I thought I was going to have time to write an in-depth article about my picks for the Western Conference All-Star Team like I did for the East (btw, Shawn Marion retroactively kicks Jefferson off the team), but I just ran out of time this week. You guys will have to settle for a quick list with a bit of explanation, and some other vatious NBA musings.
Starters G - Chris Paul G - Kobe Bryant F - Dirk Nowitzki F - Tim Duncan C - Yao Ming
Three of these (Bryant, Yao, Duncan) can't be argued, they're clearly the best at their position. Much as I love Nash, Paul has had the better season so far. He looks like a young Isiah Thomas, and he's been the best point guard in the league so far this season. Dirk wins out over Boozer by a narrower margin. I love Boozer's toughness and rebounding, but Dirk's just too good. Even with his early season shooting-slump, he's got great numbers.
Bench
G - Steve Nash G - Allen Iverson F - Carlos Boozer F - Amare Stoudemire C - Marcus Camby WC - Manu Ginobili WC - Brandon Roy
Nash, Boozer and Stoudemire were gimmes. Nash and Boozer have been fantastic, and not enough people are talking about how impressive STAT has been in only his second season back from major knee surgery. Iverson had to be here, he's been fantastic for the Nuggets while Melo is having a bit of a down year. There were questions as to how well Iverson would adapt to not being the main option and having a bit more of a distributor role, and the answer is that he has thrived. This is the most efficient season of his career. Camby is proving last year's DPOY wasn't a fluke, as he has surprisingly stayed healthy and almost single-handedly made Denver a good defensive team. Despite some truly terrible defensive teammates, Camby's presence as a shotblocker and rebounder has kept the Nuggets among the league's top five defensive teams. He's also a great passer for a big guy. The last two spots were the tough ones. I had to reward Manu for the way he has carried the Spurs at times this year. He'll do anything you ask him, he's humble enough to come off the bench, and he's one of the most versatile offensive threats in the game. The last spot came down to Roy vs. Baron Davis to me. I've watched both play this year, and while Davis is the more spectacular and eye-catching of the two, but Roy is equally impressive in the way he is always under control. Both are fantastic clutch players, and when you account for pace (GS is the league's 2nd fastest team, Portland the 2nd slowest), their production is very similar. For me, it came down to the fact that Roy has less talent around him (experienced talent at least) and has been the unquestioned leader of a team that has had far more success than anyone thought they could. That gives him the edge.
Apologies to the many players who have the misfortune of playing in the West, and didn't get chosen. Among these are: Melo, David West, Deron Williams, Al Jefferson, Baron Davis, Tyson Chandler, Josh Howard and Tony Parker, all of whom would've made the East squad.
Other Stuff
- Where does Bill Walton get off calling out Shaquille O'Neal for being arrogant? Not only was Walton injured his entire career but, according to his NBA.com bio, "Walton's combative relationship with the press further sullied his
image. He spoke only to reporters he knew would present him favorably...
And he was cocky, even to the Trail Blazers' coaching staff. According to The Sporting News,
during one game Coach Ramsay said to Walton as he was coming off the
court, 'Great job.' Walton shot back, 'Great job yourself.'" This guy is calling someone out for arrogance? Bill, you sat out AN ENTIRE SEASON because you were mad at management and wanted a trade! I'm not saying that some of what he said about Shaq isn't true, but he certainly isn't the guy to be saying it.
- Is anyone else as excited about the dunk contest as I am? People keep asking for guys like Kobe and LeBron to participate, but honestly I don't care. Instead, we've got 4 guys who actually care and are really getting into this competition. Dwight Howard has been waiting for this since he got cheated at last year's contest. Rudy #### has asked YouTubers to submit their own dunks, one of which he will pick to do in the contest. Jamario Moon has his own YouTube video, complete with the super-secret finale dunk. Green hasn't been heard from much, but you know he's going to bring it. How can you not be excited about this? The only negative? For some reason that defies logic, the league has again rejected Howard's petition to raise the rim to 12 feet for some of his dunks. What are they trying to do, protect the integrity of the dunk contest? Seriously, this is about entertaining the fans, let Howard show what he can do.
