The problem: Arenas hasn't taken a jump shot or complained about not getting the ball in nearly two years.
And this is why fan voting is nothing more than a popularity campaign.
Witness Yi Jianlian's meteoric rise to stardom, thanks to his massive Chinese fan base. Yi is not even the fourth best player on his team and somehow he is ahead of Kevin Garnett in votes.
K-E-V-I-N G-A-R-N-E-T-T. He is among the greatest forwards to ever play the game, and Yi is taking his starting spot as of right now.
It's the kind of election that Florida natives would be proud of. Maybe Yi can broker a deal with Rod Blagojevich to assign, or "appoint" his backup.
- Meanwhile Derrick Rose wallows at the eigth spot, sure to not become a rookie all-star. He has slumped as of lately, putting together a terrible performance in Miami against Michael Beasley.
He was so mediocre, that I had friends across the country say he's "all right" after watching him play as pro for the first time.
And that's the problem when people aren't exposed enough to the game. They make swift judgements and go off reputation, hence Allen Iverson's spot on the east roster even though he is having his worst season as pro.
These things are not meant to be fair. A few years back Alonzo Mourning earned an all-star roster spot, when he had not played the entire season due to cancer treatment. It was an ode to a once very good player.
And this why sports writers still play a critical role in sports. As Ray Allen suggested: They are the ones covering and watching the sport. They try to make objective observations and should be able to determine who is worthy of an all-star trip.
It's their profession, after all.
If sportswriters accounted for a portion of the vote, Yi would be a punch line rather than an all-star.
Obviously this is nothing new and certainly not exclusive to basketball. Brett Favre made the pro bowl for the 2008 season and led the league in interceptions, and was pinpointed by teammates like running back Thomas Jones for the team's demise.
But, remember, as Ben Stiller said in "Something About Mary": "What about Brett Farr-fer-ra?"
Brian Urlacher earned an alternate role on the Pro Bowl roster even though he was awful for a better part of 2008, being pancaked to the ground and beaten to soft spots in the zone with regularity.
Sports are not immune to democracy's shortcomings. Commissioners want to show their appreciation for fans and give them weight by choosing the starters for the all-star games.
But aside from winning a championship, isn't an all-star bid among the greatest honors a player could earn? There are really good players who have not earned the kind of accolades to match up with their impact in the game due to being in a conference loaded with better players at their position, or just being on a team with little national appeal.
Despite winning Defensive Player of the Year, Marcus Camby has never made the all-star roster; nor Deron Williams, Tayshaun Prince, Kevin Martin, Rudy Gay, Mike Bibby, Rod Strickland, Lamar Odom, Eddie Johnson or Stephen Jackson.
Minnesota's Al Jefferson probably won't be annointed a spot by coaches, and still wouldn't be recognized at an IHOP in Minneapolis. It's hockeytown, remember.
Sure the coach gets to pick the backups for the all-star roster, but they're left with little room after the starting five is selected.
In the big picture, it may mean little to the players if they're not selected to an all-star when deserved, because it's not about individual accolades. The company line is about "winning."
And fortunately, fans don't have influence on that.
1 comment:
I've been saying this for years. Fans are stupid and don't careabout anything but their team and how gets in. I still can't believe Iverson is starting on the all-star game. He's been terrible this year.
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