Why All-Star voting needs to change

by CMCWizard on Dec 13, 2008 10:39 AM PST

Broyposse posted earlier this week encouraging everyone to support our Blazers in all-star voting. I in no way want to take away from Broyposse's (or other fans like him) support of our players, as it's the only way a starter is determined. This needs to change. I'm sorry fans, but all-star game starters should not be decided by you. China should not tell me Yi Jianlian deserves more all-star votes than Chris Bosh who's bea tearing it up this season.

As a thought experiment, here's a look at who would be playing in the all-star game this year if fans voted in the whole team (the fan's dream right!?!):

Eastern Conference Starters:

Guards - Dwyane Wade (623,311), Allen Iverson (492, 093)

Forwards - LeBron James (643,786), Kevin Garnett (495,514)

Center: Dwight Howard (775,933)

Eastern conference Reserves (going purely based on votes):

Yi Jianlian (356,556), Chris Bosh (274,195), Vince Carter (236,634), Ray Allen (174,155), Paul Pierce (153,512), Shawn Marion (144,066), Jose Calderon (124,705)

Western Conference Starters:

Guards - Kobe Bryant (719,252), Chris Paul (406,220)

Forwards - Tim Duncan (442,203), Amare Stoudemire (370,470)

Center - Yao Ming (529,290)

Western Conference Reserves (once again based pure upon highest vote total):

Tracy McGrady (332,222), Carmelo Anthony (327,233), Dirk Nowitzki (261,952), Pau Gasol (260,374), Shaquille O'Neal (227,273), Ron Artest (214,063), Mehmet Okur (162,139)

Notable snubs (for reference):

Brandon Roy (78,071), Al Jefferson (46,242), Derek Rose (102,263), Joe Johnson (94,847), Josh Smith (59,574), many others

Looking at this list, I suspect that David Stern and Co. would argue that the players who are playing the best are the most popular, and thus are selected as starters. I'm sorry, but the Allen Iverson lifetime achievement award is not the all-star game. Detroit has been terrible since he arrived and he in no way deserves to be a starter. Looking at the rest of the starters, they should be an all-star, whether as a reserve or as a starter (most should be starting if the game were played at this point in the season).

Where the fans would really fall short is the reserves, and with a long time left to go until voting closes it is more than possible to see the likes of Yi Jianlian in the starting lineup over KG for example even though he has to make up a lot of ground. Yi may be improving but 11.2 PPG and 6.2 RPG an all-star does not make. As for the western conference, TMac, Shaq, and RonRon have not been playing even close to at an all-star level. And seriously, what's up with Rondo getting no love in the east along with Derek Rose garnering more votes that BRoy!?!

Personally, I want to see the 12 most deserving guys make the team every year. There are always going to be snubs, but let that lie on the coaches and players. Last year for instance, both AI and Melo were voted in as starters, but thier Defensive Player of the Year center (yes I'm talking about Marcus Camby) was snubbed mainly because an 8 seed does not deserve 3 players on the all-star team, end of story. The popularity contest NEEDS to stop.

If the NBA is hellbent on letting fans decide things for the all-star game, let them vote for the starting 5, but AFTER the 12 man roster is set (As I said in the comments yesterday). Get the 12 best players from each conference to the game, then the week or two leading up to the game the fans get to decide who they want to start. Hell I'd be fine losing the position requirements for that. Seeing a 4 guard starting line-up would be fine by me.

If nothing is done I fear that using the number of all-star appearances as a barometer for sustained excellence is diminished, greatly. Sure most of the roster will work out fine, but it still bothers me that what market the players play in influences wether or not they get to start or even play in the game. Canzano has a great point with his column here. I have to say I agree.

David Stern, you blew the referee betteing scandal, you failed with the OKC Thunder situation, and you are failing with the all-star game. I'm sick of dealing with your blundering failures over the past few year, Mr. Stern, so fix one while you can.

I'd love to hear, based on this list, who are the biggest snubs from the all star team were it based purely on voting. Please leave a Western Conference player and an Eastern Conference player. And for the sake of discussion, BRoy just got a million votes and is voted in as a starter because Stern fears a revolution if this isn't fixed.

Poll

What should the NBA do about fan voting for the all-star games?

Keep it as is. Who cares if China votes in a bench warmer in 2020!

13 votes

Let the coaches and players choose who goes. Fans can pick the starters from there.

26 votes

Fan voting is dumber than auctioning off a senate seat even though you know your phone is tapped.

14 votes

I have a better idea of how to include the fans (please include idea in comments).

