All Star reserves will be announced Feb. 1st. The reserves are, I think, generally the more deserving picks as the starters is generally regarded as a popularity contest. Also the reserves are selected by the coaches and not fans. Who do you think deserves to be named as reserves for the 2007 All Star game? Here are the elected starters: West: G - Kobe Bryant G - Tracy McGrady F - Tim Duncan F - Kevin Garnett C - Yao Ming (has stated he won't play...his replacement will be chosen my David Stern...although West coach Dantoni will select starter) East: G - Dwayne Wade G - Gilbert Arenas F - Lebron James F - Chris Bosh C - Shaquille O'Neal My reserve picks: West: 1. Steve Nash - easy pick 2. Dirk Nowitzki - easy pick 3. Carlos Boozer - been playing great this season; 22.1 points, 11.8 boards 4. Shawn Marion - overlooked player in Phoenix with Nash and Amare 5. Marcus Camby - would pick him to replace Yao over Amare for C, great D 6. Allen Iverson - would have picked Paul if he hadn't got hurt 7. Josh Howard - rewarded for great team record 8. Elton Brand - last guy to get in with Yao not playing close, but no cigar: Amare Stoudemire (think he is over-hyped because he came back from knee surgery), Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony (missed too many games or else they'd be in), Pau Gasol (missed too many games and slightly below Brand IMHO), Zach Randolph (bad team inflates numbers), Baron Davis and Ray Allen and Deron Williams (the West is tough) East 1. Dwight Howard - should be starting over Shaq 2. Jason Kidd - triple double waiting to happen 3. Jermaine O'Neal - still solid for the East (might not make it in West) 4. Caron Butler - having a career year for East's best team 5. Omeka Okafor - overlooked in Charlotte but a stud 6. Vince Carter - still a great player even if fans don't vote him in 7. Chauncey Billups - missed several games but this is the East close, but no cigar: Michael Redd and Paul Pierce (injuries), Antawn Jamison and Joe Johnson (good but not good enough) Who are your picks? Discuss.
A few articles on the subject: USA Today link The Scorer's Table: J. Howard, 'Melo deserve nod as All-Star reserves By David DuPree, USA TODAY The most difficult aspect in naming the teams for next month's All-Star Game in Las Vegas is that some well-deserving players will be left out. Fans vote for the starters, and the coaches from each conference round out the teams. Still, the system isn't perfect and there will undoubtedly be some big-name players getting pinched. The Houston Rockets' Yao Ming, selected by fans as the starting center in the West, will not play because of injury, so NBA Commissioner David Stern will name a replacement after the coaches vote on the seven reserves. The results will be announced Thursday. According to USA TODAY's All-Star reserves index, the East players making the team should be Jason Kidd of the New Jersey Nets, Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler of the Washington Wizards, Michael Redd of the Milwaukee Bucks, Chauncey Billups of the Detroit Pistons, Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic and Jermaine O'Neal of the Indiana Pacers. The West players making the team should be Steve Nash, Shawn Marion and Amare Stoudemire of the Phoenix Suns, Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks, Allen Iverson of the Denver Nuggets, Elton Brand of the Los Angeles Clippers, Carlos Boozer of the Utah Jazz and Ray Allen of the Seattle SuperSonics. USA TODAY subjectively picked the 15 most worthy All-Star participants from each conference not voted starters by fans and ranked them in the same six statistical categories that measure all aspects of the game used in USA TODAY's MVP index. The player performing best in a category gets one point, down to 15 for the worst. The seven players in the Eastern Conference and the eight in the West with the fewest total points in all six categories should, theoretically, be the All-Star Game reserves. Using this system, the most notable player left off is Dallas' Josh Howard, who will, nevertheless, be voted to the actual team because of intangibles that make him as deserving as those ahead of him statistically. Also missing the cut statistically is Denver's Carmelo Anthony, the NBA's top scorer. The most notable East players overlooked using the system are Emeka Okafor of the Charlotte Bobcats, Ben Gordon of the Chicago Bulls and New Jersey's Vince Carter. Kidd, who leads the league with eight triple-doubles this season (the rest of the NBA has a total of nine), tops