Hey Now You're an All-Star (Snub)

You think your favorite NBA player should be an All-Star and you are heated when you learn that he was left off the team. Take a deep breath and work with me for a minute…With a 12-man roster and the fans voting for the starters, 10 players are chosen strictly on popularity - which can be good or bad. The coaches choose the reserves and hopefully fix any fan injustices.

Keep in mind one very important point: if you add a player you have to leave someone off the team. (It sounds like a no-brainer but I’m sure some get caught up in the moment and forget to identify which player they would send home).

Let’s take a look and the leading snubs:

In the West:
Carmelo Anthony (31.0 ppg; 5.8 rpg; 4.1 apg) - His numbers are fantastic - not only is he leading the NBA in scoring but he’s rebounding and passing as well. He was left off the team because he missed 15 games. Some would say the politics surrounding the fight cost him and others would say that he missed too many games. Either way he has paid his dues and is leading the league in scoring having played over 30 games. If he remains a snub, this would be the first time the league’s leading scorer at the break would be left off the All-Star team. Wow. David Stern - you know what to do.

Josh Howard (19.5 ppg; 7.2 rpg) - Is a star - but not THE star - who does it all on the team with the NBA’s best record. It’s not his fault that Dirk is his teammate. He’s a deserving all-star. Commish - put him down.

Ray Allen (26.7ppg; 4.2 rpg; 4.1 apg; .892 ft%) - Great player. Great stats. Bad team (3rd worst in the league)…and he missed 10 games. Ray Ray is worthy - just not this year.

Elton Brand (21.0 ppg; 9.1rpg; .560 fg%) - Perennially gets overlooked. He is a 20-10 guy (historically hall of fame numbers) for his career but only has two All-Star selections to his credit. It’s his misfortune to play the same position and in the same conference as Nowitkzi, Garnett and Duncan.

Zach Randolph (23.8 ppg; 10.4 rpg) - Very nice stats but his team is the 3rd worst in the Western Conference. Unfortunately there is no room for him on this year’s 12-man roster.

In the East:
Michael Redd (27.7 ppg; 2.8 rpg) - Smooth lefty scorer - 6th in the league. His team was decent until he missed a slew of games. Who would he replace?

Joe Johnson (25.7 ppg; 4.2 apg, 4.1 rpg) - Young stud. His only problem is that he is a star on a terrible team. A spot will soon open up for you Joe, keep doing what you do.

Eddy Curry (19.5 ppg; 7.0 rpg; .584 fg%) - Maybe the league’s most improved player at the half-way point. You can’t guard him one-on-one but 7.0 rebounds and 0.5 blocks per game are not dominant numbers for a big man. Eddy Curry being an all-star would mean leaving Shaq at home and the fans wouldn’t allow that to happen.

One simple solution to the All-Star snub problem is to increase the team size from 12 to 15. With 30 teams in the league and a 48-minute All-Star game, the NBA can surely increase the squad to 15. There will always be arguments about players 16, 17 and 18 but at least 15 deserving ballers and their fans will be happy.