Re: All-Star reserves

[opi@unesco.org]

Kestutis Kveraga wrote:

> Wow...Dale Davis, a role player, gets to play in the All-Star Game, while Antoine, a far superior player, will be playing video games that weekend...Who's the next "All-Star" to take Walker's place, Jamie Feick in 2001? The cheap-shot and flop artist Miller is also an All-Star, while Pierce, a superior player, gets the "honor" of playing in the kids' game. You could say it's the winning-team thing, but what have Stack and the Pistons ever done? Oh well, hope the humiliation motivates them...

Hi Kestus:

I think Dale Davis (11.4 ppg!) and Reggie Miller (2.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.1 steals) are having marginal All Star years individually but deserve to go because Larry Bird has the best team in the East.

What really surprised me is that the East selected 5 shooting guards (Eddie Jones, Ray Allen, Allan Houston, Reggie Miller and Jerry Stackhouse) to go with only one nominal point guard (Iverson). With Vince Carter and Grant Hill also starting and the 6-7 Glenn Robinson in reserve, this is basically a team of perimeter wing men along along with the two shot blockers (Mutombo, Mourning) and a 48-minute scoring point guard.

What also surprised me is that Detroit and Milwaukee got four of the ten final slots on the All Star roster, even with at least five teams ranking ahead of them in the standings (not to mention worthy franchise players on team's not represented in the game). It's not that "Big Dog" and Stackhouse aren't having All Star years (they are), but you could make a good case for other fully worthy guys who could have filled a more important need on the team (power forward and point guard).

It's strange BTW in a way that Stephon Marbury, Shareef Abdur Rahim and Antonio McDyess have never yet been selected to an All Star team. Stackhouse and Finley are this year's "surprise" low-namebrand-recognition selections. John Stockton (12 ppg) and Reggie Miller are guys that could have been left off to fill another need on the roster. The West already has Payton and Kidd at point, while the East has four shooting guards who deserve the minutes ahead of Miller.

I feel sorriest for Paul Pierce, who has to attend the rookie game in his second season despite how he lit up Vince Carter in those two big wins this year and is second in the NBA in steals. Eventually, it seems inevitable that Paul Pierce will get to where Eddie Jones is now.

Antoine Walker's "lesson" is to further polish his shot selection and be more consistent passing and rebounding the ball (a kinder, gentler exterior would go a long way too). Red Auerbach once said that Larry Bird is the closest any athlete has ever come to discovering 100% of his potential. By those standards, Walker and some of the other retards in this league are only at 60% of where they should be. Walker is chronologically young compared to when Bird was a rookie, and he now seems capable
of maturing without any doubt (in my mind at least).

Go Celts!

Joe

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