the index in the East, finishing three points ahead of Jamison. Kidd hasn't played in the last two All-Star Games. "He's a Hall of Fame point guard, one of the best ever to do it," says ESPN's Mark Jackson, a former NBA point guard who has the second-most career assists in league history. Kidd, 33, is having one of his best seasons, averaging 14.8 points, 9 assists and 8.4 rebounds. LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers, the leading vote-getter in the All-Star balloting, is the only other player averaging at least six rebounds (6.8) and six assists (6). Marion scores the best in the West. The versatile 6-7 forward is the only player in either conference to be in the top three in at least five of the six categories. He's seven points ahead of teammate Nash. All-Star reserves, according to our index East Player, team Win pct. Rank points PPS Hands TD BGP Total Jason Kidd, New Jersey 47.7 (9) 246 (3) 0.956 (8) -2.682 (6) 0.197 (6) 8 (1) 33 Antawn Jamison, Washington 60.5 (1) 295 (10) 1.010 (2) -2.209 (4) 0.176 (10) 0 (9) 36 Michael Redd, Milwaukee 40.9 (13) 292 (9) 0.969 (7) -2.152 (3) 0.208 (3) 2 (2) 37 Caron Butler, Washington 60.5 (1) 236 (2) 0.954 (10) -3.791 (9) 0.194 (7) 0 (9) 38 Chauncey Billups, Detroit 59.5 (3) 256 (6) 0.970 (6) -2.824 (7) 0.183 (9) 0 (9) 40 Dwight Howard, Orlando 52.3 (7) 233 (1) 0.909 (14) -4.045 (11) 0.204 (5) 2 (2) 40 Jermaine O'Neal, Indiana 52.3 (7) 246 (4) 0.856 (15) -2.462 (5) 0.205 (4) 0 (9) 44 Also considered: Emeka Okafor, Charlotte (46); Vince Carter, New Jersey (47); Ben Gordon, Chicago (48); David Lee, New York (49); Luol Deng, Chicago (50); Joe Johnson, Atlanta (51); Richard Hamilton, Detroit (56); Eddy Curry, New York (67). West Player, team Win pct. Rank points PPS Hands TD BGP Total Shawn Marion, Phoenix 81.8 (1) 224 (3) 1.07 (2) -0.477 (1) 0.17 (12) 2 (3) 22 Steve Nash, Phoenix 81.8 (1) 242 (7) 1.196 (1) -4.548 (11) 0.193 (8) 4 (1) 29 Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas 80 (4) 240 (6) 1.01 (6) -2.841 (7) 0.236 (4) 1 (6) 33 Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix 81.8 (1) 238 (4) 1.047 (3) -3.932 (10) 0.158 (14) 1 (6) 38 Allen Iverson, Denver 53.7 (10) 218 (1) 0.887 (15) -3.758 (9) 0.225 (4) 3 (2) 41 Elton Brand, LA Clippers 50 (13) 220 (2) 1.019 (5) -2.409 (5) 0.201 (7) 0 (11) 43 Carlos Boozer, Utah 64.4 (8) 240 (5) 1.024 (4) -4.622 (12) 0.218 (5) 0 (11) 45 Ray Allen, Seattle 38.6 (15) 250 (8) 1.007 (7) -2.794 (6) 0.213 (6) 2 (3) 45 Also considered: Marcus Camby, Denver (50); Josh Howard, Dallas (53); Carmelo Anthony, Denver (55); Tony Parker, San Antonio (56); Manu Ginobili, San Antonio (58); Zach Randolph, Portland (51); Deron Williams, Utah (62). Category key: Win pct. — team winning percentage. Rank points — rankings among league leaders in seven categories (field goal percentage, free throw percentage, rebounds, assists, steals, blocked shots and points) added together. PPS — points per shot (field goal attempts plus free throw attempts divided by total points scored). Hands — average steals plus blocked shots minus average turnovers plus personal fouls. TD (team dominance) — average points, rebounds and assists divided by team averages in the same categories. BGP — big-game performances (total number of games with a triple-double, 40+ points, 20+ rebounds, 20+ rebounds or 10+ block shots). Rank in parentheses. All stats are through Sunday's games. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Salt Lake Tribune NBA ALL-STAR GAME: Snubbed! Some tough decisions choosing reserves By Steve Luhm The Salt Lake Tribune After the starting lineups for the All-Star Game are determined by a vote of the fans, the league's 30 head coaches choose the reserves. There aren't many jobs that are more difficult, create more controversy and generate more disappointment among those who are left out. Every year, there are a handful of worthy players who stay home simply because there is no room for them on a 12-man roster. This year, picking the All-Star reserves is once again an unenviable task, especially in the deeper Western Conference. Beyond the starters - Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming, Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan - at least 15 players have credentials that are worthy of All-Star consideration. Only seven, however, will have their ticket to Las Vegas punched by the coaches. Dallas and Phoenix have been the West's dominant teams this season, yet the fans failed to vote one player from either team into the All-Star Game as a starter. The