NBA ALL-STAR 2015

By: Aryan Javan

Last Thursday, the NBA All-Star starters were selected by the fans. And as for every year this open a can of worms of whether the fans should or should not be allowed to vote. For the Eastern Conference the starters are, G-Kyle Lowry (Toronto Raptors), G-John Wall (Washington Wizards), F-LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers), F-Carmelo Anthony (New York Knicks) and F-Pau Gasol (Chicago Bulls). As for the West their starters are, G-Steph Curry (Golden State Warriors), G-Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers), F-Blake Griffin (Los Angeles Clippers), F-Anthony Davis (New Orleans Pelicans) and C-Marc Gasol (Memphis Grizzlies), respectively.

For the Eastern Conference, there is really not too much debate besides for two things. First, why no one from the Eastern Conference-leading Atlanta Hawks was voted in as a starter. It almost seems that the Hawks are so efficient as a team that it hindered them from receiving any All-Star accolades. Yet, when the roster is reviewed PG Jeff Teague and PF Paul Millsap, each have statistics worthy enough to be starters. Teague averages 31 minutes a game and in those thirty minutes he puts up 17.1 points per game, 7.5 assists per game and about 2 steals per game. Compare that to All-Star starter John Wall, who averages 36 minutes a game and puts up 17.2 points per game, 10.2 assists per game and 2 steals a game. Not to say John Wall is not deserving but Teague has a better team and very comparable stats. In my opinion, he should get the nod over Wall. As for Millsap, his numbers are 17 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 3.2 APG and 1.75 SPG, a stat sheet filler. His case would be against forward Carmelo Anthony of the Knicks. Carmelo is currently on the worst team in the league, the lowly-New York Knicks. Now it is no surprise the All-Star voting by fans is a popularity contest, but just in the scope of basketball, Millsap has been more of a contributor to his team then Carmelo. According to ESPN Player Efficiency ratings Millsap is at an even 20.0 and Melo is at a 21.7. Think of it in context though, Millsap has a 20.0 rating on the best team in the league as Melo is on the worst team in the league and only 1.7 better. Now we all know Melo is a great player, but  I do not believe he should be rewarded over Millsap for playing well on a horrible team. Just this one year he could have been selected as a reserve. Keep in mind, the All-Satr game is in New York City this year, so that did probably play an integral role for his selection as a starter. The good news for us Hawks fans is that most likely Teague and Millsap and possibly Kyle Korver and Al Horford may all be voted in as reserves by the coaches vote.

For the Western Conference, there was one glaring anomaly. The elephant in the room is Kobe Bryant. We all love him, I love him, but there is no reason he should have been a starter over James Harden. The All-Star game participants should be decided by what they are doing this year, not for past accomplishments. Harden is playing at an MVP level right now averaging 27.8 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 6.8 APG and 1.96 SPG. Just like I mentioned before, the fan voting is a popularity contest. Fans around the world all know Kobe Bryant and his accomplishments so he was almost a shoe-in before the season. Bryant did tear his rotator cuff last week and is out for the remainder of the season. Most likely Harden will be his replacement which is decided by Western Conference All-Star head coach, Steve Kerr. That to me was the most glaring imperfection of the starters. Now we can make a case for other guys who were not selected as starters but I think for the most part fans got it right. Demarcus Cousins of the Sacramento Kings was overlooked but I think it plays into what I said about Carmelo. He is on a bad team so his stats may seem 'inflated'. He most likely will be voted in as a reserve. The case for LaMarcus Aldridge over Blake Griffin is a viable one. Griffin is averaging 22.8 PPG, 7.6 RPG, and 5.1 APG, respectively. Aldridge is averaging 23.3 PPG, 10.2 RPG, and 1.9 APG, respectively. Aldridge is also on a better team so in my opinion he should get the nod over Griffin. 

So all of these statistics and points of view, where am I getting at here? In my opinion, I think the NBA should change the format of All-Star voting. I think it should be reversed, I believe the starters should be voted in by the coaches and reserves be voted in by the fans. The starters are players who have played extraordinarily throughout the year and should be rewarded for doing so. I feel as though the coaches would get it more correct than the fans. By leaving the fans with the reserves they can vote in the "fan favorites" and keep the popularity contest still going.

Notable infromation about the 2015 All Star Game. It is the first time two brothers have been voted in as All-Star starters, Pau and Marc Gasol. This marks the 11th time LeBron has been selected as an All-Star. Steph Curry led the fan vote with 755, 486 votes, besting LeBron James. First time selection for starters include Kyle Lowry, Pau Gasol, Marc Gasol, John Wall, and Anthony Davis.

The All-Star reserves will be selected January 29th, 2015 at 8 PM on TNT.