The NBA's Less-Than-Worthy 2009 All-Stars

Hmmmm, the Eastern All-Stars don't look too shabby for 2009: Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat, Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic, LeNike (oh, I'm sorry, "LeBron") James of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce of the Boston Celtics, Chris Bosh of the Toronto Raptors, Joe Johnson of the Atlanta Hawks, Danny Granger of the Indiana Pacers, and Devin Harris of the New Jersey Nets all definitely deserved their spots on the squad, with little question as to their placement on the All-Star team; BUT, there are three quite questionable roster selections that can be argued, with reasonable doubt being present.

Allen Iverson, who happened to be traded within the season after starting the season's first week with the Denver Nuggets, is a starter on the East, represented as a pick of the fans' voting and as a member of the Detroit Pistons. The issue with Iverson's place on the roster has to do largely with the fact that this is probably the lone season in which he deserved not to be an All-Star, and that includes the first three years in the league that he was either passed over or the 1998-1999 lockout prevented an All-Star Game--all of those years he should have been there. The flaw in the fan vote, as is commonly argued, is the reality of it being a popularity contest, which is sometimes not totally accurate (but is mostly a reliable representation of who also does deserve to be an All-Star starter). All across the board, Iverson's play has suffered, his team has suffered adjusting to his style and overall, AI isn't himself right now. He should not have made the team.

The other two All-Stars who I see as unfit for All-Star Game festivities (by comparison) are Jameer Nelson and Rashard Lewis, both of the Orlando Magic. In the case for Lewis' exclusion, the combo forward really is a benefactor of having a really good point guard in his fellow teammate Nelson and possessing a style that seems to highlight something that he does really well, which is shoot long-range jump shots. The issue that I have taken to Lewis' inclusion in the Game is that he's not even the best starting forward on his own team, with Hidayet Turkoglu being snubbed for a second straight year. No. 9 is leading the league in three-point shooting, yes, but that doesn't mean he's an All-Star. He has improved and seems to really be more comfortable playing somewhat out of position as a "power forward", but his improvements are really highlighted more a surrounding cast of Magicians that just simply better. The 6'10" swingman is playing really well--just not All-Star well.

In Nelson's case, he probably is more justified in playing in the Game, but really he's just playing really, really good--again, not what I would consider standard-bearer All-Star good, but very, very good. Nelson gets the nod because he's the main reason why Orlando is in the top three elite teams in the Eastern Conference, so he definitely merits consideration, but I'd be more inclined to let him sit another year.

If I had the power to replace said players, I would most likely go with Vince Carter of New Jersey, who now actually really deserves a place on the roster (unlike past years, where the fans' votes were akin to this year's election of Iverson's place in the starting lineup); Ray Allen of Boston, who also very much deserving of a place because he's a larger contributor to the success of the Celtics' winning season and his numbers surpass those of the previous year, when his team actually won the NBA championship; and Turkoglu of the Magic, who is probably the second-most valuable player to Orlando because of his ability to take over games at will when he's hot--Turk actually, at times, is the one to fear even more than his Supermannish teammate Howard because of his versatility and size. Turkoglu is having another year that proves he is more than the credit he's given.

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As for the West, there is slightly more agreeance with the players chosen and selected: Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets, Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol of the Los Angeles Lakers, Yao Ming of the Houston Rockets, Tim Duncan and Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs, Amare' Stoudemire and Shaquille O'Neal of the Phoenix Suns, Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks, Chauncey Billups of the Denver Nuggets, and Brandon Roy of the Portland Trail Blazers all fully worthy of their All-Star selections. My disapproval doesn't start to factor in until David West of New Orleans comes into play.

The main reason that I believe that West should not be on the All-Star team, though he is a terrific player and having a very good season, is that he's simply being outplayed to some extent by others in the Western Conference. The 6'9" forward is playing well and has been playing well for quite some time, but more than a lack of game (which does not apply to him), his comp is stiffer and aside from getting a little more attention from playing with the magnificent Chris Paul, to say West is having an All-Star year this particular year is sort of a non-truth. With that said, I'd say that Tony Parker probably should be with West in not receiving an All-Star vote, but admittedly having not seen much of Parker play since his 55-point game early in the 2008-2009 season, it's a difficult thing to commit to saying that he doesn't belong--to be honest, I don't know if he belongs or not, but I'm trusting that he might.

Anyway, Al Jefferson is one that immediately comes to mind when I think about who should be on the Western team. While playing for a loser in the Minnesota Timberwolves, Jefferson has played beyond what one would consider a collection of literal losers, and he has established himself as a near-elite big man with an elite season.

Kevin Durant, formerly of Seattle SuperSonics fame and a present member of the Oklahoma City Thunder, may even deserve the All-Star berth more than Jefferson. Now approaching 25 points per game and evolving into a player that rebounds and passes much more than in his rookie year in the league, Durant is finding his way and really playing a style of basketball that would make it seem incredibly difficult to overlook--but of course, his team plain sucks, so he's not getting any love.

No matter, in the end, the All-Stars from both coasts will play a good game, but it doesn't mean they all should be in Phoenix in mid-February.