When it comes to the blog, I guess I’ve reached sort of a crossroads. After being MIA for the entire summer, I have about three options at this point.
1. Can the thing – Ain’t gonna happen.
2. Reinvent It – Well that was the purpose of the blog in the first place, to provide a different perspective than whats on the mainstream
3. Act like it never happened – Well, maybe I’m going to do a three with a little bit of two. I’m not going to reinvent the blog, but I’m going to try to provide more depth. We’ll see what happens.
NBA
Missing the summer was kind of like a reverse hibernation. I was fired up about the Olympics and was one of 30 people who watched the gold medal game live, but most of my thoughts about the team and that game have faded away.
I will say that the Collangelo formula worked, at least somewhat. However, the biggest difference in this team and the one’s that lost were the fact that for the most part, these were the best players in the league.
In ’92, we sent a team full of legends. In ’96, we sent the guys that weren’t quite good enough for the ’92 team, and guys who were young then but now coming into their own. In 2000, a new trend started. A lot of the better guys didn’t want to go.
That team was still good, but as the foreign teams got better, we started sending worse guys. This helped our team lose the world championships in ’02 and ’06, along with the Olympics in ’04.
I think that if you send a team with Kobe, LeBron, D. Wade, ‘Melo, Chris Bosh, CP3, Deron Williams and D. Ho cold turkey, they still win.
I hope that when London comes around, we don’t revert back into our losing ways with guys like ‘Bron-Bron opting not to go.
MLB
For most of the summer, I didn’t have a clue about what was going on. Being without TV and Internet, it was hard to keep up with the NL East, AL and NL Central, the NL West and all the award races.
For a while it seems like I would come into work one week with the Phillies on top of the NL East, only to find them 3 games back of the Mets the next week.
I’m now starting to get back into the season, which has been a great one. Too bad it seems like the Red Sox are going to make the postseason. A playoffs without the Sox and Yanks would be awesome for baseball fans who are tired of their rivalry overshadowing the rest of the league
College Football
I’m glad I didn’t do a preview this year, I probably would’ve been way off. Right now, it looks as if USC is a lock to play in the title game. The second best team is probably either Oklahoma or Florida, but Florida is more likely to lose a game than the Sooners. Missouri and Georgia would be the second tier of contenders, and everyone else is just playing for a 10-2 season.
I’d love to see the Pac-10 and SEC finally square off for the chip, but that probably won’t happen.
NFL
I’ll talk about this sometime this week, I want to really gather my thoughts and put together something good.
Showing posts with label NBA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NBA. Show all posts
Monday, September 15, 2008
Friday, May 30, 2008
The Decline of the American-born Black Athlete????? (Sportsology Academic Break) Pt. 1
I am 15 days away from graduating from Drexel University. My emotions are mix of excitement and anxiety over the uncertainty of my future. That said, I’ll be finished with classes this time next week.
For my Sociology 380 Media Sociology class, I was given the assignment to come up with a piece of media and present it to class. Since I already had the blog, I figured I’d use it to come up with some food for thought. That food will be the decline of the American born-black athlete in American sports.
In four parts, I’ll look at this phenomenon from a historical standpoint and see how it’s affecting the three major sports leagues in the U.S.; the NBA, NFL, and MLB.
There are two inspirations for this work. One is this Jason Whitlock article, which I’ll discuss more in the NFL section, where he notes that many of the more successful teams in the NFL are the ones with mostly white players.
The other is one of my favorite books, Forty Million Dollar Slaves, written by the New York Times’ Bill Rhoden. If you haven’t read this book, please do so immediately.
It’s an excellent historical view of the rise and fall of the black athlete and some of the contributing factors.
The name of the book comes from a fan’s response to Larry Johnson referring to the Knicks as rebel slaves.
The book is centered on the situation of black athletes in America, which is still the same today. On one hand, many black athletes have dominated their sports. On the other hand, the success on the field hasn’t translated into success off the field. By this I mean blacks have no ownership in the sports they dominate, which puts them in a vulnerable position.
