The Rockets have to be worried about that, if they really don't want him to play etc...the last thing they would want is him to play well in the all star game, then they would be forced to do something with him. DD
Hayesfan, you're probably the poster I respect the most on this board (see sig). However, while I agree with you 100% that T-Mac should not ultimately start in the All-Star game, please do not point to the Chinese fans so rashly. Fans have the right to vote, and nobody has any evidence that the majority of the votes for T-Mac came from China.
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Yeah I realized in a later post here (page 2 ) that it was more likely to be moronic fans in the US who have no idea he isn't playing. It was the reaction to what I read on the link rather than my thoughts - I need to learn to take more time and respond not react.
This is almost as bad as when Mourning was voted in as a starter when he out all season with a kidney ailment
As a chinese Yao and Rockets fan i am, every year i would vote for the whole rockets team and nets team for several times
I'm not racist but they should not allow foreign votes to count. The NBA is an American league, including Canada but not Mexico. They don't allow foreigners to vote in our elections so why should they determine our all stars. It doesn't matter that we have "international players", when they come here they are in the scrutiny of the American public and not their homeland. USA. USA. USA!!!!!
The NBA is global dude. There is nothing wrong with the foreign fans, they are great fans. I believe people are having issues with voting a player who hasn't played for along time to the All Star game who doesn't deserve to play. If you vote for Rockets players, you should vote for the ones who are playing now and deserve it. Aaron Brooks, Carl Landry, wouldn't it be awesome for them to go to the All Star game instead of Tmac? I mean they did more for this team in the past year and this season, they deserve it.
You can't blame this on the Chinese fans. This same thing has happend a few times. It happend with Grant Hill a few years back when he ended up the starter even though he only had played about a week at that point in the season. It also happend with Vince Carter recently when he was having an awful season and the fans still ended up voting him the starter. People vote for stars, and not every fan has league pass or follows the box scores. I'd be willing to wager that even without the Chinese votes he's still in second.
You could argue that the NBA is plain stupid to put a player that is injured on the allstar list to begin with. Yes I agree. Fans are fans. They are entitled to vote for everyone who are at disposal. I don't know why people are so upset since this is and has been a popularity contest ever since. No matter who plays, who deserves it or not.
And your post makes you look like you drive: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:2008-09-27_Fagbug_in_Durham.jpg The point is, it's great that the NBA is global and it has a lot of international players. We have created the greatest basketball league, here, in America. That is where all decisions about the league should originate and not in some corner of the world that has access to the internet but no real connections to the game other than they share the same race as a few of their players. If you want to effect who our all stars are, then come to America, or keep your opinions to yourself. People in America aren't making this a race issue, but the foreign voters are. That is wrong.
