NBA Allstars

[BioHazardd]

WEST:
Starters
Chris Paul - New Orleans Hornets
Kobe Bryant - LA Lakers
Tim Duncan - SA Spurs
Amare Stoudemire - Phx Suns
Yao Ming - Houston Rockets
Bench
Dirk Nowitzky (He deserves to be on the bench, maybe the water boy!) - Dallas Mavericks
Shaq (15th time as an All-Star) - Phx Suns
Brandon Roy - Portland Trailblazers
Chauncey Billups - Denver Nuggets
Pau Gasol - LA Lakers
David West - New Orleans Hornets
Tony Parker - SA Spurs

Coach: Phil Jackson

EAST:
Starters
Allen Iverson - Detriot Pistons
Dwayne Wade - Miami Heat
LeBron James - Cleveland Cavaliers
Kevin Garnett - Boston Celtics
Dwight Howard - Orlando Magic
Bench
Joe Johnson - Atlanta Hawks
Jameer Nelson - Orlando Magic *
Danny Granger - Indiana Pacers *
Paul Pierce - Boston Celtics
Chris Bosh - Toronto Raptors
Devin Harris - NJ Nets *
Rashard Lewis - Orlando Magic

Coach: TBA

* Denotes first time all star

Who should have been here? And who shouldn't be?

Personally, I don't think AI should be starting, if there at all. He's been a huge mistake for the Pistons thus far.. Woulda rather seen Ray Allen, Mo Williams or Turkalo (sp?)

And I REALLY hate the way Dirk plays, I just hate Dirk period actually. I'd rather see ANYONE there other then him.. Mello would have been a far better choice, and a better show time kinda guy.

 

[felon]

Nice to see that Danny Granger and Devin Harris make it. Devin Harris should have been the starter instead of AI, Harris is more deserving of the spot. Anthony should have been the starter if he wasn't injured, but he did so Dirk ftw!!

 

[Plork]

Let me preface this by saying that I'm very upset with the NBA these days and don't watch as much as I used to. The NBA is it's stars at the most of the stars they have today just don't stack up as good players. They're all show boaters that don't play team ball. Kobe Bryant being the prime example. Then you have teams like my formerly beloved Bulls with whiny young players getting Skiles fired and now having hissy fits about Del Negro.

Now back to the topic at hand. Yeah, AI is a shell of his former self but then again the guy has always been a ball hog looking out for his own numbers. As far as his trade to Detroit (who I HATE), wasn't that all about freeing up money to rebuild next year really? No one really expected them to do anything with Iverson.

Dirk on the other hand is a prime example of a great star of todays game. The guy comes back every year with new skills to up his game. He's hungry, he plays hard, and he's a threat all over the court. There's something great about these crazy white boy foreign players. They cause a lot of players to lose their rhythm. Just watch Nocioni for a couple games. That dude is nuts and takes other players right out of their rhythm.

I'm not a fan of D.Wade either. Guys a flop artist that, like Kobe, will never win a ring without a super star big man. He's just a dime a dozen player that gets the star calls.

The only other player on the rosters I have a problem with is Yao. Now quality big men are hard to come by, but he's just not All Star caliber. He's clumsy and with the minutes he plays, he's really just a shadow of Shaq. Heck, I'm sure Shaq has actually averaged more minutes per game over his career and is probably not that far behind Ming this season in MPG. Yao just doesn't create the separation that Shaq does and can't clean up the boards like Shaq.

When you look at the rosters, the East has it all over the West with speed to the rim. They should easily take it this year.

 

[Istonian]

I am glad that Granger made it too. He has been a bright spot in the mess that is the Pacers.

 

[BioHazardd]

See I gotta disagree.
Kobe WAS a ball hog, until he was put with some decent players (Gasol, Fisher etc) but he had to be in order for his team to win.. No longer does he put up like 40-50 PPG, he still has a few of those games, but not like he used to.. The guys now getting like 17 assists in some games, and you call that not a team player? He can pretty much make any shot he wants, and hit it too. Sure he plays lackluster D, but whatever..