0 votes

53 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

dude

it is what it is,d.stern loves star power and unfortunately the blazers play in a conference where the lakers are the king of the mountain again.as for guys like roy look at it this way when dirk*nash were at the top of their games the same fans you’re complaining about did’nt have the decentcy to vote them in.why because the nba are synical fans they like who the media pundints tell them to like.as for yi being a nets season ticket holder,i’ved never seen more asians at a sporting event than at nets games.and yi will be a very good pro once his defensive prowess becomes up to snuff.as for any blazers win a couple of playoff rounds and then they’ll be perennial all*star appearances for aldridge*roy.

by fatty on Dec 13, 2008 10:55 AM PST reply actions

I agree that Yi wil be a good player

I’m not trying to bash him in any way, he was just the best example of a player garnering a huge number of votes that isn’t having an all-star season THIS year. He will be a solid pro once his defense improves. Popularity contests just don’t sit well with me, especially when the results are supposed to mean something other than just a popularity contest. If there’s a better system out there, I’d like to see it used.

What are you impressions of Roy?
"He's just a very, very good basketball player. Very smart. Very heady. He can do a little bit of everything on the court. As coaches, when we scout Portland we kind of put him in the same category as Kobe (Bryant), LeBron (James), Dwyane Wade. We treat him the same. He's that good."

- Byron Scott

by CMCWizard on Dec 13, 2008 11:20 AM PST up reply actions

I like it how it is

The all-star game is for the fans, we choose who starts and the coaches make sure nobody is getting slighted by picking the most deserving players who remain. And of course lifetime achievment is going to effect the fan’s selection, if people have been AI fans for a decade they are probably going to want to see him in the game
And so what if the chinese get a player or two in there, the game is going to get more and more international and people are going to have to realize its not just about the USA anymore. No matter what way this is done, there are going to be people who get snubbed, there are only 24 spots and a league full of talented players, suck it up.

"Great Oden's raven!" - Ron Burgandy

by danevan on Dec 13, 2008 10:56 AM PST reply actions

Clarification:

My point about China voting in players should be taken it as a pure game of numbers. It’s not there to slight the international expansion of the NBA as that is important to the success of the NBA. It’s just to state how the market there is HUGE, over a billion HUGE. It’s no different if NY actually fielded someone deserving this year and had their market supporting them vs. smaller markets not being able to garner that support because of lack of national coverage etc.

- Byron Scott

by CMCWizard on Dec 13, 2008 11:28 AM PST up reply actions

Fact is

There is only one player on the starting list who is questionable, and that’s AI. Other than that, those starters are all legit all-stars, and arguably the right starters (you might argue for Carmelo at forward in the West, or Bosh in the East, but I wouldn’t choose either one of them over the guys that are there).

Subs? Who cares? Subs in the fan voting are irrelevant, for good reason. The fans will know who is really dominant, but may not be knowledgeable about the backups. That’s fine, the coaches choose them. It’s a system that actually ends up working pretty well most of the time. Rarely will someone get voted in as a starter who shouldn’t be in the game at all. That means that the 24 players who should be there almost always are, unless the coaches make a bad decision.

If Brandon deserves a spot (as of today he certainly does), he’ll get it. Sorry, but he doesn’t deserve to be ahead of Paul or Kobe.

No harm, no foul.

Do you like asparagus?

by jscot on Dec 13, 2008 11:52 AM PST reply actions

Carmelo should not even be in the discussion to start the ASG

Among West forwards, Duncan, Amare, Dirk, Kirilenko, Gasol and West have all played better so far this season. Denver’s success is much more attributable to Billups and Nene than to ’Melo.

Boomshakalaka

by jksnake99 on Dec 13, 2008 2:05 PM PST up reply actions

Star power

plus NBA record scoring in a single quarter plus Denver’s W/L record keeps him in the discussion.

But Duncan and Amare are the right guys, and I would agree that at least some of those other guys are more deserving. I don’t know who the coaches will choose.

Do you like asparagus?

by jscot on Dec 13, 2008 11:19 PM PST up reply actions

China brings the NBA a lot of money

Stern doesnt have the balls to screw with them.

"All our holes," says shooting guard Brandon Roy, a surprise All-Star last year in his second season, "are holes that Greg is going to plug."

by bowdown on Dec 13, 2008 12:04 PM PST reply actions

It can be annoying

when AI/Vince Carter types get the popularity vote, but the ASG is an exhibition, so I don’t think it’s worth getting fired up over.

Bayless has been testing the fences for weaknesses

by blazeraddict on Dec 13, 2008 12:10 PM PST reply actions

Keep as is

but change the name from All-Star to something more appropriate like “Stuffed ballot box game”. No, I don’t mean that, but I think that being voted to the all-star game should not be bonuses in player contracts nor in any way mean anything other than being popular with the fans.

by jorga on Dec 13, 2008 12:42 PM PST reply actions

Stupid system

Here is why in my humble opinion, When you hear things like Micheal jordan was a 10 time allstar(or however many he made) you know that he made the game and EARNED that part of his legacy. Kevin Duckworth was a 2 time allstar, he earned that. Porter, Drexler, Even Roy because he was voted in by coaches who have no real bias they just vote for who they think is the best that year, Hence what an all star truely is. It is a stupid system and idea, but i do agree D. Stern is to much of a sissy-lala to do anything about it.

by blazerbeliever97504 on Dec 13, 2008 2:10 PM PST reply actions