With the Toronto hosted NBA-All Star game on the horizon, there are some absolutes that come from the voting process:

1. Kobe’s getting voted in because of his upcoming retirement and this will be the last big stage of his career.
2. LeBron, KD, Westbrook and Steph Curry will be locks.
3. There will be a surprise 1st All-Star selection that will turn to a one and done.
4. Fans will abuse the system and vote a player in who has no reason for being in the game, stats and skills dictate otherwise.
5. A player will be snubbed because fans are out of their flippin’ minds selecting players based off of media sensationalism and not understanding a damn thing about the game of basketball except what they see on TV. Matter of fact, the guys who are killing it, aren’t even shown on National TV all the time, you have to pay for it because their teams are not going to make enough money that night for the large markets. 

That being said…..lets take a looksie:

 

 
Sure Things

As expected Kobe leads all vote getters with 1.2 million votes. Shock. The mans at the end of a historic career, give him one. He deserves it! He’s even leading Curry, a definite sure thing, by a good +300,000 votes. LeBron, KD, and Westbrook are all in the top 2 in their categories.

Surprises

A big surprise to me is Draymond Green being 3rd in the front court for votes. It goes to show his hard work this year along with his new leadership role has not gone unnoticed. The same goes for Jimmy Butler. He may be the 2nd best two way player in the league next to his numerical counterpart, Kawhi Leonard. Kawhi is having a great year on both sides of the floor ‘D and 3’s’ should categorize those three and I am glad to see their being honored so far.

A major surprise to my eyes are seeing Kristap Porzingis and Hassan Whiteside in the middle of the bunch for the East front court. They have been having standout, quasi breakout years so far. Their presence on both ends are intimidating and their games have risen since the beginning of the season. At least y’all got something right👌.

ARE YOU SERIOUS BRO?!

Here comes the hammer. How the heck is Demarcus Cousins 9th, let me see if I got that right…..9TH?! On the front court list for the West? Maybe it’s because no one sees the Kings play. But if you play an NBA video game or play DFS (Daily Fantasy Sports if ya don’t know) you can tell he is the BEST DAMN BIG MAN IN THE NBA NO IF’S AND’S OR BUT’S. He’s under Zaza Pachulia whom, don’t get me wrong, has been having a revitalizing career year kudos my brotha, but is averaging 25.3 PPG and 10.8 RPG and over the last 4: 32.25 PPG and 13.75 RPG! His season average is +10 more than Zaza and brings more to his team than Blake and AD has been doing this year. Give the man some respect!

Another anomaly/atrocity is Kyrie Irving being number 2 for the backcourt. He has played 8 games. He’s the best PG in the East but….stop it. 

Finally, Jeremy Lin. Jeremy Lin. He had his moment. I am a fan. He isn’t even the 3rd best player on his team. The best player, you know, Kemba Walker? He’s not even on the list. But his backup is, channel inner @ZackRyder….. ARE YOU SERIOUS BRO?! 

I Get It

I understand the voting is for who the fans want to see. It’s a fan game, the weekend is crazy. Three day of NBA festivities with your favourite players at an arms/eyes reach. You enjoy them, they enjoy you. The All-Star Game is an honor bestowed onto the players whose play on the court is acknowledged by the fans for their hard work and a ‘Thank you, you sir are elite talent’. Or so I thought. 

It’s nothing but a popularity contest brought on by highlights and ignorance to the game of basketball. Style shouldn’t be the only thing that counts, should be play. Could there be a reform? Such as:

1. One player from each NBA team represents his home team and conference taking up 15 spots on each roster total? May cause dissension amongst peers like an OKC or Cleveland but just a thought
2. Top 3 leader in stats for each position  in their conference, goes?
3. Players, coaches and owners vote for their 10-12 players while fans vote for 2-3 players?

These are just suggestions. I’m all about autonomy and free will more than the next man. But I’m also into being just. I do not think it’s fair that someone works their butts off to do what they do the best and does not get rewarded because of popularity (nothing happened to me, it’s the sociologist in me talking). It’s not fair to them that deserve it. I know they all work hard and deserve a spot but if Byron Russell was voted over MJ that’d be a travesty. Dramatic I know but you get the point. 

All in all, votes are out but not final, so get out there! Exercise your right as a fan to do your do diligence and get your favourite player in the game come Valetines Day!

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Cover photo courtesy of NBA.com