Everything All-Star Game

[planetmars]

Was it you who posted a method for reading ESPN Insider articles?

Axel or Planetmars?

It was me.. the site seems to be down now though unfortunately. But the link was here.

[S.R.]

I'll explain it. It's a meaningless all-star game and there are players who voted that way because they didn't give a fuck.

100% the reason they should just leave it with the fans and everybody can chill out. Let the fans vote in who they want to vote in, it's an exhibition game, a show, they only opportunity for the business' customers to have this kind of input. Eliminate the ability to tie contractual bonuses to ASG appearances, limit that to end of season awards where the media already votes (get them the f.o. of ASG voting, they already have their awards). Coaches voting is already a check+balance for the "players who deserve to be there" angle.

What's wrong with fans voting for who they want to see in the game? Kyrie Irving was ASG MVP a couple years ago, he puts on a good show and fans want to see him. They also want to see 40 year old Dwyane Wade because they love Dwyane Wade and have his jersey. So what? It's an exhibition game.

The league should really just work on that messaging - ASG weekend is for the fans and for pure entertainment. End of season awards are the true recognition awards for best players that year. Hell, ASG is mid-season and doesn't even make sense in that regard, you have to wait for end of season for those awards.

[S.R.]

ASG votes always go to guys playing on #1 teams. That's why Kyrie and Curry got in over IT/Lowry or Westbrook. Happens every year.

This too. As Raptors fans we want two Raptors as East starters - that's a big ask. Two starters are from the defending champion Cavs, which is pretty typical. GSW also have two guys in. Happens every year, everybody watched the finals last year and those players stand out.

[Nilanka]

100% the reason they should just leave it with the fans and everybody can chill out. Let the fans vote in who they want to vote in, it's an exhibition game, a show, they only opportunity for the business' customers to have this kind of input. Eliminate the ability to tie contractual bonuses to ASG appearances, limit that to end of season awards where the media already votes (get them the f.o. of ASG voting, they already have their awards). Coaches voting is already a check+balance for the "players who deserve to be there" angle.

What's wrong with fans voting for who they want to see in the game? Kyrie Irving was ASG MVP a couple years ago, he puts on a good show and fans want to see him. They also want to see 40 year old Dwyane Wade because they love Dwyane Wade and have his jersey. So what? It's an exhibition game.

The league should really just work on that messaging - ASG weekend is for the fans and for pure entertainment. End of season awards are the true recognition awards for best players that year. Hell, ASG is mid-season and doesn't even make sense in that regard, you have to wait for end of season for those awards.

I think the problem is the terminology used. "All-Star" tends to mean one of the best players this season. Not necessarily the fans' favourite players.

Change the name from "All-Star Game" to "Fans Love You Game", and there would be a lot less bellyaching

[S.R.]

I think the problem is the terminology used. "All-Star" tends to mean one of the best players this season. Not necessarily the fans' favourite players.

Change the name from "All-Star Game" to "Fans Love You Game", and there would be a lot less bellyaching

Ha, for the league's part I'm sure they want to leave it with whatever perceived weight the event has to draw interest. If they really acknowledged it's basically meangingless, the NBA version of a Globetrotters game, it would cost them $$$ for sure. It may confuse the fans and the players, but it makes good money! Adam Silver and the owners are all laughing as they drink their martinis with their pinky fingers raised

[KeonClark]

100% the reason they should just leave it with the fans and everybody can chill out. Let the fans vote in who they want to vote in, it's an exhibition game, a show, they only opportunity for the business' customers to have this kind of input. Eliminate the ability to tie contractual bonuses to ASG appearances, limit that to end of season awards where the media already votes (get them the f.o. of ASG voting, they already have their awards). Coaches voting is already a check+balance for the "players who deserve to be there" angle.

What's wrong with fans voting for who they want to see in the game? Kyrie Irving was ASG MVP a couple years ago, he puts on a good show and fans want to see him. They also want to see 40 year old Dwyane Wade because they love Dwyane Wade and have his jersey. So what? It's an exhibition game.

