Snubbed the Wrong Way

At 7 o'clock last night, the All-Star reserves were announced. Usually, this is a source of considerable stress for me. It never ceases to amaze me how often coaches, who are presumably knowledgeable and unbiased (the votes are anonymous and they don't get to vote for their own players) get it so wrong. You expect this from the fans, who for years could not cast enough votes for Yao Ming and Vince Carter. A great number of fans can be (how shall I put this delicately?) dumb as rocks.

I expect more from the coaches. The American people and the good fans in the ever-expanding international market expect more from the coaches. Each and every year scores of people around the world feel as though their guy was snubbed and some undeserving bum took his spot. This is usually the night where I shout from the internet equivalent of a rooftop about how a player I like got screwed by the powers that be.

Trust me, nothing would make me happier than to write a scathing article about how much more I know about basketball than the average NBA coach. There's only one problem; this year's All-Star reserves actually make sense to me. For the first time ever, the coaches may have gotten it right!

It is hard to disagree with their choices in the frontcourt.

In the West we have Tim Duncan, Zach Randolph, LeMarcus Aldridge and David Lee. All of them have All-Star caliber numbers. The teams they represent have winning records (the Spurs, Grizzlies, Trailblazers, and Warriors would be in the Playoffs if the season ended today) and all of them are integral pieces to their respective teams. The case could be made for Al Jefferson or Marc Gasol being a reserve but justifying who they would replace would be tricky. 

In the East we have Tyson Chandler, Joakim Noah, Luol Deng, Chris Bosh, and Paul George. Bosh is still one of the best players on the best team in the East.  Chandler's defensive presence has almost singlehandedly made the Knicks a legitimate contender. Noah has 20 double-doubles already. Deng (who leads the league in minutes played) has carried the Rose-less Bulls to 25 wins. George has taken his game to another level in Danny Granger's absence. The second year forward is averaging almost 17ppg and 8rpg and the guy hit nine 3-pointers in that Pacers/Pelicans game.

Like most Brooklynites, I  thought that Brook Lopez was having a good enough season to be a reserve. Unlike most Brookynites, I am not outraged by his exclusion. The way I see it, Noah, Chandler and Bosh are all better big men than Lopez is right now. You could make the case that he is having a better season than Garnett, but the fans made that decision.

Stephen Curry's omission could be the most controversial. He is averaging almost 21 ppg, 7apg, 4rpg and is currently ranked third in the league in 3-PT%. Curry has stepped up his effort defensively and has remained (almost) injury-free for the first time in his career. The Warriors have the fifth best record in the West and Steph Curry is unquestionably the catalyst for their success. I am a big fan of his but, which one of these guards should he replace?

Can an unbiased fan seriously see him taking Paul, Bryant, Westbrook, Harden, or Parker's spot?

Northwest Division Preview - Utah Jazz

Will and I Talk About the Pacers

Northwest Division Preview - Denver Nuggets

Northwest Division Preview - Minnesota Timberwolves

Northwest Divison Preview - Portland Trailblazers

I Love This Game

People often tell me that they don't care for today's NBA. These same individuals claim that basketball was much better back in the day. Of course, "back in the day" means different things to different people. Some miss the excitement of the Jordan era. Some miss watching Larry Legend and Magic Johnson battling on the game's biggest stage. The one thing that all of them have in common (aside from the nostalgia that comes with getting older) is that they are all wrong.

The game of pro basketball has never been better.

If this is true, then why have so many lost interest in the sport? More often than not, people have the same grievances. Some complain that guys don't really start competing until the Playoffs, but that has been the case for years. The majority of people who don't care for the sport, for whatever reason, do not like or relate to today's NBA players. There is another factor at work here.

In a much simpler time many years ago, popular culture gave birth to a phrase.

"Don't hate the player. Hate the game."

That saying changed everything. The 90's were a decade plagued by "player hating" which gave birth to the aughts, a decade of "game hating". You see it happen again and again. When Latrell Sprewell claims that he can't feed his family on $14.6 million dollars a season, people hate the game. When A.I. routinely skips practice after signing a $70 million contract, people hate the game.  When guys piss and moan about every foul call, people hate the game. Let's face it; some guys in the league are downright unlikable and I can understand people not wanting to support them. Unfortunately, a lot of truly great basketball was missed as a result. Let's examine the 2000's NBA.

The aughts gave us the best years of some future Hall of Famers. The greatest power forward of all time established himself in that era. There are plenty of guys in the league who can either score, rebound, pass, defend, or block shots. For many years 4-time champion, 2-time MVP, 13-time All-Star Tim Duncan did all of those things exceptionally well. Basketball purists were losing faith in the new crop of shoot-first point guards until a shaggy haired baller from British Columbia made it cool to pass the ball. How can anybody who loves sports not enjoy the way that Steve Nash approaches the game? Him being named the NBA's Most Valuable Player was a resounding victory for all those who still play basketball the right way. We saw a lanky kid from Wurzburg revolutionize the power forward position in that decade. The world had never seen a 7-foot tall low-post presence with the shooting range of a 2-guard and the skill set of a point guard before Dirk Nowitzki stepped on the scene. His talent was unreal and getting to see a humble, hardworking, loyal guy win it all after years of disappointment was truly gratifying. Who can forget "The Answer"? Few were as polarizing as that diminutive David in a game of Goliaths. Whether or not you like the guy, witnessing Allen Iverson carry the Sixers to the Finals with a bruised tailbone, right quad contusion, sprained right knee, sprained left ankle, inflamed right toe, right hip contusion, left hip pointer, dislocated shoulder, bursitis in his left elbow, and a sprained left thumb captured my imagination in a way that transcended sports.

The 2000's also gave us some great teams. Seeing the dominant yet dysfunctional Lakers 3-peat was unforgettable. Shaquille O'Neal was a once in a lifetime talent (on the basketball court, at least) and he and Kobe Bryant may be one of the greatest tandems to ever play together. The Spurs were also a force to be reckoned with in those days. Some said their style of play was boring; I thought it was brilliant. Each and every night, San Antonio played relentless defense and executed their offense with surgical precision. In 2007, three superstars put aside egos and big contracts to win as a team. They did just that. Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Rajon Rondo were all great players in their own right but what stays with me is that despite all of their individual greatness, every game they competed in was a clinic on how basketball should be played. The '04 Pistons with Billups, Hamilton, Prince, and the two Wallace's could be the best defensive unit ever assembled. Watching them absolutely manhandle a heavily favored Lakers squad with 4 future Hall of Famers was quite entertaining.

There were no shortage of awe-inspiring moments in the aughts: Kobe's 81 Point game, Tracy McGrady's 13 points in 35 seconds, the Celtics beating the Nets after being down 21 points in the 4th quarter, the postseason battles between the Lakers and Kings, Dwayne Wade's performance in the '06 Finals, Vince Carter's gravity-defying dunk contest, Robert Horry's numerous game-winning buzzer beaters, and Phil Jackson surpassing Red Auerbach for most championship teams coached to name a few.

When I first starting following basketball, guys like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, John Stockton, and Hakeem Olajuwon's unbelievable talent, skill, and passion for the game made a lasting impression on me. Pro basketball became my favorite sport and this didn't change throughout the 90's or the 2000's. Right now there are more great players, great teams, and great coaches in the league than ever before, and last season's Playoffs provided some of the most competitive games that I've ever seen. Despite all of that, the player haters and game haters of the world still won't watch, which doesn't bother me at all. Katt Williams did say that it is a hater's job to hate. Perhaps that makes it my job to love the game that much more.