Mavs' Dirk Nowitzki is an obvious choice for one reserve spot, and he could end up starting since Yao is injured and won't play. The Suns' Steve Nash will also be named as a reserve by the coaches, who won't overlook the reigning two-time MVP. Beyond Nowitzki and Nash, however, other players from the league's two best teams face stiff competition for an All-Star berth. Forward Josh Howard is the Mavs' best bet, thanks to a 20-point per game scoring average. In the last couple of weeks, coach Avery Johnson has been outspoken in his belief that Howard is deserving. Johnson told the Dallas Morning News, "Whether you like us or don't like us, if you're a basketball person and measuring what [Howard] is doing with everybody else, then I don't think it will be a tough sell." Nowitzki agreed, although he knows that All-Star snubs are part of the business. "There are a lot of great players and the [forward] position is stacked," Nowitzki said. "There will always be guys who deserve to be in who don't make it." Besides Nash, Phoenix's top All-Star candidates are center Amare Stoudemire and forward Shawn Marion. Despite the Suns' 66-win pace, however, it's unlikely both players will join Nash in the All-Star Game on Feb. 18. That's just the way the numbers game works, and Atlanta's Joe Johnson, a candidate for a spot on the Eastern Conference roster, knows it. "The starters are part of the popularity contest that has always been associated with the game," he told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution this week. "But the reserves, they're voted in by the coaches based on what kind of season they're having and what type of team they play for. . . . I understand it's going to be a tough vote." In Denver, coach George Karl has endorsed the All-Star candidacy of three players - Carmelo Anthony, Allen Iverson and Marcus Camby. All three could make it, or all three could be disappointed. Anthony has the most interesting portfolio. He is the NBA's leading scorer (31.6), but he also missed 15 games because of a suspension for punching New York's Mardy Collins and helping escalate a brawl at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 16. "I can't worry about it," he said after Friday's 116-111 loss to the Jazz, in which he scored 37 points. "But, you know, I'm hearing good things about it. So we'll just have to wait and see." One of Anthony's main rivals for a spot on the All-Star team is Portland's Zach Randolph. The only player in the league who averages at least 23 points and 10 rebounds, Randolph could be hurt by the fact he's been involved in several unsavory off-the-court incidents during the formative years of his career. Also a factor: Portland has won only 18 games and appears headed for another draft lottery. Still, Houston coach Jeff Van Gundy recently suggested Randolph creates as many problems for a defense as Duncan, the Spurs' perennial All-Star. If other coaches believe the same thing, Randolph will be a factor in their voting. The coaches submitted their All-Star ballots to the league office Friday. The results are scheduled to be announced Thursday. luhm@sltrib.com Tribune picks for Eastern reserves GUARDS (2) - Jason Kidd (New Jersey), Chauncey Billups (Detroit) FORWARDS (2) - Jermaine O'Neal (Indiana), Caron Butler (Washington) CENTERS (1) - Dwight Howard (Orlando) AT-LARGE (2) - Joe Johnson (Atlanta), Emeka Okafor (Charlotte) Tribune picks for Western reserves GUARDS (2) - Steve Nash (Phoenix), Allen Iverson (Denver) FORWARDS (2) - Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas), Carlos Boozer (Utah) CENTER (1) - Amare Stoudemire (Phoenix) AT-LARGE (2) - Josh Howard (Dallas), Carmelo Anthony (Denver) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ESPN - Mark Stein Filling out the All-Star rosters By Marc Stein ESPN.com This is our annual opportunity to pretend we're all coaches. This is the breakdown every coach in the league will be looking at this weekend now that they know who's been selected by the fans to start in the Feb. 18 All-Star Game. Coaches in both conferences received a memo from the league office Friday with voting instructions on All-Star reserves, with their secret ballots due back to the league office Tuesday and the seven-man East and West benches to be publicly revealed Thursday. Yet you had to know that we weren't going to wait another week to dig into the meatiest part of the All-Star debate. These are the benches as selected at Stein Line HQ, based on the same guidelines that the coaches are required to follow. Those