I have a major problem with the way the voting is done for All-Star games in the NBA and in most sports in general. You have fans voting who generally don’t know what the hell is going on in the sport. Someone like me knows the game and knows who deserves to play in an All-Star Game should be making the decision, not Joe Schmo from West Ass that just doesn’t get the game. Better yet, why not just have the players and coach’s vote. I think they probably know more about the NBA then I do. Also there is a major difference between a Point Guard and a Shooting Guard. They should be two separate categories so you don’t end up with two shoot first guards starting. This is like how all Outfielders are lumped together in baseball. Being a Centerfielder is much different then being a right fielder. Just ridiculous.
This being said the fans voting this year in the NBA was actually not that bad. Not great by any sense of the imagination but not that bad. Here are the starters voted on by the fans.
Eastern Conference:
G – Dwayne Wade
G – Jason Kidd
F – Lebron James
F – Kevin Garnett
C – Dwight Howard
Western Conference
G – Allen Iverson
G – Kobe Bryant
F – Carmelo Anthony
F – Tim Duncan
C – Yao Ming
Actually looking at it now I only see one glaring mistake on that list, Allen Iverson. How can you have an All-Star game and not have two of the five best players in the league in Steve Nash and Chris Paul starting for the West? I mean they are the two best point guards in the league right now. They are both phenomenal and also the two most fun guys to see with the ball in their hands on the fast break.
Now some of you might be thinking, “Hey, Jason Kidd hasn’t been doing that great. How isn’t he a glaring mistake?” Well, my answer would be that every All Star game is only as good as your distributing point guard. Having a shot first point guard doesn’t do you any good in an All-Star Game. Having one of those makes it a pick up game at 3:30 at the Santa Clara gym: one pass and bad three-point shot. So as long as Jason Kidd is walking or Nash or Paul go to the Eastern Conference he should be an All Star.
Now there are 7 players that get added to each squad as alternates. The coaches and players vote and each squad get 2 guards, 2 forwards, 1 center and 2 wild card players. This is where you get make up for the Stupid NBA Fans and their voting generally. Here are my picks.
Eastern Conference:
G – Chauncey Billups
G – Caron Butler, I know he doesn’t really play a pure guard but he’s close enough.
F – Paul Pierce
F – Chris Bosh
C – Rasheed Wallace
WC – Antawn Jamison
WC – Ray Allen and if you thinking I’m being a too much of a homer, I respond with a “Go Screw Yourself” or take Rip Hamilton.
Western Conference:
G – Steve Nash
G – Chris Paul
F – Dirk Nowitski
F – Carlos Boozer
C – Chris Kaman or Marcus Camby, I really don’t care.
WC – Brandon Roy
WC – Baron Davis
There they are. Take them of leave them. The only one that if they didn’t make the list that I would seriously pissed about is Baron Davis. Since moving out to the Bay Area I have been watching a lot of the Golden State Warriors (who are based out of Oakland for all of my East Coast Readers) and Baron Davis is not only playing at an All-Star level but at a MVP level. He sometimes settle too much for a bad fall away but no one can stay in front of him and stop him from getting to the basket. The back court due of Baron Davis and Monta Ellis is arguably the best backcourt in the NBA.
As always feel free to leave a comment praising me or telling me I’m an idiot.
