The reserves for this month’s NBA All-Star Game in Orlando were announced last night, and while I don’t agree with all of them, I DEFINITELY am not feeling Kenny and Chuck‘s reasoning. Listen, the All-Star selection process is fundamentally flawed as it is. Inevitably it comes down to what you deem worthy – is it wins? numbers? impact? – and inevitably, that’s different for everyone. But I’m sorry: Smith and Barkley were way off last night.
Smith saying he doesn’t even count the bottom four teams is just stupid. And Barkley saying Nash shouldn’t make it because his team sucks, but yet says Kevin Love was worthy last year because “you can’t fake rebounds” is more of a front than his Weight Watchers spokesman-ship (so Nash is faking assists?). Both of them were wrong on so many critiques – Paul Pierce not being deserving…Luol Deng making the team…Danny Granger not being on it, etc.). But I guess that happens every year right?
In case you missed the reserves, here are the guys who will be reppin’ the East and West later this month in Orlando:
EAST
Chris Bosh
Luol Deng
Roy Hibbert
Andre Iguodala
Paul Pierce
Joe Johnson
Deron Williams
WEST
LaMarcus Aldridge
Marc Gasol
Kevin Love
Dirk Nowitzki
Tony Parker
Russell Westbrook
Steve Nash
Here are my 10 biggest snubs from the All-Star Game. Granted, I don’t believe all these players should’ve made it. But they all had arguments, and I’ll attempt to explain them all.
*** *** ***
RUDY GAY
He’s averaging 18.4 points and 6.7 rebounds for a team that lost their best player and still has a shot at the playoffs in the loaded West. As the season’s moved on, he’s playing much better. But yet his PER is only 16.32, and the improvement he made in his overall game last year has disappeared. His shooting percentages are all WAY down, and even his assists have dropped to a paltry two a night. If Gay was going to make the All-Star Game, it should’ve been last year. If anyone is calling for Gay to make the ASG, it should be me. I love the dude, and spent the summer hyping him as an All-Star on here and Issue 66 of the mag. For some odd reason, Shaq seems to think he’s the biggest snub of all. On second thought, it is Shaq so I guess that isn’t surprising at all.
Level of BS: 3
RAJON RONDO
Is it possible to take Rondo for granted? I think we definitely are. His numbers haven’t dropped at all – 18.90 PER, 13.6 points and 9.6 dimes a night – and the Celtics have finally turned the corner after a slower-than-snail start. Plus, Rondo missed eight games. Eight. Since when did that disqualify someone from the midseason classic? It’s not like he missed the majority of the season. You know another guy who’s missed seven games this season? Some All-Star named Luol Deng, who also ranks 53rd in PER. Total travesty. This one makes no sense to me.
Level of BS: 8
PAUL MILLSAP
Y’all know where I used to stand with Millsap. The problem, though, is a predictable one: Millsap couldn’t keep up the pace he had going in the early weeks of the season. His PER, once up with LeBron, Kobe and KD, is now No. 11 in the NBA at 24.28 and even the Jazz are just 4-6 in their last 10 games. He’s still averaging nearly 17 and 10, but the momentum of his hot story has hit a dull. Whether it’s right or not, when you’re looking for a breakthrough year, you have to killing it every night, all year long. I’m not as mad about this one as I could’ve been.
Level of BS: 3.5
JOSH SMITH
I won’t spend much time dwelling on this. I’d take Smith over Hibbert every time, just because his numbers are slightly better and he’s a bigger part of his team. Defensively, Smoove is so versatile and disruptive (two blocks and 1.5 steals a game), and without Al Horford, he’s dealing with even more pressure.
Level of BS: 9
PAU GASOL
Gasol picked up his game too late, and the aggressiveness of a coming-of-age Andrew Bynum stole a lot of his offensive shine. But one thing is certain: Gasol is more deserving than Dirk. Then again, so are three or four other guys as well. His averages – 16.8 points, 10.2 rebounds and 51 percent shooting – all scream All-Star. But the minute Bynum dropped the training wheels, the big bro was doomed. It’s stupid, but no one’s asking for three All-Stars from a team that can’t even win its own division.
Level of BS: 5
KYLE LOWRY
Houston has a better record than the Lakers, Denver, Portland and even the defending champs. They’ve passed over Utah as the surprise team in the league, and much of the credit needs to go to the floor general. As I said before, I don’t rely on team records to prove someone’s an All-Star, but a good one can’t hurt. He’s going for 14.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 7.6 assists a night, and judging off what he did in the second half of last year, those numbers aren’t a fluke. Lowry can play, and he’s been at least as good as Steve Nash this year. I gotta agree with the Chuckster on this one: we gave Nash a lifetime achievement award this year.
Level of BS: 6.5
MONTA ELLIS
No one has worse ASG luck than Ellis. Golden State is always just good enough to give him consideration, but the argument is almost always the same: “Ellis is just a decent player putting up big numbers on a bad team.” Smith and Chuck said last night that anyone can get numbers on a bad team because the games don’t really count. For me, 22.2 points, 6.1 assists and a bunch of nights where he carried the team without a healthy Stephen Curry should count for something. It’s too bad he didn’t make it last year because he probably had a better argument then.
Level of BS: 3.5
BRANDON JENNINGS
Jennings IS an All-Star this year. His shooting died in the past few games, and has dropped to 43 percent this year. But when you factor in his solid free-throw percentage, and his 2.3 triples a game, it doesn’t look quite as average (don’t forget that EVERYONE’s shooting has dropped this year). More importantly, he has Milwaukee competing without Andrew Bogut, and with Stephen Jackson trying to start a mutiny. Jennings’ next-best teammate is probably Drew Gooden right now. He fell victim to a bad reputation his first few years in the league, and unless you’re some type of diehard, I doubt you’ve watched him play for more than a game or two this season. But he’s done just about everything he possibly could’ve to make it to Orlando.
Level of BS: 8
TYSON CHANDLER
If we’re talking offseason acquisitions, Chandler has helped his new squad almost more than anyone since the New Guy. New York’s defense went from 21st to 10th in defensive efficiency, and Chandler has helped to keep that locker room from flaying. Plus, 70 percent from the field is incredible. I won’t really argue Chandler over Hibbert, but I wouldn’t argue against it either.
Level of BS: 5
GREG MONROE
I love him offensively, and at 16.4 points and 10 rebounds a night with a PER of 23.79, he passes every possible statistical measure. But I can’t get over how average he is defensively, and how awful Detroit has been. I said before I have no problem bringing in players who have losing records, but there’s a line to be drawn somewhere. Detroit is 7-20, even after a three-game winning streak, and have been so bad I joked over the weekend with a media member from Motown that the Pistons should start handing out free tickets to the homeless.
Leve of BS: 4.5
Who do you think was the single biggest All-Star snub?
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