guidelines require the selection of two forwards, two guards, one center and two wild cards … but the coaches cannot vote for their own players and are not locked into voting for players based on the positions at which they're listed on the All-Star ballot. The exact wording from the league: "If the head coach feels a player can play more than one position, he should vote for that player at the position that he thinks is most advantageous for the All-Star team, not necessarily the one he plays most often during the season." Is this how your subs would look? EAST RESERVES Forwards Jermaine O'Neal, Indiana Caron Butler, Washington Easy calls here. O'Neal is playing better defense than we've ever seen from him and Butler has displayed a new all-around level of dependability that must have the Lakers wishing they never surrendered him in the Kwame Brown deal. I don't even see another forward in the East who can come close to these two. Guards Jason Kidd, New Jersey Michael Redd, Milwaukee Two more gimmes. Kidd is still the best point guard in the game not named Steve Nash. And Redd was arguably the best player in the East -- granted, there weren't a lot of folks besides me making the argument -- before he got hurt and had only missed nine of Milwaukee's 42 games as of Friday morning. Our favorite lefty is expected to heal in time for the Vegas party, so he has to be there. Center Dwight Howard, Orlando Easiest call of them all. He should be the starter, obviously, with Shaq having only played in five games because of injury. Then again, there's no shame in Howard going as a reserve and spending the weekend as Shaq's understudy. The real losers here are New York's Eddy Curry and Charlotte's Emeka Okafor, who have been the East's best centers after Howard with Shaq out, but face almost certain exclusion. Wild cards Rip Hamilton, Detroit Ben Gordon, Chicago The Pistons and Bulls have to have at least one All-Star based on our devotion to team success, so we go with their best players to date: Hamilton and Gordon. Yet no team in the East has played consistently well enough to load up on All-Stars like the Pistons did in February 2006, which is why I can't make room for Chauncey Billups and Rip, Luol Deng and Gordon, Vince Carter and Kidd or Antawn Jamison and Butler. Atlanta's Joe Johnson, like Okafor and Curry, loses out because he sports big numbers on a bad team. Boston's Paul Pierce, meanwhile, will have missed more than half the season for a dreadful team by the time we head to Sin City, ruling him out in spite of his gaudy production even if he's ready to play by mid-February. WEST RESERVES Forwards Carlos Boozer, Utah Josh Howard, Dallas The Jazz have tailed off, but Boozer hasn't. He's the first name on the list after the Dirk Nowitzki/Steve Nash no-brainers. And Josh Howard wouldn't be far behind him if I were a West coach. The Mavs -- and Howard -- have been too good to have only one All-Star, especially after winning 58 and 60 games in the previous two seasons with only one All-Star selection. That finally must change this February, with the Mavs and Suns having separated themselves from the rest of the league. Guards Steve Nash, Phoenix Allen Iverson, Denver Nash, as we all know, should be starting ahead of Tracy McGrady, but T-Mac has easily earned his reserve spot, so it's all good. As for Iverson, I realize he just got to Denver … but he's a lot like Shaq. You just can't have an All-Star Game without him. Apologies, then, to San Antonio's Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, Utah's Deron Williams, Golden State's Baron Davis, New Orleans' still-sidelined Chris Paul and Seattle's Ray Allen. Center Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas The coaches, as explained above, aren't obligated to pick someone who's listed as a center on the ballot. And putting Nowitzki here opens an extra roster spot where the West coaches need it most … at forward. And he's going to start in place of Yao if my hunch (Box 3) is right. It's the natural compromise. Wild cards Carmelo Anthony, Denver Shawn Marion, Phoenix I arrived at my final twosome by banking on David Stern to select Amare Stoudemire as Yao's injury replacement. (Don't you love, incidentally, how all the Amare doubters disappeared without a peep?) I'm also probably letting emotion sway me some by going for Melo (a personal favorite) after the MSG brawl and picking another fave in Marion, even though that would give Phoenix three participants if Amare is indeed the commissioner's pick over Denver's Marcus Camby. I expect the coaches to make the same choices irrespective of my biases, with Melo leading the league in scoring in spite of his 15-game suspension and Marion (UNLV's Matrix, don't forget) not far off his usual 20-and-10 excellence. The toughest omissions are Camby (have to make room for Iverson and Melo first), Portland's Zach Randolph (team wasn't good enough) and a Stein Line all-timer in Elton Brand (ditto).