There is only one black owner in American professional sports, Bob Johnson, who is already under fire for some of his tactics with his Charlotte Bobcats, a franchise not even ten years old.
In his book, Rhoden showed how the vulnerability has often left black athletes in an exploitable position. Before, in sports like boxing, horse racing (most of the best jockey’s were black in the mid-1800s before racism excluded them from participating), cycling, etc., black’s lack of ownership put them in positions to be excluded from participation.
Now, their lack of ownership has them in a subservient position, where they are mostly confined to worker positions (playing and coaching) and have limited executive power. I’m not going to make this a book review, just go read the book.
Here’s how it relates to the situation of black athletes today. When blacks had their own leagues, like the Negro Leagues, and the best black athletes went to HBCU’s, they would protect each other.
Now, they are simply money making objects. In the MLB section, I’ll talk about how the absence of the Negro Leagues pretty much destroyed baseball in the black community (if I remember).
Back to the point, the lack of ownership and black executives in these leagues puts black athletes in a position where they can become extinct at any moment. Blacks have been replaced by Latin and now Japanese players in baseball; European and Asian players are becoming more prevalent in the NBA; white and African-born players are replacing the black American athlete in the NFL.
I use Whitlock’s article for balance, its not just the man’s fault. Black athletes were very eager to move on to the big money sports leagues in the mid-1900s. This was a very profitable relationship for black athletes and white owners at first. Now, with the baggage that comes with many black athletes and the behavior of the Pac Man Jones’ of the world, owners are starting to look elsewhere.
Maybe I’m looking into this too deeply. Maybe these leagues are becoming more diverse and are recruiting international talent to expand their fan base globally. I’ll do my best to present the facts during the next three days and give you something to think about. Enjoy.
For my Sociology 380 Media Sociology class, I was given the assignment to come up with a piece of media and present it to class. Since I already had the blog, I figured I’d use it to come up with some food for thought. That food will be the decline of the American born-black athlete in American sports.
In four parts, I’ll look at this phenomenon from a historical standpoint and see how it’s affecting the three major sports leagues in the U.S.; the NBA, NFL, and MLB.
There are two inspirations for this work. One is this Jason Whitlock article, which I’ll discuss more in the NFL section, where he notes that many of the more successful teams in the NFL are the ones with mostly white players.
The other is one of my favorite books, Forty Million Dollar Slaves, written by the New York Times’ Bill Rhoden. If you haven’t read this book, please do so immediately.
It’s an excellent historical view of the rise and fall of the black athlete and some of the contributing factors.
The name of the book comes from a fan’s response to Larry Johnson referring to the Knicks as rebel slaves.
The book is centered on the situation of black athletes in America, which is still the same today. On one hand, many black athletes have dominated their sports. On the other hand, the success on the field hasn’t translated into success off the field. By this I mean blacks have no ownership in the sports they dominate, which puts them in a vulnerable position.
There is only one black owner in American professional sports, Bob Johnson, who is already under fire for some of his tactics with his Charlotte Bobcats, a franchise not even ten years old.
In his book, Rhoden showed how the vulnerability has often left black athletes in an exploitable position. Before, in sports like boxing, horse racing (most of the best jockey’s were black in the mid-1800s before racism excluded them from participating), cycling, etc., black’s lack of ownership put them in positions to be excluded from participation.
Now, their lack of ownership has them in a subservient position, where they are mostly confined to worker positions (playing and coaching) and have limited executive power. I’m not going to make this a book review, just go read the book.
Here’s how it relates to the situation of black athletes today. When blacks had their own leagues, like the Negro Leagues, and the best black athletes went to HBCU’s, they would protect each other.
Now, they are simply money making objects. In the MLB section, I’ll talk about how the absence of the Negro Leagues pretty much destroyed baseball in the black community (if I remember).
