Friday, January 22nd, 2010...1:28 am
Voters Redeemed, Duncan and Nash Named All-Star Starters
Terrible general managers are often replaced and constantly recycled through NBA jobs, but rarely are they ever redeemed. There are a few exceptions to the rule, of course.
Danny Ainge was savvy in trading for Ray Allen before friend and former teammate Kevin McHale decided to send him Kevin Garnett for Al Jefferson (but not Rajon Rando). Mitch Kupchak was seemingly a few weeks away from Kobe Bryant forcing his own exit before Chris Wallace, or was it a departing Jerry West, gift wrapped Pau Gasol. NBA fans? You have your redemption in Tim Duncan and Steve Nash. Sort of.
Only weeks ago both Nash and Duncan trailed Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki and Tracy McGrady in the polls. Mavericks fans might be peeved, losing representation in the starting lineup on their own home floor, but both forwards have returned to their previous MVP levels and Duncan’s peak is higher than Nowitzki’s. That Duncan prevailed provides hope that fans have moved beyond points per game and embraced per minute statistics and defense, but the victory is, at least, arguable. Nowitzki was deserving of a start too. The math just didn’t work.
Nash losing out to McGrady, on the other hand, would have made an embarrassment for the league. Given the start, would McGrady be introduced as a Houston Rocket? Or as a Tim Grover gym member? Because the “star” guard has played in all of six games, and in limited minutes at that. Meanwhile Nash has reverted back to his own MVP form, providing the perfect floor leader for this kind of game.
Still, if the fans have put together a solid starting five for the West, the Eastern Conference starting five remains unimaginative and uninspired with fans voting for Allen Iverson and Kevin Garnett’s crutches and sports coats.
For all the terrible general managers in recent NBA history, few have been as questionable as NBA fans.
Given the entire talent pool the NBA has to offer, with no salary cap or restrictions and asked simply to compose the two best, most entertaining teams for an exhibition game, and still fans continue to roll out players like Antoine Walker, Steve Francis, Iverson, or as was almost the case this season, McGrady.
A number of readers suggested in my last All-Star related post that ballots not be released until later in the season, allowing voters to see the merits of players before voting for big names, or at least preventing votes to players who have missed most of the season with injuries. Ray Allen suggested taking the votes, at least partially, away from the fans to restore meaning to the game.
Yet, the NBA continues to carry on with the status quo much like the BCS is in determining a national college football champion: content to get it right most of the time but uncaring so long as ratings are high enough.
My solution? Like many poor general managers I believe the problem lies in the lack of a plan. Should an All-Star starter be one of the best two players at his position in the league? Or is an All-Star starter an entertainer fans would line up to see unleashed in an exhibition game? Seeing as how the first option is rarely the criteria used, I’ll go with the second.
So starting a new campaign for next season, I’ll announce my “If you’re going to waste a vote on an undeserving name, at least make it original and fun” All-Star starters.
PG. Jason Williams, Orlando Magic: Somewhere underneath all the brainwashing Hubie Brown and Pat Riley instilled in Williams lies the Pistol Pete approximation we all hope Ricky Rubio will be. Is he one of the top players in the league? No. But is there another point guard (other than Nash perhaps) that would be more entertaining given all those weapons to pass to combined with the no defensive nature of an All Star game?
SG. Manu Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs: While it still remains to be seen whether or not Ginobili will return to an elite player, he still remains one of the few players in the league capable of pulling out something no one has seen before.
SF. Vince Carter, Orlando Magic: While the guard might be more Half-man, Half-arthritic than amazing these days, he still has some life in his legs. Of all the fans horrible decisions, making Carter the leading vote getter has never been one that I’ve regretted given his entertainment factor in these games.
PF. Josh Smith, Atlanta Hawks: The Hawks are a contending team, and a lot of it has to do with the development of Smith. Always one of the most entertaining players in the league, now he’s one of its most efficient. Sadly, I fear Garnett will remain the All-Star starter regardless of performance so long as he a.) remains in Boston, and b.) remembers how to yell after a dunk.
C. Hasheem Thabeet, Memphis Grizzlies: Blocks are entertaining, which is why Dwight Howard as center is a perfect fit for All-Star games. But nothing is more fun than a hapless seven-footer getting dunked on. Five minutes a game, a bounty on his head (so to speak) and posters ready to order on NBA.com.
12 Comments
January 22nd, 2010 at 7:15 am
Don’t forget to bring Nate Robinson off the bench! He wins the dunk contest regularly, so he should be in the mix as well.
