All Star Voting Costly for Some Deserving Stars
By Rashad_Smith
Thu, 01/21/2010 - 5:18am
Less than a week ago the last of the votes were cast. Today fans will be tuning in to the NBA on TNT to see the starting lineups for the NBA All Star game. The festivities to be held in Dallas from February 12-14 allows basketball fans around the globe to watch the best of the best play and demonstrate their talent.
Derrick RoseHowever, with the globalization of voting, the fan selection of All-Star starters has become more of a popularity contest which is most likely to lead to an exclusion of some young, deserving players, forced to at home to watch the game on their plasma, instead of a trip to Dallas.
Players who have been perennial All-Stars (usually the have their own shoe line) are known to receive the most votes during All-Star balloting. But the results of the fan voting as of January 7th have shown that fans have gone too far.
Case in point: two great players who are past their prime but yet based on the last tallies would be your All Star starters Allen Iverson and Tracy McGrady.
AI received 930,713 votes despite his career low averages in points and assists (14.7 ppg 4.6 ast) for the woeful Philadelphia 76ers (13-27 while T-MAC, despite playing a total of 45 minutes this season, has 746,625 votes which makes him second in the entire Western Conference.
Tracy, the Houston Rockets might not think you can play anymore but the fans in China sure do! Maybe we should just ship McGrady over for the Chinese Basketball Association All Star Game and everyone will be happy.
While a lifetime achievement selection may be deserved for the AI's or T-MAC’s, more deserving, emerging players like Monta Ellis, Brandon Roy, Rudy Gay, and Deron Williams look as though they may not be selected for the Western All-Star team where the conference is stacked with a number of guards.
While in the East, Derrick Rose, David Lee, Brook Lopez, and Danny Granger, all of whom are more deserving, may also go unselected. This is unfair considering that these players have put up excellent numbers and have been either the best or second best player on their respective teams.
The Golden State Warriors may be near the bottom of the Western Conference with a 12-27 record but they do have a shining star in Monta Ellis. Currently ranked 6th in the league in scoring at 26.4 ppg, Monta is having a career year for the Warriors, who after the departure of Baron Davis and Stephen Jackson has become their team leader and go to player. Excluding the 2008-09 season (19 ppg) where he was recovering from ankle surgery and subsequently suspended for 30 games for lying about the injury, Ellis has increased his per game scoring average each season. Ellis is also pretty good at trick shots.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHER-b07GsY
Brandon Roy has led a Portland Trail Blazers squad to a surprising 25-17 record as many people thought that the team would struggle when Greg Oden went down with a season-ending injury after the had already lost Batum and Outlaw. The do-everything guard is averaging 23.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg, and 5.1 apg. Roy has been the catalyst for this talented and young Blazers team willing them to a number of impressive wins.
Rudy Gay has been the catalyst for the Memphis Grizzlies who have surprised many NBA experts this year with their winning record (22-18). During the off-season, Allen Iverson was brought in to help the young guards and get some wins (or sell tickets). After a falling out with the head coach, Iverson took a leave of absence and was released from his contract with the Grizzlies. Since his departure the team has played very well and Rudy Gay and O.J. Mayo have turned into a dynamic tandem. Gay is averaging 20.4 ppg, 6.2 rpg, and 2 apg and is 7th in the league in mpg with 38.9.
Deron Williams is arguably one of the best point guards in the NBA, playing for a solid Utah Jazz team (23-18). The Illinois product is averaging 19.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg and 9.6 apg. In 2008, Williams took part in All-Star festivities by winning the PlayStation Skills Challenge. Many have compared him to Chris Paul and some believe that he is better, particularly when the playoffs begin and strength becomes more of a factor. The numbers are very comparable, and Williams has the edge in the head-to-head meetings (10-4). He also has an all-star pitch of his own: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gF1O81vkHR
In the eastern conference, Derrick Rose has played well for the underperforming Chicago Bulls. The Bulls record is 18-21 but has been playing better as of late. Last season’s Rookie of the Year is averaging 19 ppg, 2.7 rpg and 5.9 apg. While his assist and field goal percentage have fallen slightly (6.3 and 47.5% respectively) his scoring average has increased.