Back to the point, the lack of ownership and black executives in these leagues puts black athletes in a position where they can become extinct at any moment. Blacks have been replaced by Latin and now Japanese players in baseball; European and Asian players are becoming more prevalent in the NBA; white and African-born players are replacing the black American athlete in the NFL.
I use Whitlock’s article for balance, its not just the man’s fault. Black athletes were very eager to move on to the big money sports leagues in the mid-1900s. This was a very profitable relationship for black athletes and white owners at first. Now, with the baggage that comes with many black athletes and the behavior of the Pac Man Jones’ of the world, owners are starting to look elsewhere.
Maybe I’m looking into this too deeply. Maybe these leagues are becoming more diverse and are recruiting international talent to expand their fan base globally. I’ll do my best to present the facts during the next three days and give you something to think about. Enjoy.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
NBA Regular Season Wrap-Up
Tonight is the final night of perhaps the best NBA season of this decade. The season has been so good that I literally have no idea what's going on in Major League Baseball right now. I haven't even bothered to look at stats or standings. (Additionally, I spent most of last weekend drinking myself into a stupor in celebration of my 23rd birthday).
Here are some interesting facts from the season.
The Golden State Warriors could finish the season 49-33 and not make the playoffs. However, if the 76ers lose tonight, two of the Eastern Conferences teams will be under .500 heading into the postseason. However, the 76ers have shown tremendous grit in making it this far in their first full season without Allen Iverson.
The Hawks, the 8th place team in the East, have snapped the longest postseason drought in the NBA.
One of the biggest stories of the season was the resurgence of the Boston Celtics, who could finish with 66 wins this season. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers to the number one seed in the West, which has many fans salivating over a possible Celtics-Lakers finals. In fact, that much would help bring the NBA back to prominence.
As stated by Bill Simmons, the MVP race has been one of the greatest ever. The league's future is in great shape as almost every superstar in the league is under 30 right now.
Perhaps there were only three lowlights of this season. The biggest one is how sleazy the situation has been regarding Seattle's ownership trying to move the team to Oklahoma City, and David Stern's backing of those sleazeballs.
The Knicks are tied with the Miami Heat for second place in this column. Their situation is deplorable, and it’s heightened by the fact that they are the New York Knicks.
Meanwhile, the Miami Heat made a mockery of the NBA during their last month and a half of play. Pat Riley leaving his team to watch March Madness has to be unprecedented. Nothing says taking more than having a team full of guys who aren’t even D-League all-stars, let alone NBA players finish your season. I hope like hell they don’t get the first or second pick this year.
Moving on, this year’s playoffs should be fun to watch. Hopefully there won’t be a ridiculous amount of time between games this year, which has become a staple of the playoffs recently.
Anyway, here are my awards for this season.
MVP
Clearly I’m all for CP3 for MVP. However, I think this one might go to Kobe. This has been far from his greatest season, and he did try to get traded at the beginning of the year. He plays on perhaps the deepest team in the league, a team that would still be good without him. But since he hasn’t won the award yet people will feel inclined to vote for him. Kobe is the best overall player in basketball, but Chris Paul has compiled a season that’s arguably better than those from Nash’s two MVP campaigns.
Rookie of the Year
This award has been Kevin Durant’s from the start. He had an up and down rookie year, finishing on the upside. He’s a great talent. Hopefully he’ll put on some weight this offseason and come back more physically prepared for the NBA game.
6th Man of the Year
Manu Ginobli’s award by default. He comes off the bench as a formality, superstition, or both.
Most Improved Player
Hedu Turkoglu made the Magic a threat in the East this year. He also made their signing of Rashard Lewis look very foolish, as he’s the third best player on the team at best.
Defensive Player of the Year
I’ve seen Kevin Garnett up for this award on many sites, but I don’t see it. He’s changed the attitude of the Celtics and has energized their fan base. However, their true MVP and should be MVP candidate has been Paul Pierce.
