HoopsHype.com Columns

All-Star time means All-Star snubs
by Marc Narducci / February 9, 2005

The protests will be loud in Sacramento. And there will be more than a few angry complaints streaming in from Detroit and Orlando. And even in outposts such as Chicago and Golden State, there could be some minor murmuring.

It's become a favorite pastime this time of year – putting a fork in the All-Star Game selections. There will be plenty of poking and prodding to find what flaws the voters and then the coaches made in selecting the players who will be in Denver for the Feb. 20 extravaganza.

Yet before determining which players got hosed the most, a simple question must be asked – if one player deserves to go, then who does he have the right to be selected ahead of?

And when put in that context, then one look at this year's rosters indicates that the fans, who voted for the starters, and the NBA coaches, who selected the reserves, did an excellent job picking these teams.

The key is defining an All-Star. Is it the best 24 players in the NBA, or the 24 who have had the best first half of the season? We like to go with the later because it shouldn't be too much to ask a player to perform like an All-Star each year in order to earn a spot in the game.

And apparently, the fans and coaches put a heavy emphasis on how each player has fared this season.

First, here's a list of the players who will likely make up this year's All-Snub team: Sacramento forward Chris Webber and guard Mike Bibby; Detroit guards Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton and Orlando point guard Steve Francis. And then there are second-tier snubs such as Chicago point guard Kirk Hinrich, New Jersey point guard Jason Kidd, Sacramento center Brad Miller, Golden State guard Jason Richardson, Charlotte forward Emeka Okafor and Clippers forward Elton Brand.

To break it down, here's a look at the two conferences and how those who made it stack up against those who didn't.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

In the East, the four guards on the team are Cleveland's LeBron James and Philadelphia's Allen Iverson, Miami's Dwyane Wade and Washington's Gilbert Arenas.

All four of those players are having better seasons than Francis. Through his first 47 games, Francis was averaging 21.7 points, 7 assists, but 4.09 turnovers. Want more ammunition? He's only shooting 42.3 percent from the field and 28.2 percent from three-point range.

Some might suggest that his numbers weren't much worse than Iverson's with the exception of scoring average (28.1 ppg) Iverson is shooting 41.2 percent from the field, 28.3 from three-point range, and averages 7.6
assists and 3.95 turnovers.

So other than the scoring, what's the difference? First, don't discount the scoring advantage Iverson has over Francis, nearly seven more points per game. In addition, Francis has a much better supporting cast, while Iverson has to be the entire show on many evenings. So give Iverson the nod by a wide margin.

And Arenas (24.7 ppg) and Wade (23.5 ppg) have also played better than Francis. Possibly if a fifth guard were added, Francis could have earned a spot, but it would be difficult to put him over the top four.

The best way to put him on would have been naming Ben Wallace as a center instead of a forward and making Francis a fifth guard instead of Cleveland center Zydrunas Ilgauskas (16.7 ppg, 8.0 rpg). There is no debate about having Miami's Shaquille O'Neal as the starting center.

While some will scream that Detroit's backcourt of Billups and Hamilton led the Pistons to the NBA title last year, the response to that is – so what? The All-Star Game is based on this year and the NBA championship is a team accomplishment. The All-Star is an individual honor. Detroit still has one of the best teams, but again, would Billups and Hamilton make it over the other four guards, plus Francis? Hamilton actually played better last year than this season and Billups had a slow start this year, but has heated up lately.

Jason Kidd is among the top guards in the league, but he has taken a while to come back to form following knee surgery and doesn't belong in the team East forwards – New Jersey's Vince Carter, Orlando's Grant Hill, Washington's Antawn Jamison, Indiana's Jermaine O'Neal and Boston's Paul Pierce are all deserving.

Other than Francis, there is little debate on this team.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Just as with the East, there is no debate about the four guards selected – Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, Houston's Tracy McGrady, Seattle's Ray Allen and Phoenix's Steve Nash, a player many feel was the NBA first-half MVP.

Four of the forwards are no-brainers – San Antonio's Tim Duncan, Minnesota's Kevin Garnett, Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki and Phoenix's Amare Stoudemire. Houston's Yao Ming was the only center named, although Duncan and Stoudemire could also fill in that spot.

Since the West is so weak at the center position, Yao's inclusion, despite his inconsistency, can't be argued.

Some might find questions with the final three West selections – forwards Shawn Marion of Phoenix, Seattle's Rashard Lewis and San Antonio's Manu Ginobili.

Marion is averaging a double-double (19.5 ppg, 10.8 rpg) and was a solid choice.

Lewis (20.5 ppg, 40.2 three-point percentage) and Ginobili (15.9 ppg, 49.0 field goal percentage) could be questioned, but it would be nit-picking.

Ginobili can't be totally measured by his statistics. He is a major reason why San Antonio had the best winning percentage when the teams were announced, not only with his scoring, but his defense.

Still, it's difficult to keep Sacramento's Chris Webber (21.6 ppg, 9.6 rpg) off the team. He should have been selected over Ginobili or Lewis, but those two have enjoyed All-Star seasons.

Even with the exclusion of Francis and Webber, by and large, the most deserving players will be in Denver, a statement that can't always be made every year.

Marc Narducci covers the NBA for the Philadelphia Inquirer and is a regular contributor to HoopsHype.com

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