



This year, the NBA overhauled a part of the All Star selection by eliminating the center position from the ballot. While this was justified and ultimately a good move, the NBA failed to address the larger problem: the All Star voting process itself.





Andrew Bynum. As of January 3 , some of the top 15 vote getters in the Western conference include Omer Asik, Pau Gasol, Jeremy Lin, and Steve Nash. In the Eastern conference, they include Shane Battier, Amare Stoudemire, Jeff Green, Jason Terry, and…wait for it...





Before we lose our sanity, only the top-five vote getters in each conference will make the All Star team. This means that the vast majority of the above players won’t grace the court in the 2013 ASG. However, the top two voting getting guards and top three forwards will “earn” starting roles in the game.





That means the starting squad in the West would be Kevin Durant, Dwight Howard, Blake Griffin, Kobe Bryant , and Chris Paul. In the East: LeBron James , Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Garnett, Dwyane Wade, and Rajon Rondo. Barring an incredible voter surge, Jeremy Lin and Chris Bosh are the only players with vote totals capable of challenging those 10 players for starting roles by the January 14 deadline.





not on their own team. The reserves are chosen in a much more judicial manner: coaches vote for playerson their own team.





But the problem here is elucidated by players like David Lee and Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors. This duo contrasts perfectly with the fellow duos down in southern California, those of the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers. All three teams have All Star worthy guards: Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, and Stephen Curry. What’s the difference?





The market that each calls home leads to a tremendous disparity in votes. Kobe and the legacy he comes with has garnered over 1.1 million votes, and CP3 has nearly 700,000. Curry, on the other hand, does not even have 100,000. Fans of each team can argue until 2014 which player is better and deserves an All Star spot but nobody would say Curry is seven-fold less deserving than Paul or almost ten-fold less than Bryant.





Curry has played a pivotal role in the revolution by the bay and has earned the right to be recognized as such. But will he? Doubtful with the likes of Kobe, Chris Paul, and even the sub-par performing Jeremy Lin. A comparison between Lin (600,000 votes) and Curry (98,000) is laughable.





Golden State’s point guard is in a difficult position, though, because the West does have a host of talented guards (Parker, Harden, and Westbrook, in addition to those already mentioned). But as a forward, David Lee, should be a no-brainer. But per that January 3 tally, he’s nowhere to be found in the top-15 forwards in votes. Chandler Parson and all of his 14.5 points and 6.2 rebounds are ahead of Lee.





The Warriors big man is currently the only player in the NBA averaging 20 and 10, has shot 54 percent from the field to go along with 3.7 assists, and has a triple double to boot. So in addition to being a top rebounder and scorer, Lee is top-10 in assists behind point-forward type players like LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Nicholas Batum, and Evan Turner. And he is the foundation with which the Warriors build on.







Tim Duncan Blake Griffin Dwight Howard David Lee Points 17.8 17.4 17.3 20.2 Rebounds 9.7 8.7 11.9 11.1 Assists 2.6 3.0 1.9 3.7 Blocks 2.5 0.6 2.6 0.2 FG percentage .509 .527 .563 .538 FT percentage .810 .621 .513 .824 Team win % .743 .758 .484 .688

Statistics as of 1/3/12





Yet the other three players are all top-five in forward All Star votes for the Western conference. As Charles Barkley said of the ASG voting, it’s a “travesty.” Fans vote for who they like best, so it stands to reason that the more people like you, the more votes you will get. If this is the way the NBA wants to do it, might as well base the All Stars on jersey sales.





One may argue that there is considerable overlap between All Star votes and the players who deserve it, so why not keep it? All Star weekend is “for the fans,” so why not let them choose who plays in the game?





best NBA talent? And shouldn’t the small market star be recognized over the mediocre players in large markets (Garnett, Griffin, Gasol, etc.)? Sure, it’s for fans like you and me, but don’t we want to see a showcase of theNBA talent? And shouldn’t the small market star be recognized over the mediocre players in large markets (Garnett, Griffin, Gasol, etc.)?





Andrew Bynum has votes exacerbates that point. The 76er center has not played a minute. Ultimately, the All Star game should honor the best players. And the fact thathas votes exacerbates that point. The 76er center has not played a minute.