If we have to give a Celtic an award, give this award to Paul Pierce. However, I don’t feel inclined to, so my would-be vote goes to Marcus Camby. He leads the league in blocks, is second in defensive rebounding, and is doing everything that Ben Wallace used to make all-star teams for (and is a far greater force on the offensive end).
Coach of the Year
This is a very difficult decision. Usually, it goes to the coach of the team that was the biggest surprise. Guys like Stan Van Gundy, Byron Scott, and Doc Rivers will probably get a lot of votes. However, I think Jerry Sloan should get the award. If we’re giving Kobe the MVP because he had a good season and hasn’t won it yet, why not do the same for Sloan.
While some of his players may loathe him, he’s been able to adapt to his roster and the play of the league and opened up the team’s offense. By doing that, he’s now the head coach of the Northwest Division Champs.
All NBA-Team
1st Team
C Dwight Howard
F LeBron James
F Paul Pierce
G Kobe Bryant
G Chris Paul
2nd Team
C Amare Stoudamire
F Kevin Garnett
F Tim Duncan
G Tracy McGrady
G Steve Nash
3rd Team
C Marcus Camby
F Carlos Boozer
F Carmelo Anthony
G Allen Iverson
G Deron Williams
Here are some interesting facts from the season.
The Golden State Warriors could finish the season 49-33 and not make the playoffs. However, if the 76ers lose tonight, two of the Eastern Conferences teams will be under .500 heading into the postseason. However, the 76ers have shown tremendous grit in making it this far in their first full season without Allen Iverson.
The Hawks, the 8th place team in the East, have snapped the longest postseason drought in the NBA.
One of the biggest stories of the season was the resurgence of the Boston Celtics, who could finish with 66 wins this season. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers to the number one seed in the West, which has many fans salivating over a possible Celtics-Lakers finals. In fact, that much would help bring the NBA back to prominence.
As stated by Bill Simmons, the MVP race has been one of the greatest ever. The league's future is in great shape as almost every superstar in the league is under 30 right now.
Perhaps there were only three lowlights of this season. The biggest one is how sleazy the situation has been regarding Seattle's ownership trying to move the team to Oklahoma City, and David Stern's backing of those sleazeballs.
The Knicks are tied with the Miami Heat for second place in this column. Their situation is deplorable, and it’s heightened by the fact that they are the New York Knicks.
Meanwhile, the Miami Heat made a mockery of the NBA during their last month and a half of play. Pat Riley leaving his team to watch March Madness has to be unprecedented. Nothing says taking more than having a team full of guys who aren’t even D-League all-stars, let alone NBA players finish your season. I hope like hell they don’t get the first or second pick this year.
Moving on, this year’s playoffs should be fun to watch. Hopefully there won’t be a ridiculous amount of time between games this year, which has become a staple of the playoffs recently.
Anyway, here are my awards for this season.
MVP
Clearly I’m all for CP3 for MVP. However, I think this one might go to Kobe. This has been far from his greatest season, and he did try to get traded at the beginning of the year. He plays on perhaps the deepest team in the league, a team that would still be good without him. But since he hasn’t won the award yet people will feel inclined to vote for him. Kobe is the best overall player in basketball, but Chris Paul has compiled a season that’s arguably better than those from Nash’s two MVP campaigns.
Rookie of the Year
This award has been Kevin Durant’s from the start. He had an up and down rookie year, finishing on the upside. He’s a great talent. Hopefully he’ll put on some weight this offseason and come back more physically prepared for the NBA game.
6th Man of the Year
Manu Ginobli’s award by default. He comes off the bench as a formality, superstition, or both.
Most Improved Player
Hedu Turkoglu made the Magic a threat in the East this year. He also made their signing of Rashard Lewis look very foolish, as he’s the third best player on the team at best.
Defensive Player of the Year
I’ve seen Kevin Garnett up for this award on many sites, but I don’t see it. He’s changed the attitude of the Celtics and has energized their fan base. However, their true MVP and should be MVP candidate has been Paul Pierce.
