NBA All-Star Game: Showcase Of The Best Players Or Just The Best Teams?

I’ll be the first to admit that I wouldn’t want to be a coach voting for the NBA All-Star reserves.

Every year there are always questionable selections and discussions regarding players who were left behind. 2011 is no different as the full rosters were revealed to the public with a mix of puzzlement and exhilaration.

Sounds of joy and enthusiasm should be running rampant throughout the country with rookie Blake Griffin being chosen. By far the most exciting and most-talked-about star this season, not having the 21-year-old power forward on the team would have been a travesty. I commend all the NBA coaches for not holding him back due to his inexperience, they did the right thing by adding the first year star.

Sadly though, that appears to be the only positive selection in comparison to the other 23 players that will be joining him in Los Angeles.

The biggest problem with the collection of this year’s All-Stars is the basis of their addition. Is the compilation of these squads based upon what they have done this season or due to franchises they play for?

The best teams should be properly represented in the game, which usually occurs in past competitions and will happen in 2011 as well. Yet, this game is about playing the best players in the league, not the best players who play on the best teams.

Pau Gasol was only selected once to the All-Star game during his seven year tenure with the Memphis Grizzlies. After the Los Angeles Lakers acquired the Spanish big man during the 2007-08 season, he’s been on the All-Star team each year since despite there being no outstanding spike in his statistics.

The big three from Boston (Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen) are having lower than average stats for 2011 in comparison to their previous seasons in the NBA. Yet, they were all chosen to be in the showcase game.

San Antonio Spurs Center, Tim Duncan, is having his lowest output in scoring, rebounds, and minutes played this year. Although there are drops across the board, he will also be playing for the West. His teammate, Manu Ginobili, will also be joining him at the big game, despite not being the big time statistical player most All-Stars should be.

With season averages of eighteen points and eight rebounds per game, Miami Heat’s Chris Bosh is having his worst statistical year since his sophomore campaign. That still did not stop the coaches from voting him as a representative for the Eastern Conference.

In no way am I against the selections of players like Gasol, Bosh, Pierce and Duncan; I understand that they are top players in the NBA and are deserving of being involved in the game. My main concern centers upon this thought: would these choices still remain if they were playing for a team with a mediocre or losing record?

Along with the questionable selection process, there are also the issues surrounding those who star on mediocre, losing teams with impressive credentials this season. There are standouts with better stat sheets than some who were chosen for the game, but because they aren’t on a winning team, they were overlooked.

Here are a few of those players and reasons why they should be deserving of a spot on either side:

Kevin Love – F/C – Minnesota Timberwolves

This player not being chosen is, in my opinion, the biggest shock of all. It’s flabbergasting because he currently leads the NBA in rebounds.

It’s not just the board work that makes Kevin Love so dangerous, it’s the expansion of his range and improvement of his scoring consistency. With a 44 percent three-point percentage and just over 20 points per game this season, he is now a threat the defense must plan for in order to beat the Timberwolves.

Therein lies the problem as to why the former UCLA Bruin was most likely not picked. Minnesota currently has a losing record and are no where near playoff contention this season.

It’s a shame that this big man got looked over by Gasol and Duncan, even though he posts a better free throw percentage, rebounding and scoring average per game than both guys.

Danny Granger – F – Indianapolis

There is only one other player besides Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony that can fuse a complete, offensive game with the size and versatility to play three positions.

Pacers franchise star Danny Granger can beat a defender numerous ways. He is efficient free throw shooter (85% from the line), can score at will from anywhere (21 ppg), and knock down shots from behind the arc (38% from three).

So why is this all around forward, who averages more minutes and points per game than Bosh and Garnett, not participating All Star weekend? Indiana is currently 19-27, good for ninth place in the Eastern Conference and are on the outside looking in at the playoffs.

With three selections for Miami and four for Boston, Granger deserves to be on this roster over either Bosh or Garnett at the forward position.

Monta Ellis – G – Golden State Warriors

It’s easy to assume I’m a homer for Monta Ellis to make the All-Star team (being that I’m from the Bay Area), but I prefer to let others discuss why he is so deserving before I add my own personal thoughts.

Yahoo Sports also created a piece on Ellis as the biggest All-Star snub.


NBA.com wrote a piece on Ellis’ unlikely hope to become an All-Star.

Ok, that will pretty much prove my argument, but I would like to add who would be the player left off if he were put on. Westbook and Ginobili are great players, but Ellis has a better field goal percentage, more points, steals, and minutes played per game than both guards.

