We are officialy two weeks away from All-Star Weekend, marking the half-way point of the NBA season (even though it’s a couple weeks after many teams’ half-way mark). The fans have spoken and named their starting five for the Eastern and Western Conferences, and the coaches have spoken in naming the reserves. Here’s a rundown of the rosters and our grades for the choices:
Eastern Conference - Dwight Howard, Kevin Garnett, LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Allen Iverson, Joe Johnson, Jameer Nelson, Danny Granger, Paul Pierce, Chris Bosh, Devin Harris, Rashard Lewis
Western Conference - Yao Ming, Tim Duncan, Amar’e Stoudemire, Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, Dirk Nowitzki, Shaquille O’Neal, Brandon Roy, Chauncey Billups, Pau Gasol, David West, Tony Parker
Prostituing himself in a crappy home video to get votes paid off for Amar'e Stoudemire.
A - First Time All-Stars - There are several players this year making their first appearance in an All-Star Game, which should be encouraging to fans. Kobe, Duncan, Iverson, and Garnett aren’t going to live forever, so it’s good to see some rising stars (the jury is still out on Dwight Howard, he is the suppossed “Super Man” these days). Devin Harris and Danny Granger have to be the biggest stand-outs. As mentioned last week, Granger has got the size and build to be a tremendous star for years to come. Harris is making Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban second-guess trading him away for Jason Kidd. For as cocky as Cuban is, getting him to second-guess himself is a moral victory for any opponent. Jameer Nelson of the Orlando Magic is also making a first appearance, and will also be his last. You can put that in writing, oh wait, it already is.
B – Yao Ming’s Swing Votes - We all know that Yao Ming is one of the most dynamic centers in NBA history, he’s a monster with a soft touch. Some call him a gentle big buddha…well, nobody really has but I just did. As long as Yao is in the league he will start in every All-Star Game because he has the backing of over two billion people who love him because he’s their same ethnicity. Yi Jianlian, another one of Yao’s fellow Chineseman, almost made the East’s starting lineup but was narrowly beaten out by Garnett. Yi would have been the first player only averaging 10 points per game to make an All-Star Game, proof that a lot of Chinese people go a long way.
C – Ray Allen’s Snubbing - Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo have been the talk of Beantown this season, they have been the ones to make the big play for the Boston Celtics. Some have even mentioned Allen in MVP talks, (which should be flattering to Allen but extremely propostorous with the way LeBron and D-Wade are playing) so to hear that Allen was left off the All-Star roster for this year was a snub to say the least. Then again, much like the BCS, there is a snub every year. Teams act like beauty pagaent mothers, they think that their little girl is the winner no matter what anybody else says. Being oblivious does wonders to your self-esteem!
Miami Heat's Dwayne Wade has had an incredible season coming off of an injured maligned season last year.
D - Shaquille O’Neals Location Vote - Shaquille O’Neal was voted in as a reserve for the Western Conference, making this Shaq’s 15th All-Star Game. It happens about every year with the host city, a player from the host city’s franchise will earn an undeserved selection. I guess it’s good for ticket sales, and Shaq is just as bad at free throws this year as he always has been, so at least he has stayed consistent throughout the year. A friend of mine made a good suggestion for an event to be added to All-Star Weekend, The Best Worse Free Throw Contest. Shaq would be in it every year, it would be extremely exciting for the fans to see brick chuckers compete to see who could make the most out of 25 or something like that.
F - Nuggets Owner Reccommending Head Examinations - After hearing that his forward Carmelo Anthony had not made the All-Star roster, Denver Nuggets vice president of player personnel Rex Chapman said, ”If you’re telling me that Carmelo Anthony is not one of the top 12 players in the Western Conference, then I say you need to have your head examined.” Anthony has taken a decreased role for the better of the team, and he has missed several games with injuries so far, but perhaps someone needs to explain how the All-Star game votes work (or should work). Players are selected on their production that year, no doubt the ‘Melo is one of the best when considering all seasons he’s been in the league, but for the first half of this season he has not been.
Tags: NBA