The league should promote a match b/w the first and second teams. Let the coaches and GM's make the picks. No, no fans please. Gonna be heck of a game cause guys on the second team want to prove they deserve better and those on the first team wnat to prove they belong there.
Here's mine: First Team G Allen Iverson -- Had his best year as a pro. G Steve Nash -- made a last-place team a contender F Tracy Mcgrady -- the best wing player in the game, hands down F Dirk Nowitzki -- took another step toward MVP status C Shquille O'neal -- no explanation needed Second Team G Ray Allen -- great in a contract year (I'm still not buying it) G Dwayne Wade -- riding Shaq's coattail toward superstardom F Lebron James -- the new best player in the making F Tim Duncan -- had an off-year C Amare Stoudemire -- a smaller version of a younger Shaq Thrid Team G Gilbert Arenas -- elevated his game to become a superstar G Reggie Miller -- Reggie's last season in the league has been a splendid one F Shawn Marion -- as a player who can't create his own offense, the Matrix benefited tremendously from Nash F Kevin Garnett -- same old, same old C Yao Ming -- ups and downs; consistency is still the key My MVP candidates: Shaquille O'neal, Steve Nash, Tracy Mcgrady, and Allen Iverson, in that order.
First Team Nash - the mvp Iverson - 30+ with almost 8 ast and 2.5 stls Lebron - 27/7/7 and people are asking for an explanation? Dirk - huge scoring plus getting the boards and some blocks Shaq - still the best center in the game even if he's down to 23/10 Second Team Wade - basically as important to miami as shaq Kobe - gets ragged on but 28/6/6 is as much as you can expect Tmac - awesome season, rockets looking great Garnett - minny disappointed but garnett didn't Duncan - seemed to coast along with most of the spurs, plus got injured Third Team Allen - huge season on surprise team Arenas - huge season on surprise team Marion - huge season on surprise team Amare - huge season on surprise team Yao - still the second best true center, rockets looking great damn, my second team might beat my first team. and that guy put ginobili on the damn second team. omg. i grant his numbers are probably held down somewhat by not being the man (though it's hard to argue anyone playing with duncan is held back) but he just doesn't warrant mention as one of the best when there are better candidates out there.
and there are other players who are putting up equally impressive numbers with their teams accomplishing more. the cavs are 10-16 since the all-star break and fighting for the playoffs though they'll probably make it. i'd like an explanation for that actually. no way in hell is lebron right now better then duncan or nowitski and if you put him as a guard, he is definitely not more deserving than t-mac or nash. lebron should be very proud of a second-team all nba vote as a 20-year old. my selections: first team: nash mcgrady nowitski duncan shaq second team: iverson wade james marion yao third team: bryant allen garnett stoudamire wallace
Dirk absolutely needs to be on the first team this year. I'm not sure Duncan is a sure thing this year--his points are a bit low (20.9) and he will end up having only played 66 games. I'd pick Amare over Duncan this year. My predictions: 1st Team: F - Dirk Nowitzki F - Amare Stoudemire C - Shaquille O'Neal G - Steve Nash G - Lebron James 2nd Team: F - Tracy McGrady F - Tim Duncan C - Yao Ming G - Dwayne Wade G - Ray Allen I don't really like how some players can be shifted between different positions (G/F or F/C). For instance, a guy like Yao only has one spot open for him (C), while Duncan has three spots (2 F's, 1 C). If Duncan had been listed as a center since he entered the league instead of a PF/C, he probably would have missed the first team a couple of years because of Shaq. In the same way, if Hakeem had been listed as a F/C (he did play PF when Sampson was here), he'd have made the 1st team a lot more than he did. He would've been chosen to the first team ahead of Pippen, Wilkins, or Barkley instead of making the second team as a center (behind DRob or Ewing). Duncan's never had this problem as a F/C because even though Shaq had some better seasons than Duncan, there would still be two forward positions open for him. Anyway, I think the All-NBA teams are unfair in this regard.
Why is Ginobili on his second team? I wouldn't put him on any of the three teams. Nash TMac Nowitzki Garnett Shaq
What do you mean other players are "putting up equally impressive numbers?" Who? Lebron James' stats are better than Tracy McGrady's across the board. It's a closer case with Nowiztki, but I think most would argue that LeBron does more for his teammates in terms of making them better. I think the best case you could make is for Nash, but who would really take Nash over LeBron?
WOW - he reallly is the next Jordon ...he will spend the next six years as a great player on a gutless team congrats Lebron - enjoy the Hummer ! ...PS, when did RAY ALLEN (argueable one of the best pure shooting guards in the league) start playing Forward ?!
A lot of people consider Big Z the same caliber of player that Yao. Ergo, we can compare LBJ+Big Z+Roles+bench to TMac+Yao+Role+Bench. Based on this comparison it is no contest who's impact was the greatest. This is based not only on statistics but also on their influence on the rest of team. By this yardstick, TMac has clearly out shone LBJ. LBJ is a good player, but TMac has turned into a great player.
That was not really the point of post. But, back around the all-star game quite a few people said Big Z was as good as Yao. Not my argument.
If the 1st team won, people would ask why they had the game in the first place since it should be obvious that the better team would win....and if the 2nd team one, it would just make the coaches and GM's look like idiots. basically, it's a lose-lose proposition....
I didnt bother reading most of this thread because I wanted to comment on LeBron. Who cares if his team sucks? This isnt the MVP award. This is the ALL-NBA team. 27, 7, 7 is absolutley ridiculous. He is a no doubt 1st teamer. Its as easy as that.
It's not the MVP award, but team performance is still an extremely important factor. If it was just about stats, Ben Wallace would be on none of the teams. Tim Duncan's stats are not first team NBA and neither are Steve Nash's. If James is your starting guard, who else would you put on the first team, Nash, Arenas, Wade or Iverson?