…and as of right now, Yao Ming’s starting at Center for the West.
I’ve never been a supporter of letting the fans vote the starters into the All-Star Game, but I’ve also never really cared that much. Most of my favorite players aren’t good enough (or popular enough) to make the game, and I’d rather watch most regular season matchups than the All-Star game. That being said, a lot of people get really excited for the ASG, so I’ll throw in my two cents.
I think the NBA’s stance on the issue is that the game is for the fans, so why not let them have a say in who plays? I would argue that this game means a lot more to the players than the fans. Being an NBA All-Star is an honor, and almost every year someone deserving gets shafted because of this stupid popularity contest. Yao’s a bright guy, he knows he has no business playing in the game, and I’m sure he’d rather not be put in this awkward position… so why not give the spot to a guy who actually deserves it? It probably won’t matter because Yao will just sit out with an injury and a player who’s deemed worthy by the Commisioner will get the replacement nod. I say we should just skip that whole process and get it right from the start. Playing in an ASG is a life-long dream for many players, and they’ve worked their asses off to make it a reality. So no, I don’t give a flying f@ck if an entire nation wants to see Yao… he didn’t earn it this year.
My non-Yao gripes with the results:
- The entire Western Conference centers list is messed up. Andrew Bynum’s played in two games, he shouldn’t be getting any votes. Brendan Haywood’s been collecting dust on the bench in Dallas all season long, and Marc Gasol’s having a crappy season for a crappy team. The words “All” and “Star” shouldn’t be being used in the same sentence as any of those dudes. The problem here isn’t only with the fans, though. I mean, who the hell are they supposed to vote for? Nene? He’s had the best season of the bunch, and he’s probably not even deserving of an All-Star nod. Pau Gasol should be a center on the ballot. He’s started there in all 26 of LA’s games. Get rid of Yao, make Pau a center, problem solved.
- Dirk Nowitzki’s getting jobbed. He’d be my choice for MVP of the league right now, but the fans have him fourth among Western Conference forwards. Not only are there three less-deserving players in front of him, he’s barely got more votes than the next two guys after him (Blake Griffin and Tim Duncan). I have a man-crush on Blake Griffin and TD’s an all-time great, but come on now… Dirk’s playing at a much higher level than those two right now.
- Manu Ginobili should be one of the two guards starting for the West. Right now he’s third, but trailing CP3 by over 100,000 votes. Chris Paul’s a great player and his Hornets are alright, but Manu’s been the best player on the best team in the league. He deserves that spot for sure.
- Amare Stoudemire certainly has an arguement against KG for that second Eastern Conference forward spot. KG’s been much closer to his old self than he was last season. He could be the DPOY thus far, and he’s averaging a solid 16/10. As for Amare, he’s doing 28/9 and has led the Knicks to a 16-10 record. He’s nowhere near the defender that KG is, but the guy has been completely dominant offensively. He’s scored 30+, what, nine times in a row now? I’d probably give him the nod at this point, but I can’t be too mad at the voters on this one. It’s debatable, I guess.
- Derrick Rose should be in over Rajon Rondo. Rose has played like a legit MVP candidate and has the Bulls sitting in the third spot in the East… even though they’ve had major injury issues. Rondo? Overrated. According to me, Derrick Rose is the third best PG in the league… and I don’t have major beef with him being ranked even higher. Rondo’s just outside of my top five, and I do have a problem with him being ranked any higher than fifth.
- Shaq’s been surprisingly effective this year, but he shouldn’t be second among Eastern Conference centers. Good thing it doesn’t matter… Superman Jr.’s ahead by about a million votes.
NBA 24/7 365′s Starters:
If they’d move Pau to center I could replace Nene with Durant… but Pau’s a forward, so Durant gets shafted.