If we have to give a Celtic an award, give this award to Paul Pierce. However, I don’t feel inclined to, so my would-be vote goes to Marcus Camby. He leads the league in blocks, is second in defensive rebounding, and is doing everything that Ben Wallace used to make all-star teams for (and is a far greater force on the offensive end).
Coach of the Year
This is a very difficult decision. Usually, it goes to the coach of the team that was the biggest surprise. Guys like Stan Van Gundy, Byron Scott, and Doc Rivers will probably get a lot of votes. However, I think Jerry Sloan should get the award. If we’re giving Kobe the MVP because he had a good season and hasn’t won it yet, why not do the same for Sloan.
While some of his players may loathe him, he’s been able to adapt to his roster and the play of the league and opened up the team’s offense. By doing that, he’s now the head coach of the Northwest Division Champs.
All NBA-Team
1st Team
C Dwight Howard
F LeBron James
F Paul Pierce
G Kobe Bryant
G Chris Paul
2nd Team
C Amare Stoudamire
F Kevin Garnett
F Tim Duncan
G Tracy McGrady
G Steve Nash
3rd Team
C Marcus Camby
F Carlos Boozer
F Carmelo Anthony
G Allen Iverson
G Deron Williams
Monday, February 18, 2008
More Trade Talk
Two more big trades went down in the NBA in the past few days.
First, the Atlanta Hawks made a big move by picking up Mike Bibby from the Sacramento Kings for Tyronn Lue, Anthony Johnson, Lorenzen Wright, Shelden Williams, and a 2nd Round draft pick.
For the Hawks, they finally get their point guard after not picking Chris Paul a few years back. Anthony Johnson was actually supposed to do the job for them, but he’s washed up.
In addition to getting Bibby, they didn’t really give up anything, making it a win-win situation. Bibby and Joe Johnson form a very formidable backcourt and his addition should be enough to propel them to the playoffs in a very, very, very, very, very weak Eastern Conference this year.
For the Kings, they’re essentially giving up and starting over. They have actually played good ball this year when they’ve had their entire team healthy, but in a season where a 50 win team might miss the playoffs in the West, their 07-08 campaign is a wash.
Next, another panic trade went down. The Mavs finally got Jason Kidd (and Malik Allen), for Trenton Hassell, Keith Van Horn (kind of – he’s retired and will stay retired, he just has to “unretire” long enough for this deal to go through), Devin Harris, DeSagana Diop, Maurice Ager, two 1st Round draft picks, and $3 million bucks.
What a bad trade. For starters, Devin Harris was supposed to be their point guard of the future. Instead, they get an aging Kidd who can’t shoot anymore for a few seasons. Their biggest problem was the lack of a clutch player, not a point guard.
If they wanted to replace Harris, they should’ve got Mike Bibby – a clutch point guard. Additionally, everyone in the West seems to be getting bigger (Gasol w/ LA, Shaq on Phoenix, Webber on Golden State) … Why on earth did they trade their best defensive big man? What sense does that make?
For the Nets, they get a young point guard who can make a lot of plays. Maybe Diop will pick up for Jason Kidd’s rebounding. For as bad as people have made the Nets out to be, they’re still an Eastern Conference playoff team.
Going back to the Mavs and I guess everyone else in the West, I never expected every GM to react to the Pau Gasol-Lakers deal by panicking. This deal and the Shaq deal have panic written all over them. I wonder who will panic next. Maybe the Rockets will trade T-Mac to the Knicks for Zach Randolph and Jerome James or something stupid like that.
One player that could’ve actually used some of these guys, especially Mike Bibby, is LeBron James and the LeBronaliers, I mean Cavs. He has to be pissed that his team didn’t get Jason Kidd or Mike Bibby.
They could’ve arranged for Larry Hughes to be bought out by somebody and got a deal done. I hear Vince is available; maybe they can send Hughes to the Nets for Vince and call it a day. Say what you want about Vince, but I’m still a VC guy. For about the same amount of money, at least he’s better than Larry Hughes.