The league should really just work on that messaging - ASG weekend is for the fans and for pure entertainment. End of season awards are the true recognition awards for best players that year. Hell, ASG is mid-season and doesn't even make sense in that regard, you have to wait for end of season for those awards.

But as zach lowe said in his podcast recently, if we're going to attach it to career resumes, historical reference, ie zaza pachulia, 3 time all star, then the selection process should be taken seriously.

Not to mention it factors into contract bonuses and stipulations

[S.R.]

Simmons of course picked IT over Lowry, but good write-up on the Raptors anyway:

"Still standing: DeMar DeRozan, Kyrie Irving, Kyle Lowry, John Wall and Isaiah Thomas.
Only one of those picks was a lock for me: DeRozan, an unexpected relic from the 2-point era, back when we valued only shooting guards who attacked the rim, made midrange jumpers and punished smaller players. (You could easily imagine DeRozan playing for Isiah’s Pistons in the Dumars spot.) DeRozan didn’t change anything about his game; if anything, he doubled down on his strengths and emulated Two-Point Kobe instead of Three-Point Kobe. He’s also the runaway winner of 2016’s Guy Who Benefited The Most From Team USA’s Summer Experience (previous winner: James Harden, 2014). And even if Toronto’s high screen with DeRozan and Lowry isn’t the league’s most devastating play, it’s certainly in the top five as well as being a Kryptonite play for the Celtics (Toronto’s likely Round 2 opponent).
One semicrazy wrinkle about DeRozan’s season: His allergy to 3s means he’s averaging 28.2 points thanks to 10-plus made field goals and 7.6 made free throws. That’s been accomplished by only six other guards: Jerry West (five times), Allen Iverson (four times), Richie Guerin, Tiny Archibald, Westbrook this year and the immortal World B. Free (twice)...

And I crossed off Lowry mostly to avoid having Toronto’s backcourt start in the All-Star Game. It’s completely unfair. He’s averaging 22–7–5 with 48–44–83 splits and a 24.0 PER on a 2-seed headed for 55 wins, and he’s actually better than that when you factor in his crunch-time chops and his synergy with DeRozan. It’s the definition of a monster Rod Tidwell Memorial Show Me The Mon-eyyyyyyyyyyy free-agent season. I don’t feel great about this. Send all complaints to The Ringer’s editor-in-chief, Sean Fennessey.
That leaves Isaiah Thomas, currently enjoying one of the greatest stretches of offensive basketball in Celtics history (through Wednesday night): 17 games, 34.8 MPG, 30.0 PPG, 50–43–94%, 9.4 3FGA, 8.1 FTA, and so many crunch-time heroics that you couldn’t condense them into one paragraph."

https://theringer.com/bill-simmons-2...c74#.2mevxuif8

[Puffer]

But as zach lowe said in his podcast recently, if we're going to attach it to career resumes, historical reference, ie zaza pachulia, 3 time all star, then the selection process should be taken seriously.

Not to mention it factors into contract bonuses and stipulations

Since the all star game is voted by the fans it definitely should be attached to resumes. The point of all of this is fowl owners to see profits. When a player is offered a contract, if he is a fan favorite, he will bring at least some eyeballs to his team (new team), in jersey sales if nothing else, and that puts money in owners pockets.

[special1]

Of course I'm bitter. My favourite from my favourite team didn't get voted in even though he's tearing it up. Are you a raptors fan or just a demar fan?

I know how the procedure was. It was 50% fan vote, 25% player vote and 25% media vote. The NBA fucked it up by allowing players to vote for themselves and teammates.

If players didn't vote for their teammates, how do you explain scrubs like Sean kilpatrick, Randy Foye, Quincy Acy, Aron Baynes and Joe Ingles. All the data is here: http://official.nba.com/wp-content/u...ng-Results.pdf

Fucking Kyrie got 130 player votes compared to 40 for Lowry. Lowry is the best guard in the East and a top 10 player in the league. I'll fight anyone who disagrees.

You're emotional and bitter because he's your favourite player. Are you a Raptor Fan or just a Lowry fan? If you're a Raptor fan you should be HAPPY for Demar and it shouldn't matter who starts.....Just like we were happy for Lowry when he started the past two years....lol Its a shame......Lowry will almost assuredly be an all-star anyways.

