So the NBA All-Star Starters were announced last night and to no one's surprise, the world got it wrong. The only guy undeserving in the Eastern Conference is Carmelo Anthony by an overwhelming margin. He's been nothing short of terrible this season on both ends of the court. The other 4 are fine. For the West, it's a bit trickier. I probably wouldn't have had Kobe Bryant, Blake Griffin, or Andrew Bynum as starters. Kevin Love, LaMarcus Aldridge and probably either Kyle Lowry or Danilo Gallinari are more statistically deserving. But it's a popularity contest and unless you want the Black Mamba dancing all over your face with knives, he's gonna start until he retires.
And now it's time to discuss the backups. The coaches get to pick 7 reserves on each side, so there's plenty of wiggle room for a Sixer to nudge in there. Boasting one of the best records in the league and a number of young talents, could this be the year the Sixers finally have their first All-Star since Allen Iverson? Who's it gonna be?
Andre Iguodala
He should be a perennial All-Star by now but there aren't enough publicly-accepted defensive stats out there so much of his work goes unnoticed and disregarded by everyone. That Melo could be in over him because of offense is pretty absurd when A) Andre is a more efficient offensive player than Melo now and always, and B) Andre is worlds better on defense than Melo is. From Ziller:
According to 82games.com, opposing small forwards are shooting an effective field goal percentage of 36.6 percent against Iguodala. That's ridiculous! If Carmelo Anthony is an All-Star -- he was voted a starter -- than there should be no problem with Iguodala being an All-Star. They just happen to thrive at opposite ends of the floor.
Points matter, yes, but they don't matter more than rebounds+assists+defense+efficiency+ball-handling+selflessness. Iguodala is the better player and, with his best season so far, it's far past time to get him into this game. At the very least, that would make up for the travesty of a dunk contest between he and Nate "49th Try" Robinson. Still pissed. - 85%
Jrue Holiday
There's no question that Jrue's a stud. But he hasn't had a very good season thus far, taking a big step back in his ability to create for his teammates. A lot of that is due in part to Evan Turner and Louis Williams handling the ball more (and turning it over less), and his turnover rate is down as well. For his future development, I'd rather Jrue not play off the ball so much, but there's no question that his insanely good three point shooting (over 40%!) is what's allowed Collins to move him over. This year isn't his All-Star year, even though his defense has been more consistent the first two years. - 5%
Spencer Hawes
Oh, if Spencer's achilles wasn't acting up. He was absolutely unrecognizable in his first 12 games before going down with injury, but it's likely that the coaches haven't seen quite enough of him to send him to the ASG. Especially with that nagging injury, it might not even be best for him to rush it. With Greg Monroe and Chris Bosh veritable locks to get in, the East shouldn't have a problem with depth behind his Ying-Yanging brother, Dwight Howard AKA Black Spencer. - 8%
I suppose Lou probably has a shot in the dark of getting in but at a 41% shooting clip (despite a respectable 53.8 TS% boosted by free throw numbers) combined with his role on the Night Shift means he's unlikely to garner enough steam to oust Brandon Jennings or Joe Johnson. Elton Brand is a role player nowadays and has seen his last All-Star rodeo. Frozone is a lock for the cheerleading squad.
Here's my picks for the EC reserves:
Guard - Kyrie Irving - love seeing fresh blood in there this early.
Guard - Deron Williams - he hasn't been great, but they won't leave D-Will off.
Guard - Rajon Rondo - whether or not he plays.... but he'll be brought in regardless.
Guard - Joe Jonson - They won't be able to help themselves.
Forward - Andre Iguodala - Hi H8rs.
Forward - Chris Bosh - Lagging slightly behind his Big Three buddies.
Center - Greg Monroe - Didn't think his game would translate but he's been allowed to be the man in Detroit, which has hurt his overall effectiveness but given him the confidence to play at this level. Would love to see him on a good team.
What do you guys think?