- People like to compare Golden State and Phoenix because of the pace they play at, but watching their game Wednesday, it was clear that they are very different teams. Golden State's offense is based on spreading the floor with slashers and shooters and finding mismatches. Phoenix's offense is based much more on cutting and screening to get guys open. The Suns also depend more heavily on one guy (Nash) than perhaps any offense in the league. What's funny to me is that (this is for all you college basketball fans) people keep comparing Duke's offense this year to Phoenix, when it is actually almost a carbon copy of Nellieball.
- Don't look now, but that Boston bench that nobody believed in is producing big-time with KG and Perkins out. We could've seen this coming from Glen Davis, but Leon Powe? Where did he come from? If they do end up adding Sam Cassell, the bench becomes a huge strength for this team.
That's it for me, I'm out for the weekend. Later all, and enjoy the All-Star festivities.
I like the picks for the all-star game. No major qualms here except Roy over Baron.
If I'm in the gym right now and need a guy to lead my team, I take Baron over Roy all day.
Couldn't quite get your point about Denver and their defense. On one hand you say they have some truly terrible defenders and on the other claim they are a very good defensive team.could you clarify that please?
I personally don't regard Denver as a dig defensive presence. Their steals are generated through gambling, a practice that when is not successful leaves the defense vulnerable.
Aggressive traps and proper rotations are a more disciplined approach to stealing the ball and not as destructive. Most of the Nuggets players leave Camby in some very compromised positions. It is a compliment to him he isn't in more foul trouble.
I think they owe ALL their defensive accolades to Camby. He is the reason they are #1 in Blocks and steals. None of their guys are lock down defenders but they all have the luxury of cheating in the passing lanes because MC is there to cover their mistakes.
His league leading rebouding numbers are a big reason why they rank in the league leaders there too.AI and Melo are poor at best in their defensive fundamentals.
I like your comments on the "integrity of the dunk contest", that was funny!!! Really hope Howard wins this year, the man is a BEAST and really throws it down.
"Dukes offense is a carbon copy of NellieBall"...I haven't missed but 3 Duke games this year. They play exactly like the Suns. D'antoni was Coach K's assistant on Team USA this last
balla - I'm not sure I agree with you about Roy and Baron. Now, there's no doubt in my mind that Baron is the more physically talented player. I've always said that if he could've stayed healthy and learned decent shot selection, Baron could've been a HOF player. However, you never know what Baron you're going to get, All-Star Baron or Chuck-Up-Fifteen-Threes Baron. Roy is one of the most consistent players I've seen all year. Forget the fact that he's just in his second year, he doesn't play like it, and he's clearly the leader of that team. At any rate, I think it's basically a toss-up, and they're both having fantastic seasons.
What I was saying about Denver is basically what you said. If you'll look at it again, you'll note that I say Camby almost single-handedly makes them a good defensive team. He's been fantastic all year. Most people get deceived when they look at Denver and think they're this high-powered offense, but the reality is that they're winning with defense this year, and it's almost entirely because of Camby. Most people can't tell because they play so fast (they're the fastest team in the league), but they're a top 5 defensive team.
I watch a lot of Duke basketball (I'm an ACC fan, and I've got a friend who's a Duke fan that I watch a lot of games with) and I'm going to have to disagree with you. Their offense this year has been largely predicated on spacing 5 guys around the perimeter who can drive and shoot, then exploiting mismatches. They don't run a lot of screens (the high pick-and-roll is the staple of Phoenix's offense), and they'll duck guys like Singler or Henderson into the lane to post if they get a size mismatch. It's Nellieball to a tee.
Hoff - There's certainly an advantage to having a pure point, but I think they're significantly better off with AI. Unlike Miller he's a threat at all times, he plays a crapload of minutes, and he has the ability to carry the team if Melo isn't on.
Well, I'm not really "okay" with Stephen A. saying anything because I think he's a mo_ron, but I digress. I'm sorry, if you're going to say "Shaq's arrogance is an insult to people who think" when you are guilty as having been just as arrogant if not moreso, then I have a problem with that.
Last edited by xphoenix87 on February 18th at 12:24 AM.