I don't feel sorry for you and your friends to be honest. You didn't give Demar much love for years and now it's come full circle that he's getting love from the FANS, THE PLAYERS and THE MEDIA and you're embarrassed because your favourite player wasn't close at all. lol Where's a violin when you need one.....

[special1]

Well said. I don't get why defending lowry is seen as an attack on demar, to the point of defending kyrie getting 130 and isaiah thomas finishing way way ahead. Nobody was saying demar doesn't deserve, just that kyle doesn't deserve to lag way behind. You'd think I was debating with a cavs fan lol

Oh stop it. lol

You know you're trying to De-legitimize the voting process..... and you're wrong for it. People want to see Demar starting and it hurts your feelings but, so be it. Lowry started the last two years and we were happy for him......we weren't making excuses and trying to De-legitimize the vote!

I'm enjoying this because I know Lowry will be an all-star as well. Demar is the more exciting player of the two and its obvious why everyone picked him to start.

[Ebonhawke]

I think the one thing that we can all agree on is that the NBA All-Star game is not nearly as lame as the NFL's Pro Bowl.

[KeonClark]

Oh stop it. lol

You know you're trying to De-legitimize the voting process..... and you're wrong for it. People want to see Demar starting and it hurts your feelings but, so be it. Lowry started the last two years and we were happy for him......we weren't making excuses and trying to De-legitimize the vote!

I'm enjoying this because I know Lowry will be an all-star as well. Demar is the more exciting player of the two and its obvious why everyone picked him to start.

Again, I'm happy for demar. Why wouldnt I be? I don't know why I bother because it's like you're not reading posts, you're just creating your own narrative to start an unneeded raps fan civil war. I'm talking about the huge discrepancy between lowry and this year big 3 (kyrie isaiah and dd). Getting just 40 votes out of 450 nba players is a damn shame.

Derozan got in, deservedly so, and I gave him VERY high praise in the everything demar derozan thread, just last night. So I don't know why you're making this about dd and putting on you heros cape when I'm just defending our underrated point guard against the American basketball viewers. The massive chip on your shoulder is showing.

[3inthekeon]

Oh stop it. lol

You know you're trying to De-legitimize the voting process..... and you're wrong for it. People want to see Demar starting and it hurts your feelings but, so be it. Lowry started the last two years and we were happy for him......we weren't making excuses and trying to De-legitimize the vote!

I'm enjoying this because I know Lowry will be an all-star as well. Demar is the more exciting player of the two and its obvious why everyone picked him to start.

Everyone????

[special1]

Again, I'm happy for demar. Why wouldnt I be? I don't know why I bother because it's like you're not reading posts, you're just creating your own narrative to start an unneeded raps fan civil war. I'm talking about the huge discrepancy between lowry and this year big 3 (kyrie isaiah and dd). Getting just 40 votes out of 450 nba players is a damn shame.

Derozan got in, deservedly so, and I gave him VERY high praise in the everything demar derozan thread, just last night. So I don't know why you're making this about dd and putting on you heros cape when I'm just defending our underrated point guard against the American basketball viewers. The massive chip on your shoulder is showing.

You, HotFuzz and a bunch of your friends decided that Lowry is more deserving than Demar and said the whole vote is trash......Ignoring that a player on our team actually got voted in and received 1 of only 2 positions.

I called you out for your efforts and you're trying to save face. Its funny that you liked everyone of his posts and agreed that it was time to be bitter.......Where's this happiness that you claim you have?

[S.R.]

I think the one thing that we can all agree on is that the NBA All-Star game is not nearly as lame as the NFL's Pro Bowl.

Ha, yes. Football viewership in general massively outpaces the NBA, but viewership for the NBA ASG is very close to the Pro Bowl's, just a bit behind.

It's a lot to do with the nature of the sport (injury risks), MLB's ASG is the most popular in part because baseball probably lends itself better to still being entertaining while playing that type of game, but they've also added the weight of giving WS homefield advantage via the ASG. Any argument for the NBA doing something similar, adding more weight rather than less, to improve the competitiveness of the game itself?