When voting comes into play in regards to selecting all-stars for any sport, there is of course the risk that people who haven’t really “earned” a spot could be thrust into the starting line-up. Every year this seems to happen in the NBA, as a lot of fans tend to vote on player recognition or past accomplishments, rather than what they are actually doing in the current year. This leads to selections that could be injured at the time of the game, inactive on a roster, or simply haven’t played enough games to really deserve the spot in a given year. This takes the opportunity away from more deserving players, who may be putting up the best numbers of their careers, yet are overlooked by someone with a bigger “name”. A fan would only need look at this years voted starters to understand what I am talking about.
Shaquille O’Neal was voted in as the starting center for the East, but has only played 13 games; and Yao Ming was voted in as the starting center of the West, but will miss the game due to a fractured leg. Just playing in the games doesn’t mean that someone should be in the all-star game either, because they might be having an off year statistically, and putting them on the team takes up a spot that could be better allocated to someone having a better year. Lets take a look first at the 24 people selected to represent the East and the West, and then I will present those who I really feel should be on the all-star team.
The West All-Star Roster:
Starters:
C-Yao Ming
F-Tim Duncan
F-Kevin Garnett
G-Kobe Bryant
G-Tracy McGrady
Bench:
C-Amare Stoudemire
F-Dirk Nowitzki
F-Shawn Marion
F-Carlos Boozer
G-Steve Nash
G-Allen Iverson
G-Tony Parker
The East All-Star Roster:
Starters:
C-Shaquille O’Neal
F-Chris Bosh
F-Lebron James
G-Gilbert Arenas
G-Dwyane Wade
Bench:
C-Jermaine O’Neal
F-Dwight Howard
F-Caron Butler
F-Vince Carter
G-Jason Kidd
G-Richard Hamilton
G-Chancey Billups
Keeping in mind that those were the players who were voted in by the fans and the players, it is worth noting that a few of the injuries have resulted in replacement players, but I don’t think it fully takes care of some of the undeserving honors given to some of these players when compared to some of the other players that were unfortunately left off of the squad. So, lets break down who should have been on the all-star team, and who the Real All-Stars of the 2006-2007 season should have been.
The East:
At Center — Though Shaq has the name recognition, he really shouldn’t be starting the all-star game this season. As a matter of fact, he shouldn’t even be on the roster, as Alonzo Mourning has been picking up the slack in Miami. Instead, I think Jermain O’Neal needs to be in that spot, and that it is well deserved for how well he has played in the ever-fluctuating roster that is the Indiana Pacers. Backing him up off the bench is Eddy Curry from the New York Knicks, who has been impressive with 19.6 points per game this season, and simply what has been his best basketball in the NBA.
At Forward — My starting forwards are going to be Chris Bosh from Toronto at the Power Forward spot and Lebron James at the Small Forward. They are both players that can be utilized in various other spots on the roster, but well deserving of the starting nods. To back them up I would go with New Jersey’s Vince Carter, Washington’s Caron Butler, and Orlando’s Dwight Howard. Regarding these set of players, I think they really got it right with the selections, as the stand-outs from the Eastern Conference have become very obvious.
At Guard — With Gilbert Arenas and Dwyane Wade, you truly have two guards that are going to tear apart any defense, and they both deserve to be all-star starters for that very reason. Without them, their teams would have long since disappeared from radar, and it has earned them starting roles on this team. Coming off the bench, Joe Johnson deserves a spot for the numbers he is putting up (25.2 ppg) for the lowly Hawks, and Rip Hamilton is going to get a spot for how well he is playing in Detroit yet again. The final spot on my roster is going to Ben Gordon, who has helped Chicago vastly over-perform this season, and whose quickness will give this Eastern squad a much needed boost off of the bench.
The West:
At Center — If Yao Ming hadn’t got hurt, I think he would still be starting the all-star team on my squad, but out with an injury, I would slide Tim Duncan over to start there. He is extremely versatile and is going to control the ball well against anything the East can through at him. Amare Stoudemire is my back-up, scoring nearly 20 points per game, and shooting an astounding 59% for Phoenix this year.
At Forward — MVP Candidate Dirk Nowitzki has no business not starting the all-star game and will be my starting Power Forward. At Small Forward I go with Kevin Garnett who is putting up his typically great numbers over in Minnesota. If the league hadn’t suspended him for so long, Carmelo Anthony would be starting for my team, and would be the first player off the bench to spell any of the forwards or guards in this game. Elton Brand is putting up his great numbers once again, and coupled with Carlos Boozer are the final two forwards on my all-star team.
At Guard — Kobe Bryant gets the nod as the shooting guard, putting up 28.7 ppg again this season, and will be accompanied by Steve Nash at point-guard, who keeps getting overlooked by the fans for the more flashy Tracy McGrady every year. Ray Allen will be my first guard off the bench 27 ppg), followed by Tony Parker, and Allen Iverson out of Denver. It doesn’t really matter what team he plays for, Iverson is an all-star in my book. Sorry Tracy, that 44% shooting, 33% from Three, and 69% from the line just doesn’t do it for me.
As you can see, there are some notable differences between my team and that of the all-star roster, and still players like Zach Randolph (24 ppg), Shawn Marion, Kevin Martin from Sacramento and Ron Artest still don’t make the team (even though they are deserving as well). As it stands though, I would take these choices to the bank, and consider them as the best possible choices for the 2006-2007 NBA All-Star Team.
