Big Easy? Big Snub.
January 31, 2008 8:07 PM
So, ladies and gentlemen, here are your 2008 NBA All-Stars from the Eastern Conference:
- Jason Kidd
- Dwyane Wade
- LeBron James
- Kevin Garnett
- Dwight Howard
- Chauncey Billups
- Chris Bosh
- Caron Butler
- Richard Hamilton
- Antawn Jamison
- Joe Johnson
- Paul Pierce
Which means these are the players who just missed, and are crying in their beer right now:
Jose Calderon
This is just plain wrong. I would write a dozen paragraphs about how extrarodinary this guy has been, but
John Hollinger already did. In a nutshell: no point guard is as efficient, and without quality scorers, he makes Toronto one of the best offenses. He's no joke. Leaving him off the All-Star team, however, is a big one. Jason Kidd and Dwyane Wade -- you owe Jose Calderon a beer.
Hedo Turkoglu
In what was supposed to be the season he became redundant (thanks to the arrival of Rashard Lewis), Turkoglu instead became resplendent. He freaks out defenses by being a tremedous shooter and slashing with grace. But most importantly, he is the best Magic player at getting the ball to Dwight Howard in a position where he can use it. He's also a go-to guy in the clutch. I'd take him over Hamilton, Kidd, gimpy Wade, and right there with Jamison and Johnson.
Vince Carter
Have you witnessed Carter's intermittent commitment to hard play? Having him on this list of snubbed players is generous. I could probably make a stronger case for his teammate Richard Jefferson.
Michael Redd
It is never good when your team is bad. It is never good when you get hurt. It is worst of all, for your All-Star chances, when your team plays better when you're injured.
Ray Allen
You only get three All-Stars if your team just dominates the first half of the season. Oh wait, I guess Boston did that. Allen missed out, I think, in part because right now the league suspects Kevin Garnett and your intramural team might win fifty.
Moving West. Ladies and gentlemen, your 2008 Western Conference All-Stars:
- Allen Iverson
- Kobe Bryant
- Carmelo Anthony
- Tim Duncan
- Yao Ming
- Carlos Boozer
- Steve Nash
- Dirk Nowitzki
- Chris Paul
- Brandon Roy
- Amare Stoudemire
- David West
Which means here is the list of guys who are crying in their beer tonight:
Manu Ginobili
Manu Ginobili is a superstar. He just happens to play shorter minutes, have a smaller scoring average, than the likes of Allen Iverson. Tony Parker was the MVP of the Finals last year, but in the guts of crunch time, Ginobili was the guy with the daggers at both ends of the floor. There's really not anything he can't do -- he is an excellent three-point shooter, he drives to the hole as splendidly as anyone, and he plays killer D. If we're picking teams, All-Star teams, pick-up teams, or whatever, I'll take Ginobili, you take Iverson, and we'll see who wins.
Baron Davis
Golden State, and Baron Davis, have been hot and cold. Timing cost him this appointment -- if Golden State had put together one of their winning streaks at the time coaches were voting, he was in, because there are nights when Baron Davis is the best player in the game. There are also nights when his team gets schooled by the Minnesota Timberwolves, though, which is the kind of night they were having when coaches were looking for All-Stars. Also, don't forget that Baron Davis has been tough to coach in his career, and the reserves are a coach's choice -- fair or not, it might be easier for coaches to go for a boy scout like Brandon Roy.
Deron Williams
Williams has proven himself to be the multi-faceted leader of
a powerful team. But he will always be the guy who was picked just before Chris Paul. And the last few months are when the league learned that -- magnificent as Williams is -- he's no Chris Paul. Hopefully New Orleans and Utah can meet in the playoffs to figure out who has the better team. As individuals, however,
Paul is making a strong case for MVP, Williams is not. This is the season when Williams suffers from bad PR merely because the two have long been compared.
Andrew Bynum
Tough luck about the injury, dude. When you were healthy, the Lakers were really rolling. And when a big-market team is really rolling, sneaking two guys onto the All-Star team is no sweat. And you had the numbers. But I'll tell you what a lot of coaches will tell you: you're going to be in a lot of these things kid. (And is that beer you're crying in legal for someone your age?)
Chris Kaman
Every year there's somebody who puts up monster numbers on a bad team. Coaches never vote for that guy. Sorry, Chris.
Tyson Chandler
With New Orleans already getting one of the only negotiable spots on this roster, Chandler had no shot. He joins Deron Williams on the list of players who might have made it if Chris Paul hadn't been so darned good. In Chandler's case, Paul being a near-MVP makes it seem like the credit for New Orleans' success couldn't possibly need to be spread
that widely.
Al Jefferson
Play some defense! Jefferson might have the best right hand in sports. But without a commitment to defense, teamwork, and passing, all that gets you is a "Junior Zach Randolph" badge.
Josh Howard
On the other hand, Mr. Jefferson, you are correct that guys who play defense get screwed, because there's no good way to stack up their contributions in a neat little table that everyone can understand. Howard is a huge part of one of the best teams in basketball. Last year, that was enough. This year there are too many good teams in the West that need shine.
Tony Parker
Last year's Finals MVP, not in the All-Star game? Being injured doesn't help. Neither does being one of three top players on a team that has fallen short, so far, of very high expectations.
Shawn Marion
I don't know what was driving all those "Phoenix is dissatisfied" stories, but when that's what everyone is saying about your team, it doesn't reflect well on the guy who recently asked for a trade.
Tracy McGrady
If he made it, it would have been purely on name recognition. Because it's just not his year.
Marcus Camby
There are ten teams in the West that are all still bunched high enough in the standings to be theoretical candidates to win the conference. Each has a team leader who is a strong candidate to be an All-Star. (Indeed, only Golden State missed out). Denver is only in the middle of that pack, but already has two guys starting on this team! How greedy can you get! I know, it's not fair to exclude a guy because of what his teammates do. But has Camby really been better than David West, Brandon Roy, Baron Davis, or Manu Ginobili? Not to mention, just a few days ago Chandler massacred him.
Stephen Jackson
Back when the Warriors were rolling, Jackson was
one of the best defensive players in the league, which goes along nicely with an ability to hit timely threes. But one of the rules of being an All-Star is that you really have to bring it every night -- or darn close. And Jackson has bad nights.
