Thursday, February 3, 2011

Thank God Fans Get to Vote In All Star Games


All we hear about is how fans screw up the All Star Game. No matter what sport, fans get the blame whenever there is a guy on the squad that may not be totally deserving.

Well, I'm glad the fans get to vote. If we let the coaches vote, we won't see much diversity.

The reserves for the NBA All Star game were announced on Thursday and the Eastern Conference reserves came from just three teams. Yeah. Seven guys from just three teams.

Four Boston Celtics made the team. Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo all were selected as reserves. So were Atlanta Hawks Joe Johnson and Al Hortford. The other spot went to Chris Bosh of the Miami Heat.

Bosh will join teammates LeBron James and Dwyane Wade as All Stars. James and Wade were voted in by the fans.

The only guys that aren't on the Celtics, Heat or Hawks to make the East All Star team was Orlando's Dwight Howard, New York's Amare Stoudamire and Chicago's Derrick Rose. Those three were voted in by the fans.

I get that the Eastern Conference really isn't strong in the diversity department. I mean, who else deserved to get in from that side? Carlos Boozer? Joakim Noah? They've been both hurt and ... well, they're Chicago Bulls. Milwaukee's Andrew Bogut? Nope, he plays in Milwaukee.

No Bobcats, Wizards, Pacers, Pistons, Cavaliers, Raptors, Nets, Bucks or Sixers have any gripes with not getting into the game. You'd have a hard time fielding a decent team from those rosters.

The West has a little more diversity. There are representatives from the Hornets, Lakers, Thunder, Nuggets, Rockets, Spurs, Clippers, Mavericks and Jazz. Only the Lakers (Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol), Thunder (Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook) and Spurs (Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili) had multiple All Stars.

Teams with no reps? The Kings, Warriors, Blazers, Timberwolves, Grizzlies and Suns. That's just six teams and, mind you, at least three teams will have no reps every year (there is only 12 roster spots, so if there were only 1 player per team on the roster, three teams would still be left out).

Of those six teams left out, only the Kings really can't whine about not having anyone in it. Monta Ellis of the Warriors was deserving. So was the Wolves Kevin Love (who still may make the team as Yao Ming's replacement). The Suns' Steve Nash is having yet another fantastic year with a poorer team. Zach Randolph is having a beastly season. And the Blazers' LaMarcus Aldridge has been stepping his game up quite a bit of late.

I know you can't invite every team in. It just isn't possible. But a little diversity doesn't hurt.

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