.”

Much of what Green means to the Lakers isn’t found on a statistics sheet.

He is the Lakers’ most physical player. Although he detests the term enforcer , Green’s aggressive play clears the area for teammates Magic Johnson and James Worthy to drive through the lane. His rebounding makes the Lakers’ revived fast break possible.

Moreover, in the last two seasons, Green has improved the accuracy on his jump shot to the point where opponents are not as willing to leave him open on the perimeter. “A.C. gives you things you don’t always notice,” Worthy said. “Effort-wise, there’s no player around who consistently works harder. That’s one of those intangibles. He’s strong as well. He can bang on the boards. He’s got a tough mental attitude. He’s a true warrior.

“I don’t think it’s fair to (criticize) him. The guy’s having a great year. I think it’s good to know that there are a lot of knowledgeable fans out there that don’t always look at stats and numbers, and concentrate on the intangible things.”

Green has been as consistent as any Laker. He has reached double figures in rebounding and scoring--in 17 of the Lakers’ 44 games.

“He can be a great offensive player,” Worthy said. “I mean, he already is. But he definitely can get better. He isn’t done improving. He posts up stronger than most guys his size. He’s still improving his outside shot. He gets respect for his shot now.”

Green is one of the league’s most physical players, despite being relatively small for a power forward, at 6 feet 9 and 224 pounds.

Part of Green’s job, one of the intangibles Worthy and other Lakers speak of, is battling such heavyweights as Rick Mahorn, Bill Laimbeer and, yes, Karl Malone.

Green, coincidentally, gained his only other real national exposure two seasons ago when he leveled Malone with what the Jazz thought were unnecessarily hard fouls in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinal series.

Vocal fans, especially in Utah and Detroit, have called Green a thug. He laughs at the label, admitting only to being aggressive on the court.

On the surface, that might appear to be a contradiction to his religious convictions. Green often has been asked how he can justify such on-court aggressiveness. He says the Bible is replete with what he calls warriors.

“My attitude is to go out there and, of course, play as hard as I can,” Green said. “That’s not a question. Don’t accept anyone blocking you out or try not to do this or that.”

Green insists he is as assertive off the court as on. But his assertiveness apparently does not extend to the media. Green does not seek publicity and does not seem comfortable during interviews.

Unlike some other Lakers, he also does not embrace celebrity status. He is more likely to be seen at a college basketball or football game than at a Hollywood nightclub.

“I don’t necessarily like a lot of attention,” Green said. “I’m used to it, in the sense that I have adapted my life to being in the public. Still, that’s not a preference with me. . . . Not being on the forefront of publicity like some of the other guys on the team--that’s not a problem with me. I never grew up that way, so it’s not in my nature to be wrapped up in that.”

Like it or not, however, Green figures to be in the spotlight in Miami. Although not eager to embrace celebrity, Green believes his All-Star selection should validate his status as a player.

“Well, it should ,” Green said. “My attitude is this: Respect is earned from whatever you’re doing; it’s not something you demand. I don’t ask for it. It just comes. If it doesn’t come, that’s fine, too.”