Playing for Golden State will give anyone a poor opportunity to make the team; the last Warrior to be named an All-Star was Latrell Sprewell in 1997.

Raymond Felton – G – New York Knicks

Much of the credit for the New York Knicks’ big turnaround is aimed at 2011 Eastern Conference All-Star starter Amar’e Stoudemire, but a reserve spot on the team should have also gone to his teammate Raymond Felton.

Even though his team is currently a playoff contender, the league was content on leaving the former North Carolina Tar Heel off the roster. He is currently fifth in the NBA in steals and sixth in assists per game. Along with free throw percentage and the minutes per game categories, he ranks higher in all four categories than Allen and Pierce.

In no way is this looking down on them, but a roster spot for Felton makes more sense than having over half of the Eastern Conference bench filled with Celtics.

*Side Note: Kevin Love is now replacing injured C Yao Ming on the 2011 Western Conference All-Star team.*

New York Knicks' Fan Campaign Contributes to NBA All-Star Voting Dilemma

The leaders of both the Eastern and Western Conference players for the second returns from the 2011 NBA All-Star voting program were recently announced and, as was the case last season, the results provide salient evidence of the system’s fatal flaw.

A glaring example of this assertion is the fact that Houston Rockets center Yao Ming is the overwhelming leader in votes for Western Conference centers despite averaging 10.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game in the only five games he’ll play this entire season.

Currently, the injury-plagued Ming, the third-leading vote getter in the Western Conference, has garnered nearly 300,000 more votes than his closest competitor, which happens to be Los Angeles Lakers center Andrew Bynum. The same Andrew Bynum who’s played in only nine games to the tune of 8.6 points and 6.2 rebounds per contest.

While on the subject of big men, it should be pointed out that former New York Knicks center David Lee was nearly snubbed for last year’s All-Star Game after leading all Eastern Conference centers in scoring and assists during the first half of the 2009-10 campaign.

But Lee’s token replacement of Allen Iverson on the roster gave the Knicks their first All-Star Game participant since 2001, when shooting guard Allan Houston and shooting guard/small forward Latrell Sprewell were selected.

Ironically though, with the placement of Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari and Amar’e Stoudemire on the ballots, the Knicks have initiated a double-edged sword campaign to boost All-Star voting support for their team stalwarts.

On the one hand, Stoudemire, a viable candidate for the Most Valuable Player Award, is more than deserving of the votes required to surpass Boston Celtics power forward Kevin Garnett to slide into the second starting forward spot on the Eastern Conference All-Star squad. The statistics don’t lie.

Stoudemire is averaging nearly twice as many points per game (26.4) as “The Big Ticket” (15.0) while pulling down just as many rebounds per contest (9.1 versus 9.5) and blocking twice as many shots (2.3 versus 0.73). In addition, Stoudemire is the primary reason the Knicks, one of the marquee franchises in the league, have experienced a marked resurgence.

On the other hand, although the Knicks’ floor general is worthy of consideration for a spot on the roster, Felton, as well as Gallinari, have absolutely no business being All-Star starters, which is what the voting program was designed to determine.

Felton (18.0 points, 8.9 assists per game) is a notch below Rajon Rondo (11.2 points, 13.8 assists per game) and Derrick Rose (24.0 points, 8.6 points per game) at the point guard position while Gallinari (15.2 points, 4.5 rebounds per game) isn’t even the second best forward on his own team, with Wilson Chandler (17.7 points, 6.4 rebounds per game) holding that distinction.

So although the Vote Knicks campaign is a clever way to reward fans for their creativity and support, it does the disservice of perpetuating the message that All-Star voting should be done with the heart rather than the brain.

Have Brandon Jennings, Gilbert Arenas and John Wall outplayed Raymond Felton this season?

Do Chris Paul and Kobe Bryant make for a better All-Star starting backcourt than Russell Westbrook and Deron Williams?

Are Andrew Bynum and Yao Ming more worthy All-Star starting centers than Al Jefferson or Nenê?

The fans have spoken loud and clear. But is David Stern really listening?

The second returns from the 2011 All-Star voting program are as follows (Courtesy NBA.com):

2011 NBA ALL-STAR BALLOTING - EASTERN CONFERENCE

Forwards: LeBron James (Mia) 969,459; Kevin Garnett (Bos) 712,555; Amar’e Stoudemire (NYK) 637,486; Paul Pierce (Bos) 381,348; Chris Bosh (Mia) 260,007; Josh Smith (Atl) 193,897; Carlos Boozer (Chi) 159,073; Danilo Gallinari (NYK) 127,726; Andre Iguodala (Phi) 115,660; Danny Granger (Ind) 107,145.