here are my picks for the reserves: WEST: 1. nash 2. iverson 3. howard 4. dirk 5. camby 6. marion 7. boozer EAST: 1. kidd 2. gordon 3. carter 4. JO 5. howard 6. billups 7. okafor
I like your picks, except I'd take Amare over Josh Howard. And I'd go with Redd over Vince (and even Joe Johnson before Vince).. NJ doesn't deserve 2 all stars this year, among other things..
From the West: 1. Nash (lock) 2. Dirk (lock) 3. Boozer 4. Anthony (despite the suspension, he's played great) 5. Marion 6. Brand 7. Allen 8. Stoudemire (Yao's replacement) From the East: 1. Jermaine O'Neal 2. Dwight Howard 3. Chauncey Billups 4. Carter 5. Kidd 6. Caron Butler 7. Redd
Alright with Boozer injured David Stern will likely have to chose another replacement. Here is my choice. My reserve picks: West: 1. Steve Nash - easy pick 2. Dirk Nowitzki - easy pick 3. Shawn Marion - overlooked player in Phoenix with Nash and Amare 4. Marcus Camby - would pick him to replace Yao over Amare for C, great D 5. Allen Iverson - would have picked Paul if he hadn't got hurt 6. Josh Howard - rewarded for great team record 7. Elton Brand - another one of the stud western PFs 8. Ray Allen - not getting much run in Seatte but the guy is money
A Sna Antonio writer's opinion: link Spurs notebook: Parker wouldn't mind playing as All-Star reserve Johnny Ludden Express-News SALT LAKE CITY — Tony Parker doesn't expect to hear his name tonight when the NBA announces its All-Star reserves. But Parker won't feel bad if he later gets a call from the league asking him to come to Las Vegas as a replacement. The chances of either Parker or Manu Ginobili making the Western Conference All-Star team improved slightly Wednesday when the Utah Jazz announced forward Carlos Boozer has a hairline fracture in his left fibula head and would likely be sidelined at least a month. Boozer, who is averaging 22.1 points and 11.8 rebounds, is expected to be named one of the West reserves. He wouldn't rule out playing in the Feb. 18 All-Star Game, but it's expected another player will fill his spot on the roster. Yao Ming, who was voted the West's starting center, has already said he won't be able to play in the game. The coaches must vote for two guards, two forwards, one center and two additional players of any position. Phoenix's Steve Nash is a lock at guard. Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki and Boozer are expected to get forward spots and Phoenix's Amare Stoudemire is the favorite at center. If Denver's Allen Iverson gets the other guard spot, the two at-large slots are expected to go to some combination of Dallas' Josh Howard, Phoenix's Shawn Marion and Denver's Carmelo Anthony. NBA commissioner David Stern will select the two injury replacements. The top candidates for the positions figure to be Seattle's Ray Allen, Denver's Marcus Camby, the Los Angeles Clippers' Elton Brand, Portland's Zach Randolph, Ginobili, Parker and whatever player is left from Howard, Marion or Anthony. "It would not bother me at all," Parker said of going as a replacement. "The West is so loaded. With Allen Iverson coming to the West, making it hard for me, I need some help. If there was no Iverson, I think I would be one of the first two (reserve) guards chosen. "I don't care if I'm a sub. It's still All-Star." Parker entered Wednesday averaging 18.8 points and 5.6 assists, nearly identical to the 18.9 and 5.8 he averaged last season as a first-time All-Star. Ginobili's averages of 16.4 points and 4.5 rebounds are slightly better than two seasons ago (16.0 and 4.4) when he made the All-Star team. He's averaging 18.5 points and 5.1 rebounds in January. Ginobili said he would be "honored" to be selected, but won't be overly disappointed if he isn't. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich didn't have to debate whether to include Parker or Ginobili on his ballot. Coaches cannot vote for their own players. Barry still waiting: Brent Barry, ranked fourth in the NBA in 3-point accuracy before Wednesday's game, said he has yet to receive an invitation for the All-Star Shootout. The contestants are expected to be announced next week.