First, the Atlanta Hawks made a big move by picking up Mike Bibby from the Sacramento Kings for Tyronn Lue, Anthony Johnson, Lorenzen Wright, Shelden Williams, and a 2nd Round draft pick.
For the Hawks, they finally get their point guard after not picking Chris Paul a few years back. Anthony Johnson was actually supposed to do the job for them, but he’s washed up.
In addition to getting Bibby, they didn’t really give up anything, making it a win-win situation. Bibby and Joe Johnson form a very formidable backcourt and his addition should be enough to propel them to the playoffs in a very, very, very, very, very weak Eastern Conference this year.
For the Kings, they’re essentially giving up and starting over. They have actually played good ball this year when they’ve had their entire team healthy, but in a season where a 50 win team might miss the playoffs in the West, their 07-08 campaign is a wash.
Next, another panic trade went down. The Mavs finally got Jason Kidd (and Malik Allen), for Trenton Hassell, Keith Van Horn (kind of – he’s retired and will stay retired, he just has to “unretire” long enough for this deal to go through), Devin Harris, DeSagana Diop, Maurice Ager, two 1st Round draft picks, and $3 million bucks.
What a bad trade. For starters, Devin Harris was supposed to be their point guard of the future. Instead, they get an aging Kidd who can’t shoot anymore for a few seasons. Their biggest problem was the lack of a clutch player, not a point guard.
If they wanted to replace Harris, they should’ve got Mike Bibby – a clutch point guard. Additionally, everyone in the West seems to be getting bigger (Gasol w/ LA, Shaq on Phoenix, Webber on Golden State) … Why on earth did they trade their best defensive big man? What sense does that make?
For the Nets, they get a young point guard who can make a lot of plays. Maybe Diop will pick up for Jason Kidd’s rebounding. For as bad as people have made the Nets out to be, they’re still an Eastern Conference playoff team.
Going back to the Mavs and I guess everyone else in the West, I never expected every GM to react to the Pau Gasol-Lakers deal by panicking. This deal and the Shaq deal have panic written all over them. I wonder who will panic next. Maybe the Rockets will trade T-Mac to the Knicks for Zach Randolph and Jerome James or something stupid like that.
One player that could’ve actually used some of these guys, especially Mike Bibby, is LeBron James and the LeBronaliers, I mean Cavs. He has to be pissed that his team didn’t get Jason Kidd or Mike Bibby.
They could’ve arranged for Larry Hughes to be bought out by somebody and got a deal done. I hear Vince is available; maybe they can send Hughes to the Nets for Vince and call it a day. Say what you want about Vince, but I’m still a VC guy. For about the same amount of money, at least he’s better than Larry Hughes.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Thank you NBA/TNT
Thanks for finally giving people like me a good double-header to watch.
Mavs @ Celtics
Spurs @ Suns
I'll be there!!!!!
Mavs @ Celtics
Spurs @ Suns
I'll be there!!!!!
Monday, January 28, 2008
My All-Star Reserves
Western Conference (Starters – A.I., Kobe, Carmelo, Tim Duncan, Yao)
PG – Chris Paul – 20.6 PPG, 10.5 APG, 3.9 RPG, 2.6 SPG. Chris Paul is having an MVP season for the NBA’s best team. He’s the only player in the NBA averaging over 20 points and 10 assists per game and he also leads the league in steals. Plus the game is in New Orleans, where his Hornets play (for now).
SG/PG – Baron Davis – 22.3 PPG, 8.1 APG, 4.8 RPG, 2.5 SPG. Baron Davis is one of the most exciting players in the league. Golden State is in playoff contention once again, thanks to B-Diddy, S Jax, and Nellie’s nutty offense.
SF/PF – David West – 19.7 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 2.4 APG. David West should get the hometown nod over players like Amare and T-Mac. He players hard every night and is on the team with the best record in the West.
