NBA all star selection process and your picks

by GameFace on Jan 23, 2009 2:55 PM PST

I have to admit that I am a bit of a fan of the NBA all star weekend, but mostly for just the Sunday All Star game. I don't care much for the rest of it. What I don't like is fans selecting thye starters. In fact, I am vehemently opposed to it. Yet to be disingenuous, I have been known to vote.

One thing I have not done and won't do is vote for a player just because he is on my favorite team. I won't vote for Blazers just because they are Blazers. Every few years (pretty much every year) there is a debate about someone starting who doesn't deserve it. It ranks right up there with the BCS process for me. End the debate. Let coaches have the biggest input. Maybe general managers, referrees, sports press. Anyone but the fans, because fans win generally be fans for thier own team.

All of that being said, I feel the only huge mistake was picking Allen Iverson as a starter. I'm not sure he sould even make the team this year. I think it's fine for fans to weigh in and debate NBA all stars like they debate all manner of NBA minutia. Maybe they should even have some minimally weighted input that actually counts, but it should be very small.

Now for my miscellanious thoughts about who should be all stars this year,... to be taken with a grain of salt. Only one grain.

WEST: Starters. Center - Yao Ming, Forwards - Tim Duncan & Dirk Nowitski, Guards - Kobe Bryant & Chris Paul. Reserves. Brandon Roy, Al Jefferson, Amare Stoudamire, Chauncey Billups, David West, Tony Parker, Kevin Durant. In Consideration. Shaquile O'Neil, Lamarcus Aldridge, Andris Biedrins, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, Deron williams, Carmello Anthony ( but injured currently. Replace any reserve if healthy), Stephen Jackson, Mehmet Okur

EAST: Starters. Center - Dwight Howard, Forwards - LeBron James & Chris Bosh, Guards Dwayne Wade & Joe Johnson. Reserves. Devon Harris, Vince Carter, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Danny Granger, Antawn Jamison, Andre Iguodala. In Consideration. Mike Bibby, Jameer Nelson, Allen Iverson, Michael Redd, Rajon Rondo, Andre Miller, Hedo Turkoglu, Rashard Lewis

I found that It gets tough past the starting five and maybe a few reserves. Clearly some things that players do to help don't reflect in the stat line. I tired not to choose just from winngin teams. There have been some great players stuck in bad situations. Feel free to debate. Yes, I may have been able to make a case for LMA to be a West reserve, But I tried to select as thought I am not a Blazer fan.

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Comments

i thought

that for the west, it would be Paul, Bryant, Dirk, Stoudemire, and Yao.

However, I voted for Roy, Rudy, Aldridge, Oden (left one blank)

I didn’t really care too much who was starting in the east, so i voted for
Ridnour, Marbury, Yi, and Curry. (left one blanke)

by Tofu Anonymous on Jan 23, 2009 3:06 PM PST reply actions

oh yeah

first.

by Tofu Anonymous on Jan 23, 2009 3:06 PM PST up reply actions

The Fans...

Should vote in for the starters i agree. But for the Reserves; the players and coaches should vote them in.

For real you got ALSTON having more votes than ROY, whew…

So Fans=Starters
Coaches/Players= Reserves

by Slickrex on Jan 23, 2009 3:10 PM PST reply actions

How about Fans=Nothing

and Coaches/Players=Select all 12 positions.

I like that better – Elgin

I get what I deserve. I deserve what I get. I have it so I deserve it. I deserve
it for I have it. I get what I deserve. What I deserve - what I deserve what
I get. I have it so I deserve. - Gentle Giant

by 22baylor on Jan 23, 2009 3:11 PM PST up reply actions

Back in the Day

Wasn’t it like that???

Purpose for the Fans is the entertainment Factor. but it would be a lot better/competetive if the game actually MENT something say…. HOME COURT ADVANTAGE in the FINALS.

by Slickrex on Jan 23, 2009 3:15 PM PST up reply actions

That would be wicked

Interesting idea…would definately force both teams to field their best players, and have them perform well. No, Kobe’s fingers hurting so he’ll play a couple minutes and then sit.

by Gelvalst on Jan 23, 2009 6:06 PM PST up reply actions

NO PLEASE NO

I like the game being fun not actually meaning something… besides its a pride thing between the Conferences… who has the best top players…

by SamGoody on Jan 24, 2009 4:24 PM PST up reply actions

i heard a great idea for how all-star voting could be different

let Coaches/Players/Management pick all 12 players for both squads. Put those names on a ballot broken down by position and let the fans vote for which of those guys gets to start..

the fans get to believe they are involved in making their favorites start the all star game, but the people who actually can judge talent (guys like Michael Jordan!) pick who is on the team.

by idoltime on Jan 23, 2009 5:28 PM PST reply actions

i like this idea a lot

Rule #1 of nitpicking is to get it right.

by douglast on Jan 23, 2009 8:58 PM PST up reply actions

Who Can Judge Talent??

Michael Jordan was TALENT, but he can no way… and i mean no way… JUDGE TALENT (Kwame Brown) you kidding me hear???

by Slickrex on Jan 24, 2009 8:24 AM PST up reply actions

right?

i’m glad someone caught my joke..

While I do think the pros can do better in picking all-stars than the fans.. I think it is funny to say that when the guys that they pay money to (like Jordan) seem to have a hard time actually picking the right guys..

by idoltime on Jan 25, 2009 2:08 PM PST up reply actions

Sounds like a good compromise to me.

"She turned me into a newt!
A newt?
...I got better."

by Seijeff on Jan 24, 2009 3:08 PM PST up reply actions

disagree on West

Pau should get it over west. Better stats on a better team. also, I don’t take Al Jefferson. He’s at a loaded position and he plays on a crap team.

Rule #1 of nitpicking is to get it right.

by douglast on Jan 23, 2009 8:59 PM PST reply actions

Forgot Nash

I think I forgot to mention Steve Nash even for consideration in the West. A terrible omission. I think Idoltime’s idea about coaches picking 12 players and letting fans pick starters has merit. A point to ponder.

The thing about players and coaches picking talent is not that same as them picking who is doing great in the present. All the coaches and players know who is having a good year and and having the most impact. That’s not the same as scouting players for talent and potential. I don’t follow other sports as much, but I don’t recall that the majority of other sports has the fans pick the starters. Certainly not in football.

I could agree that Gasol should be considered as strongly as West. After the first 8 players, it gets pretty hard. At least the concensus is that Branodn will be there. He actually would have been the third guard chosen in the West for me after Chris Paul and Kobe. He is that type of elite company. He is worthy of getting votes as a starter, but just a trifle short to knock off those other two guys.

I am probably in the majority in my belief that the record of the team is considered to much when determining who is an all star. By that argument, Garnett should never have made an all start team until he became a Celtic. The example of Michael might not be good, but what made him so much better once they started winning championships? He didn’t start winning them until some key players were added to the team (Pippen, Grant, Rodman, etc) Some great players are stuck on bad teams with bad management, bad coaches and horrible teammates. Only so much one person can do.

Anyway, I didn’t hear much discussion about who you would choose as reserves.

This isn't the Lakers,...
"It's not Show time. It's GO time!"

by GameFace on Jan 26, 2009 12:54 PM PST reply actions