Reserves announced. http://www.nba.com/news/allstar_reserves_070201.html IMO Tony Parker doesn't deserve a spot. Wtf is AI doing in there? Carmelo deserves the spot!
Man that is messed up how Carmelo didn't make it. He definitely deserved a spot. Stern better do the right thing and put him in to replace of Yao. What do you the chances are for that? And if he doesn't pick him, who do ya see getting in?
I agree. I don't think Parker deserves to make it. Still, since Yao and Boozer probably won't be playing, who will replace those spots? My guesses are Josh Howard and Carmelo.
Wow WTF, Parker made it over Carmelo?!? Damn Carmelo is seriously getting shafted, you know something's wrong when the NBA's leading scorer doesn't even get a reserve spot at the All-Star Game.
Boozer and Yao will both be replaced by the commissioner, I think Melo should get one of the spots, Boozers spot, even though he doesn't play 4, he is at least a forward and the best player by far not in the All-Star game. The punch wasn't that bad. Stern needs to fix this situation. For the other spot its a tossup between Camby the next best starting center available in the west, or Elton Brand, or Zach Randolph.
West (Yao Ming) Tim Duncan Kevin Garnett Kobe Bryant Tracy McGrady Steve Nash Allen Iverson Tony Parker Shawn Marion Amare Stoudamire Dirk Nowitzki (Carlos Boozer) Ming and Boozer will both be replaced, hopefully 1 spot goes to Melo, he is best player not in the game. East: Shaquille O'neal Chris Bosh Lebron James Dwayne Wade Gilbert Arenas Caron Butler Chauncy Billups Richard Hamilton Vince Carter Jason Kidd Jermaine O'Neal Dwight Howard
I'm thrilled Melo didn't get a spot on the team. Maybe now he'll wake up and the team will start playing with some damn passion instead of just expecting to win every game. Unfortunately, Stern's going to throw a wrench into my plan and name him to the team to replace Yao or Loozer.
poor choice giving VC a spot over Redd, cause Jersey doesn't deserve 2 All Stars. West...only don't like Parker. But I can live with it. Camby & Brand deserve it more, but they're not RIDICulously higher. SA deserves 2..
link Howard, Anthony To Replace Yao, Boozer NEW YORK, Feb. 9, 2007 – Dallas Mavericks forward Josh Howard and Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony have been named by NBA Commissioner David Stern to replace injured West All-Stars Yao Ming (right knee) of the Houston Rockets and Carlos Boozer (left fibula) on the Western Conference Roster for the 2007 NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, February 18 in Las Vegas. Anthony and Howard, each in their fourth NBA season, will be making their first All-Star appearance. West All-Star head coach Mike D'Antoni will determine which player on his roster will replace Yao in the starting line-up. The NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, Feb. 18, will air live on TNT and ESPN Radio beginning at 8 p.m. EST. The game will also be telecast in over 200 countries and broadcast on NBA.com.