Guards: Dwyane Wade (Mia) 938,402; Rajon Rondo (Bos) 777,310; Derrick Rose (Chi) 721,122; Ray Allen (Bos) 392,441; John Wall (Was) 169,219; Gilbert Arenas (Orl) 144,889; Brandon Jennings (Mil) 128,556; Raymond Felton (NYK) 105,425; Joe Johnson (Atl) 99,598; Jamal Crawford (Atl) 97,809.

Centers: Dwight Howard (Orl) 988,572; Shaquille O’Neal (Bos) 410,663; Joakim Noah (Chi) 153,657; Al Horford (Atl) 120,404; Andrew Bogut (Mil) 110,153; Andrea Bargnani (Tor) 92,822; Brook Lopez (NJ) 77,048; Roy Hibbert (Ind) 70,698; JaVale McGee (Was) 59,508; Ben Wallace (Det) 44,375.

2011 NBA ALL-STAR BALLOTING - WESTERN CONFERENCE

Forwards: Kevin Durant (Okc) 735,521; Carmelo Anthony (Den) 602,516; Pau Gasol (LAL) 597,201; Dirk Nowitzki (Dal) 447,737; Tim Duncan (SA) 436,651; Blake Griffin (LAC) 435,857; Lamar Odom (LAL) 232,299; Luis Scola (Hou) 197,728; Kevin Love (Min) 171,945; Caron Butler (Dal) 168,937.

Guards: Kobe Bryant (LAL) 1,153,694; Chris Paul (NOH) 585,690; Manu Ginobili (SA) 403,632; Steve Nash (Pho) 321,659; Deron Williams (Utah) 313,011; Jason Kidd (Dal) 234,779; Russell Westbrook (Okc) 233,593; Tony Parker (SA) 219,378; Vince Carter (Pho) 185,213; Eric Gordon (LAC) 179,917.

Centers: Yao Ming (Hou) 637,527; Andrew Bynum (LAL) 376,283; Brendan Haywood (Dal) 215,905; Nenê (Den) 211,475; Marc Gasol (Mem) 205,227; Emeka Okafor (NOH) 172,012; Chris Kaman (LAC) 131,741; Marcus Camby (Por) 111,346; Andris Biedrins (GS) 65,908; Robin Lopez (Pho) 62,199.

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Knicks Agree to 3-year, $25 million Contract With Raymond Felton

The New York Knicks have quickly bounced back from the heartache
LeBron James’ defection to Miami caused by dipping back into the most talent-laden free agent pool in NBA history.

On the heels of finalizing a sign-and-trade deal that shipped All-Star power forward/center David Lee to the Golden State Warriors for Kelenna Azubuike, Anthony Randolph and Ronny Turiaf, Knicks President of Basketball Operations Donnie Walsh dispelled rumors of his impending retirement and went about the task of upgrading the engine of head coach Mike D’Antoni’s offense.

According to NYDailyNews.com, the Knicks have reached an agreement in principle with Charlotte Bobcats unrestricted free agent point guard Raymond Felton. The contract is believed to be a three-year deal worth approximately $25 million.

Felton, the fifth overall selection in the 2005 NBA Draft, averaged 12.1 points, 5.6 assists and 1.5 steals per game for the Bobcats last season and, in five seasons as Charlotte’s starting point guard, Felton has posted 13.3 points, 6.4 assists and 1.4 steals per contest.

Equally as important though is the fact that Felton has proven to be extremely durable since he entered the league, appearing in at least 78 games in each of the past five years.

In addition to being an upgrade over former Knicks point man Chris Duhon, who signed as a free agent with the Orlando Magic recently, Felton will be a nice complement to small forward Danilo Gallinari and newly signed power forward Amar’e Stoudemire.

While far from being a playmaker/scoring threat of Steve Nash’s caliber, Felton is more than capable of finding Gallinari for a fair share of open looks and Stoudemire for a bountiful of thunderous dunks while penetrating to the basket to create his own offense in D’Antoni’s high-scoring system.

But if Felton isn’t up to the challenge, Chris Paul and Tony Parker will become available in next year’s free agent market.

Click here to read more about 2010 NBA free agency on Examiner.com.