PF/C – Carlos Boozer – 22.5 PPG, 10.8 RPG, 2.8 APG. Boozer has been a beast for Utah, although the Jazz has underachieved as a team.
C – Marcus Camby – 9.4 PPG, 14.4 RPG, 3.0 APG, 3.9 BPG, 1.1 SPG. The Defensive Player of the Year definitely deserves another all-star nod as he’s putting up sick numbers again this season.
PG – Steve Nash – 17.6 PPG, 11.9 APG, 3.5 RPG. You could make a case for Steve Nash to win MVP almost every season, this year not withstanding. His shooting numbers are ridiculous (52% FG, 48% 3PT, 91% FT) and the Suns are right behind the Hornets for the best record in the West, even though it seems like they’ve been struggling all season.
SG – Brandon Roy – 19.4 PPG, 5.6 APG, 4.4 RPG. His numbers aren’t that spectacular, but he is the engine behind Portland’s surprise run towards the top of the Western Conference.
David West and Brandon Roy could lose their spots to the two Mavericks left off the list this year, but I think it would be a disservice to both of those players. However, Dirk and Josh would make the team a little more balanced, as its point guard and post player heavy. Deron Williams and Tony Parker miss out because of the stellar guard play this year and Amare and T-Mac have had better seasons. Al Jefferson is having a hell of a season, but his team sucks too bad for him to make it.
Left Off
C - Al Jefferson
PF – Dirk Nowitzki
SF – Josh Howard
PG – Deron Williams
PG – Tony Parker
C – Amare Stoudamire
SF – Tracy McGrady
Eastern Conference (Starters – J. Kidd, D. Wade, LeBron, KG, D12)
PG – Chauncey Billiups – 18.0 PPG, 7.1 APG, 3.0 RPG. Billups seems to be in much better rhythm this season. After last year I thought Detroit should’ve started over, but luckily for Pistons fans nobody reads my blog.
SG – Joe Johnson – 21.6 PPG, 5.4 APG, 4.3 RPG. He might lose this spot to Michael Redd or Ray Allen, but he means more to the Hawks and their playoff push than these numbers show. Plus I think he should’ve made it last year.
SF – Richard Jefferson – 24.1 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 2.8 APG. He’s balling this year, period. He might not make it, however, because the Nets have been pretty terrible. Turkoglu is making a late push and the Magic have a better record.
PF/SF – Josh Smith – 18.2 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 3.5 APG, 3.3 BPG, 1.9 AST. He’s finally become more than just a dunker. He also should finish 2nd behind Marcus Camby for Defensive Player of the Year. This young man has made himself a lot of money this season.
C – Chris Bosh – 22.5 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 2.2 APG. In addition to making a fool out of himself on Youtube, he’s actually having a great year.
SF – Caron Butler – 21.9 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 4.3 APG. He’s making that Kwame Brown trade look more lopsided by the day. He’s been holding it down in Washington with Arenas on the shelf and might have even made him expendable.
SF/SF – Paul Pierce – 20.4 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 5.1 APG. He’s been Boston’s go-to-guy this year, while KG has gotten most of the props. You can even say his effort has been under the radar.
For once, the fans have the right starting five, which makes picking the reserves much easier. Some of the fringe players might be replaced with guys on better teams, but Joe Johnson or Richard Jefferson getting left off won’t be too big of a snub, especially since their teams will likely be represented anyway.
Left Off
SF – Antawn Jamison
SG – Michael Redd
SF – Gerald Wallace
SG – Ray Allen
SF – Hedo Turkoglu
PG – Chris Paul – 20.6 PPG, 10.5 APG, 3.9 RPG, 2.6 SPG. Chris Paul is having an MVP season for the NBA’s best team. He’s the only player in the NBA averaging over 20 points and 10 assists per game and he also leads the league in steals. Plus the game is in New Orleans, where his Hornets play (for now).
