East: Dwyane Wade, Allen Iverson, LeBron James, Kevin Garnett, Dwight Howard
West: Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, Carmelo Anthony, Dirk Nowitzki, Amar’e Stoudemire
Now, I have a feeling there are people who would have a problem with these lineups. There are some people I know and some sports media figures I read/hear/watch that expressed disappointment in these potential lineups and lineups of past all-star games. I guess I could have some beef with these lineups, but it’s small stuff. I’d like to see Tim Duncan continue his streak of all-star game starts with a 12th nomination, but I think Tim and I would both understand if he didn’t get it. The thought of Chris Paul and Kobe Bryant starting in the same back court turns me on, but I’m sure I’ll get to see them play together in this game as CP3 is a lock to get a coaches nomination. So I’m not really up in arms about the lineups these latest returns are projecting. People who are up in arms about it probably have two specific players in mind, two players that have actually been part of all-star voting debates for the last few years. Those players are Allen Iverson and Tracy McGrady. I should probably mention that Allen Iverson is one of my favorite athletes of all-time and I find myself rooting for Tracy McGrady more than a lot of people, so maybe that’s why I’m not bothered by the fact that AI, who has had limited production this season, and TMac, who has had no production this season due to an injury and a rift with Coach Adelman/Rockets management that has him all but exiled, might each earn a starting spot in the all-star game as a result of fan voting. Check back with me when Yi Jianlin is the leading vote-getter with 1 billion (when you Google “NBA” in China the only hit is an NBA All-Star ballot with Yao Ming, Yi Jianlian, Sun Yue, Wang Zhi Zhi, and Jackie Chan already filled in).
I’m a fan. I vote. Sometimes the guys I vote for start. Sometimes they don’t. That’s the process, and unlike some people, I’m not mad at it. I’ve heard arguments that it’s silly to let fans vote for the all-star starters because that’s how you end up with Allen Iverson starting in last year’s game after playing mediocre at best after being traded to Detroit early in the season. You know what’s more ridiculous than fans voting in Allen Iverson? Coaches voting in David West and Rashard Lewis as reserves (for those who don’t know, fans get to vote for the starting lineup for each team and then head coaches vote for reserve players in their respective conference). David West got in over Carmelo Anthony who was injured at the time but still clearly deserved the bid over David West who seemingly got in on his play in the previous post-season. Rashard Lewis got in over…well I forgot but I remember being disgruntled about it at the time. This stuff upsets me more than the fan voting because the coaches, more so than the fans, should be able to select the league’s best players for this unique game. Sometimes I think we should abandon the coach voting altogether. This point of view stands in stark contrast with the more popular (among sportswriters, particularly those on Around The Horn) idea for overhauling the system, which is getting rid of the fan vote, which would be stupid.
The tradition of the all-star game started in baseball back in 1933. At that point in MLB history, there was no inter-league play other than the two teams that faced off in the World Series. Therefore, the all-star game was the only opportunity for fans to see (either live or in their mind’s eye with the help of various legendary broadcasters) the best players from each league face off in an exhibition match. Today the novelty of the all-star game is a little bit different. There’s inter-league/conference play in both baseball and basketball (and football, but the Pro Bowl has become somewhat of a joke to everyone other than the station televising it…it’s televised, right?). But we still don’t get to see all of our favorite players in action without spending money on extra package deals from our cable providers. Most of us have to just piece it together from box scores and highlights on Sportscenter. I recently heard sportswriter Jay Mariotti argue that all-star bids are an honor and players take them very seriously. Well, that’s a mistake. All-star bids probably should not be viewed that way. The honor Mariotti is describing is why we have All-NBA First, Second, and Third teams. That’s when we reward players for their excellent performance, not in a meaningless exhibition game in the middle of the season that exists solely for the entertainment of fans who can’t get enough of the league’s most captivating stars. It’s simple. These are the players we want to see. These are the players we’re asking to see. It doesn’t matter if experts think the fans “didn’t get it right.” For one game, that doesn’t matter. We get to decide. We deserve it.
The only people more important to the NBA than the fans are the players. Fans are more important than owners, more important than GMs, more important than refs, and even more important than coaches. Go to Rucker Park or Washington Square one weekend during the summer and you’ll see two groups of people. One group is playing an entertaining brand of basketball at a high-level. The other group is enjoying the show. So, please, shut the fuck up, local haters and talking heads, and let us enjoy the show we came to see, not the one you think is best for us. Of the fans, by the fans, for the fans.