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Will Brandon ever make All-First Team?

Hear me out on this one before you flame me to the ends of the earth.

The results came in today for the All-NBA teams, and Brandon Roy was right where we thought he'd be, on the second team. There's certainly no shame in that. Sportswriters agree that he's somewhere between the sixth and tenth best active player in the NBA, and that he's either the third or fourth best guard in the league. Hard to argue with that.

What I'm arguing, though, is that the two or three guards above Brandon are so good, and, more importantly, so entrenched in the nation's eyes that it could be a long time before Brandon ever breaks through to All-First status. Think about it. The three guards ahead of Brandon are (in no particular order) K*be, Wade, and CP3. Those guys are all really good, and I don't think it's any dishonor to be voted behind those guys (anti-L*ker bias notwithstanding). Those guys don't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. K*be will stop being voted to the first team when he retires from the league, which might not be for another five years. Wade and CP3 will probably occupy the other spot back and forth, assuming they continue to carry 30-win teams to the playoffs year after year. We may not ever see Brandon on the first team.

Not that that would be such a bad thing, mind you. I'm thinking of another player who has had a storied career, carrying team after team deep in the playoffs, yet always manages to stay out of the limelight. That player? Chauncey Billups. He's carried six straight teams to the conference finals. He's been, in retrospect, the best player on all six of those teams. Not once has he made the first team. I doubt that bothers him too much, frankly. They don't hand out rings for making the first team.

If it comes down to winning championships or making the first team, I get the feeling Brandon will be more than happy to win the championships. Let K*be and Wade make the first team. I'm sure that will keep them satisfied while they watch the Blazers play in June.