I think Gasol or Shaq should be starting in place of Ming, at least Gasol can play the game, and we've ALL seen Shaqs entertaining side, which is what the all star game is all about. If it weren't for Yaos obscene height, he wouldn't even BE in the NBA.. And Dirk? Don't get me started on him. I've hated him since he came into the NBA, a star? Gimme a break. If he was a "star" his team wouldn't have been beat out by the what, 8th seeded team in the Playoffs when they were 1st? And his team wouldn't be on the brink of not making play-offs. "Stars" make things happen for their team, like how a franchise has been built around LeBron, Kobe, Dwight Howard, etc. Even D-Wades team will most likely make playoffs, and he doesn't exatcly have a star studded squad to run with.. Hell, he's got a rookie starting PG, and a rookie in Beasley coming off the bench.. He's got Marion, but for how much longer?

 

[Plork]

Making the playoffs in the NBA is basically like being able to take out the garbage every week. Anyone can do it if they just remember what day the trash man comes and stick to the plan of actually taking it to the curb.

The Mavs losing to THE CITY wasn't just a crazy happenstance. Golden State had a very good and under rated team that year. Dirk didn't have that great of a team around him, but it's not like they lost to an 8th seed that didn't deserve to be in the playoffs. Don't forget, Dirk knows how to party.

As far as Kobe, great players make those around them better. He's never done that. He's relied on other great players to make him better. No matter what, Kobe is going to take too many shots, especially game winning/tying shots. Sure he makes a lot of them, but he misses a lot too. He would have been lucky to warm the bench on any team back when hand checking was just part of the game or they didn't let every star take 4 or more steps. His defense is also very suspect. All he really does is pick the passing lanes. He can't play tough man on man D. Kobe should have been able to make the finals with just Odom, but he's greedy and wouldn't pass the ball. How is the rest of his team ever supposed to get any better when their leader doesn't allow them to? So Kobe whined and moaned and they went out and bought him a team. He should have kept his mouth shut and been nicer to Shaq. If he did that Lakers team could have matched the 90's Bulls in rings.

James on the other hand makes that team of shmucks look like an all star team. It all comes down to "who's the next Jordan" and clearly Kobe thinks he is, but doesn't have the true talent to be. LeBron on the other hand makes the rest of his team better while still being one of the biggest threats on any court. Kobe whines, LeBron plays.

 

[Booster37]

C'mon guys. Keep this about the All-Star game.

As much as I enjoy NBA discussion, we gotta keep it to a minimum.

For the west, Shaq shouldn't be there. I'm guessing the coaches said "Well, there aren't many good centers anymore, and Shaq is a marquee guy." I say the starting lineup is solid, although I'd prefer Gasol over Yao. Carmelo should have been in, but I agree that West deserved it more being on a better team, although Paul has been the man for that team.

As for the East, lol. Obviously voters saw Iverson and said "DO WANT!" Shouldn't even be in this game. As much as he's an entertaining player on and off the court, Devin Harris does deserve that spot, as he's lead the Nets who were expected to be welcome mats this year to potential playoff participants. Mo Williams should be the reserve that Devin Harris holds.

Glad though that the Magic have three players in.

 

[BioHazardd]

As for the East, lol. Obviously voters saw Iverson and said "DO WANT!" .

That made me lol.
Thats the thing, with a name like Allen Iverson, ANY fan is gunna recognize that name, over Devin Harris, Jameer Nelson, etc..

As for Yao being a starter, lets face it, theres what, 3 Asian players in the entire NBA? Yi, Yao, and that freakishly over sized PG for the Lakers who gets like 5 minutes per month.. Theres a trillion Chinese (or just plain Asian) people on this planet with internetz, so of course Yao's gunna get in the starting line up.