Danny Granger burst onto the scene last season when he became an All-Star for the Indiana Pacers. He has put together another impressive season averaging 23.4 ppg, 5.7 rpg, and 2.5 apg. A comparable player on a better team is the Celtics Paul Pierce, who is averaging 18.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg, and 3.7 apg and has 366,234 all-star votes to Granger’s 213,371.
David Lee has been one of the only bright spots for the New York Knicks, becoming a go to guy in crunch time, during their sub par season. The double-double machine is averaging 19.1 ppg, 11.2 rpg, and 3.4 apg for New York. These are career-highs in points and assist.
The New Jersey Nets at 3-37, have fallen to the worst record in the NBA. Their abysmal record is a result of inconsistent play and injuries. Most nights howaever Brook Lopez has shown solid effort. Averaging 18.9 ppg, 9.5 rpg, and 2 bpg while shooting over 84% from the line, Lopez has given the Nets a nice piece to build around for 2010’s free agency. As of the last tally, Shaquille O’Neal had 609,486 all-star votes to Lopez’s 154,362 despite the “Shaq Diesel” averaging only 10.7 ppg, 6.8 rpg.
So there you have it. There are plenty of All-Star caliber players in the NBA who may slip under the radar or go unnoticed by the public. 3-time All-Star and Finals MVP Chauncey Billups was not an All-Star until his ninth season.
Giving fans the complete power to vote for starters’ results in regional favoritism, popularity based voting and not enough genuine selection in players most deserving. Maybe the NBA will listen to Ray Allen and give fans 50% of the voting power instead of 100% of the All-Star votes for starters. Whatever is done, it needs to happen quickly. The NBA’s plans on going global may end in being a detriment to its fans at home, at least in regards to the mid season classic. Yet, we shouldn’t put it all on the leagues shoulders; if the game is to evolve, maybe it's fan base should too.
Derrick RoseHowever, with the globalization of voting, the fan selection of All-Star starters has become more of a popularity contest which is most likely to lead to an exclusion of some young, deserving players, forced to at home to watch the game on their plasma, instead of a trip to Dallas. Players who have been perennial All-Stars (usually the have their own shoe line) are known to receive the most votes during All-Star balloting. But the results of the fan voting as of January 7th have shown that fans have gone too far.
Case in point: two great players who are past their prime but yet based on the last tallies would be your All Star starters Allen Iverson and Tracy McGrady.
AI received 930,713 votes despite his career low averages in points and assists (14.7 ppg 4.6 ast) for the woeful Philadelphia 76ers (13-27 while T-MAC, despite playing a total of 45 minutes this season, has 746,625 votes which makes him second in the entire Western Conference.
Tracy, the Houston Rockets might not think you can play anymore but the fans in China sure do! Maybe we should just ship McGrady over for the Chinese Basketball Association All Star Game and everyone will be happy.
While a lifetime achievement selection may be deserved for the AI's or T-MAC’s, more deserving, emerging players like Monta Ellis, Brandon Roy, Rudy Gay, and Deron Williams look as though they may not be selected for the Western All-Star team where the conference is stacked with a number of guards.
While in the East, Derrick Rose, David Lee, Brook Lopez, and Danny Granger, all of whom are more deserving, may also go unselected. This is unfair considering that these players have put up excellent numbers and have been either the best or second best player on their respective teams.