January 22nd, 2010 at 7:18 am
The problem is that Duncan is still listed as a PF while he’s playing C , and Amare is listed C but he’s playing PF. Dirk and Duncan should both be starting because they’re both having a better season than Stoudemire. The good news is that Nash is starting for T-Mac. But seeing two Suns starting is not right. Dirk really deserves to start.
Anyway the All-Star voting system needs to change, Iverson definitely is the guy who shouldn’t be starting (he shouldn’t be selected as a reserve too). CP3 and Deron Williams both deserve to be on the team but Williams will probably not make it I guess?
January 22nd, 2010 at 7:34 am
It’s a garbage game, so let the fans see who they want. It’s also a mistake to demand to see players who are doing well this year versus career players. I’m a VA voter, but if some idiot wants Iverson, then it’s there choice.
OTOH, while the paper ballots should be based on 1 player per position as determined by the GM of each team early in the season, the online ballots should include everybody on an MLB roster. Think of Ben Zobrist, who came out of obscurity to be the best 2B in the AL this year.
January 22nd, 2010 at 8:23 am
@Ivander, I think the problem lies in more than just Tim Duncan being listed as a PF vs a C, the best idea is what John Hollinger on ESPN wrote, breaking the ballot down into the following categories:
1 Point Guard
2 Wings
2 Posts/Bigs
This is a win win on all levels b/c like Bill Simmons has written, Allstar Games tend to usually only be as exciting as the PG’s that make the team. In the West you wouldn’t have the potential problem that we almost had this year with a backcourt of two SG’s, you would def have either Nash or Chris Paul basically locked into that starting spot.
Also with the evolution of small ball it is getting harder and harder to classify players.
January 22nd, 2010 at 8:45 am
maybe the nba needs to set up a committee to obtain veto power over the fans. allen iverson? c’mon, now. put your phili jersey’s back in the closet. he’s done. kg is probably done as an elite player as well. 10 plus years of 6′11 athleticism has ruined his knees.
January 22nd, 2010 at 8:58 am
It wouldn’t hurt to have the NBA release the name of pre-selected players a little bit later in the season… this year a player like Noah wasn’t even on the ballot (I hope he’s going to be selected as a reserve).
January 22nd, 2010 at 9:21 am
I have no problem with who plays in the game; it’s fun watching the stars play and if the fans want to see KG and AI, so be it.
But where I do have a problem is how all-star appearances is one of the top categories rattled off on the list achievements for a player by the media, pundits, etc. Allen Iverson will now be considered an 11-time all star. Not only is he not having an all-star caliber year, it excludes someone more deserving from earning that recognition.
And man, Timmy is going to get booed like no other in Dallas and bumping Dirk. Hopefully some SA fans will make the trip.
January 22nd, 2010 at 10:47 am
If the Dallas fans boo Duncan then they are idiots. Yes Dirk does deserve to start but so does Duncan. Who they should be booing is some of the idiots who made it that should not have. Thats another reason I like the idea of having the gategories broken down like John Hollinger wrote. If Dirk had made it over Duncan I would be mad (being a Spurs Fan) but I would not be angry at Dirk who is very deserving too. My opinion is if you put the best team out there then Dirk and Duncan would be playing side by side.
January 22nd, 2010 at 11:31 am
Why are you insulting Antoine Walker who hasn’t played in 3 years and hasn’t been in the all star game in 5?
By the way if you actually had a brain in your head you would know that Antoine was averaging around 8 rebounds and 5 assists plus the 20 points the years he made his all star game. The only thing he didn’t do was shoot a high % Gee that sounds pretty all around for a player.
January 22nd, 2010 at 12:41 pm
@Cory Clay:
I agree with you, I was just pointing out that something has to change.
When I was a child ,let’s say about 15 years ago, only people who were real NBA fans were voting for the All-Star Game (at least over here in Europe). That meant that the people who were voting actually had an idea of why they were voting for a particular player that year, and they had to get the ballots from a Foot Locker store. Nowadays everyone can vote via internet,so lots of hardcore fans vote every day for players like AI, T-Mac or KG (yes I don’t agree with Garnett starting for the East) and they don’t have to move their butts to do so.
I would prefer ballots on which I’d have to write the name of every single player I’d like to see. No more predefined and biased selections with a single write-in vote.
January 22nd, 2010 at 12:59 pm
OK sorry, very stupid idea to have ballots with no predefined selections, a lot of people would simply vote for the players on their favorite team and even more guys would play who don’t deserve it.
But the NBA should release the names of the players on the ballots later and the ballots should have more possible selections divided into PGs , wings and bigs.
January 22nd, 2010 at 3:21 pm
i was shocked and elated when i heard the news that duncan was voted in as a starter. awesome job people.
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