SG/PG – Baron Davis – 22.3 PPG, 8.1 APG, 4.8 RPG, 2.5 SPG. Baron Davis is one of the most exciting players in the league. Golden State is in playoff contention once again, thanks to B-Diddy, S Jax, and Nellie’s nutty offense.
SF/PF – David West – 19.7 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 2.4 APG. David West should get the hometown nod over players like Amare and T-Mac. He players hard every night and is on the team with the best record in the West.
PF/C – Carlos Boozer – 22.5 PPG, 10.8 RPG, 2.8 APG. Boozer has been a beast for Utah, although the Jazz has underachieved as a team.
C – Marcus Camby – 9.4 PPG, 14.4 RPG, 3.0 APG, 3.9 BPG, 1.1 SPG. The Defensive Player of the Year definitely deserves another all-star nod as he’s putting up sick numbers again this season.
PG – Steve Nash – 17.6 PPG, 11.9 APG, 3.5 RPG. You could make a case for Steve Nash to win MVP almost every season, this year not withstanding. His shooting numbers are ridiculous (52% FG, 48% 3PT, 91% FT) and the Suns are right behind the Hornets for the best record in the West, even though it seems like they’ve been struggling all season.
SG – Brandon Roy – 19.4 PPG, 5.6 APG, 4.4 RPG. His numbers aren’t that spectacular, but he is the engine behind Portland’s surprise run towards the top of the Western Conference.
David West and Brandon Roy could lose their spots to the two Mavericks left off the list this year, but I think it would be a disservice to both of those players. However, Dirk and Josh would make the team a little more balanced, as its point guard and post player heavy. Deron Williams and Tony Parker miss out because of the stellar guard play this year and Amare and T-Mac have had better seasons. Al Jefferson is having a hell of a season, but his team sucks too bad for him to make it.
Left Off
C - Al Jefferson
PF – Dirk Nowitzki
SF – Josh Howard
PG – Deron Williams
PG – Tony Parker
C – Amare Stoudamire
SF – Tracy McGrady
Eastern Conference (Starters – J. Kidd, D. Wade, LeBron, KG, D12)
PG – Chauncey Billiups – 18.0 PPG, 7.1 APG, 3.0 RPG. Billups seems to be in much better rhythm this season. After last year I thought Detroit should’ve started over, but luckily for Pistons fans nobody reads my blog.
SG – Joe Johnson – 21.6 PPG, 5.4 APG, 4.3 RPG. He might lose this spot to Michael Redd or Ray Allen, but he means more to the Hawks and their playoff push than these numbers show. Plus I think he should’ve made it last year.
SF – Richard Jefferson – 24.1 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 2.8 APG. He’s balling this year, period. He might not make it, however, because the Nets have been pretty terrible. Turkoglu is making a late push and the Magic have a better record.
PF/SF – Josh Smith – 18.2 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 3.5 APG, 3.3 BPG, 1.9 AST. He’s finally become more than just a dunker. He also should finish 2nd behind Marcus Camby for Defensive Player of the Year. This young man has made himself a lot of money this season.
C – Chris Bosh – 22.5 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 2.2 APG. In addition to making a fool out of himself on Youtube, he’s actually having a great year.
SF – Caron Butler – 21.9 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 4.3 APG. He’s making that Kwame Brown trade look more lopsided by the day. He’s been holding it down in Washington with Arenas on the shelf and might have even made him expendable.
SF/SF – Paul Pierce – 20.4 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 5.1 APG. He’s been Boston’s go-to-guy this year, while KG has gotten most of the props. You can even say his effort has been under the radar.
For once, the fans have the right starting five, which makes picking the reserves much easier. Some of the fringe players might be replaced with guys on better teams, but Joe Johnson or Richard Jefferson getting left off won’t be too big of a snub, especially since their teams will likely be represented anyway.
Left Off
SF – Antawn Jamison
SG – Michael Redd
SF – Gerald Wallace
SG – Ray Allen
SF – Hedo Turkoglu
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