The Golden State Warriors may be near the bottom of the Western Conference with a 12-27 record but they do have a shining star in Monta Ellis. Currently ranked 6th in the league in scoring at 26.4 ppg, Monta is having a career year for the Warriors, who after the departure of Baron Davis and Stephen Jackson has become their team leader and go to player. Excluding the 2008-09 season (19 ppg) where he was recovering from ankle surgery and subsequently suspended for 30 games for lying about the injury, Ellis has increased his per game scoring average each season. Ellis is also pretty good at trick shots.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHER-b07GsY
Brandon Roy has led a Portland Trail Blazers squad to a surprising 25-17 record as many people thought that the team would struggle when Greg Oden went down with a season-ending injury after the had already lost Batum and Outlaw. The do-everything guard is averaging 23.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg, and 5.1 apg. Roy has been the catalyst for this talented and young Blazers team willing them to a number of impressive wins.
Rudy Gay has been the catalyst for the Memphis Grizzlies who have surprised many NBA experts this year with their winning record (22-18). During the off-season, Allen Iverson was brought in to help the young guards and get some wins (or sell tickets). After a falling out with the head coach, Iverson took a leave of absence and was released from his contract with the Grizzlies. Since his departure the team has played very well and Rudy Gay and O.J. Mayo have turned into a dynamic tandem. Gay is averaging 20.4 ppg, 6.2 rpg, and 2 apg and is 7th in the league in mpg with 38.9.
Deron Williams is arguably one of the best point guards in the NBA, playing for a solid Utah Jazz team (23-18). The Illinois product is averaging 19.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg and 9.6 apg. In 2008, Williams took part in All-Star festivities by winning the PlayStation Skills Challenge. Many have compared him to Chris Paul and some believe that he is better, particularly when the playoffs begin and strength becomes more of a factor. The numbers are very comparable, and Williams has the edge in the head-to-head meetings (10-4). He also has an all-star pitch of his own: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gF1O81vkHR
In the eastern conference, Derrick Rose has played well for the underperforming Chicago Bulls. The Bulls record is 18-21 but has been playing better as of late. Last season’s Rookie of the Year is averaging 19 ppg, 2.7 rpg and 5.9 apg. While his assist and field goal percentage have fallen slightly (6.3 and 47.5% respectively) his scoring average has increased.
Danny Granger burst onto the scene last season when he became an All-Star for the Indiana Pacers. He has put together another impressive season averaging 23.4 ppg, 5.7 rpg, and 2.5 apg. A comparable player on a better team is the Celtics Paul Pierce, who is averaging 18.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg, and 3.7 apg and has 366,234 all-star votes to Granger’s 213,371.
David Lee has been one of the only bright spots for the New York Knicks, becoming a go to guy in crunch time, during their sub par season. The double-double machine is averaging 19.1 ppg, 11.2 rpg, and 3.4 apg for New York. These are career-highs in points and assist.
The New Jersey Nets at 3-37, have fallen to the worst record in the NBA. Their abysmal record is a result of inconsistent play and injuries. Most nights howaever Brook Lopez has shown solid effort. Averaging 18.9 ppg, 9.5 rpg, and 2 bpg while shooting over 84% from the line, Lopez has given the Nets a nice piece to build around for 2010’s free agency. As of the last tally, Shaquille O’Neal had 609,486 all-star votes to Lopez’s 154,362 despite the “Shaq Diesel” averaging only 10.7 ppg, 6.8 rpg.
So there you have it. There are plenty of All-Star caliber players in the NBA who may slip under the radar or go unnoticed by the public. 3-time All-Star and Finals MVP Chauncey Billups was not an All-Star until his ninth season.
Giving fans the complete power to vote for starters’ results in regional favoritism, popularity based voting and not enough genuine selection in players most deserving. Maybe the NBA will listen to Ray Allen and give fans 50% of the voting power instead of 100% of the All-Star votes for starters. Whatever is done, it needs to happen quickly. The NBA’s plans on going global may end in being a detriment to its fans at home, at least in regards to the mid season classic. Yet, we shouldn’t put it all on the leagues shoulders; if the game is to evolve, maybe it's fan base should too.
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