[NBA.com] McGrady's popularity complicates West All-Star choices

http://www.nba.com/2009/news/featur...12/28/west.allstar/index.html?ls=iref:nbahpt1

Posted Dec 28 2009 9:56AM

The Rockets told Tracy McGrady on Saturday morning he would not play over the weekend and encouraged a separation by giving him permission to leave the team while awaiting a decision on what happens next -- which will most likely occur Tuesday when the team returns home and at least temporarily addresses the Houston problem.

Still to be resolved is the brewing conference-wide predicament in All-Star voting. The player with just six games and 46 total minutes on his 2009-10 log is in contention to finish in the top two in voting for the West backcourt for the Feb. 14 All-Star game, which would put him in the starting lineup. This would be great for the large block of fans who obviously want him in Dallas (especially fans in China, who in their zeal to support injured Rockets center Yao Ming, have adopted the Rockets as the de facto national team), but it would eliminate one spot for a deserving honoree. Making the West roster is tough enough as it is -- Deron Williams has yet to make the showcase game once.

McGrady trailed only Kobe Bryant in balloting when the initial set of returns were announced and was third behind Bryant and Steve Nash when the latest update came Thursday -- though just 4,874 votes behind Nash. By comparison, fourth-place Chris Paul was 19,722 behind T-Mac. A surge in the next release and McGrady is back in position for a starting job.

Maybe he delicately declines, expressing the proper level of appreciation so it doesn't look like he is snubbing the fans while nobly, and rightly, saying the invitation should go to someone who has -- you know -- played. Maybe he gets hurt again. Maybe he stays out of the top two and the discussion is moot. Or maybe it's none of the above. McGrady gets voted in, McGrady shows and someone has to pay. (The East could face a similar situation if Allen Iverson joins Dwyane Wade in the backcourt.)

Bryant is the leading vote-getter, in both conferences, with a cushion of 834,319 votes over second-place Nash. Paul is likewise an automatic. Nash, too.

Based on recent All-Star history, that leaves two additional openings for guards -- or one opening if McGrady starts. The potential elbow room is Suns power forward Amar'e Stoudemire staying on the current path and winning the fan vote at center, creating an opportunity for West coaches to use a forward spot that would have gone to Stoudemire for an extra man in the backcourt.

Williams, at 19.9 points and 10 assists for the Jazz, should not miss again. Then again, he missed last season en route to 19.4 and 10.7, respectively, though being sidelined 13 games by a sprained ankle in October and November hurt his candidacy. And he missed the game the season before, finishing with 18.8 points, 10.5 assists and 50.7 shooting that year.

Deron Williams: arguably the second-best point guard in the league behind Paul, second-team All-NBA in 2008, Olympian in 2008, Team USA in 2010 if he wants it ... and zero-time All-Star.

Denver's Chauncey Billups, shooting 39.2 percent to go with 17.1 points and 5.7 assists, shouldn't make it again. But he didn't have sparkling numbers -- 18.8 points, 6.5 assists -- when he was named to the 2009 game and was bound for 41.8 shooting. Coaches love to reward leadership, and it's not out of line for the Nuggets to have two representatives as a possible division leader, with Carmelo Anthony headed toward a worthy starting role.

Brandon Roy is at 22.8 points, 5.1 assists and 4.7 rebounds as the stabilizing factor in Portland, which could have the second- or third-best record in the West despite all those injuries. Try overlooking all that.

Jason Kidd could be in the top five in the league in assists and will get attention, especially if the Mavericks continue their positive direction. The Monta Ellis bid will be halted by Golden State's poor record. Tyreke Evans may get votes, but any real push probably ends there with the Kings at 13-16 -- great for them but a hit to any candidacy. Besides, the coaches who will vote on the All-Star reserves know he will make the rookie game that is played the day before, an out they know still allows Evans recognition for an impactful first half.

That's a lot of uncertainty about who joins Bryant, Paul and Nash, pretty typical for this kind of conversation. McGrady's popularity adds to it.

Unless T-Mac is given permission to stay away from the All-Star team, too.

Scott Howard-Cooper has covered the NBA since 1988. You can e-mail him here.
The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs or Turner Broadcasting.

McGrady certainly doesn't deserve to be an All-Star this year, but isn't the whole voting thing one giant popularity contest anyway? There are lots of deserving players who don't make it because they're on a scrub team or play in a small market, so they don't get the attention they deserve.