As an NBA fan, I know that it is fun to go online and vote for your favorite NBA star, or role player, but fan voting out of hand. Each year fans seem to rally behind one or two players who do not deserve on all-star spot.
Although the voting has changed and has taken away some of the value that comes from fan voting (now at 50 percent), fans have the ability to lessen the significance of an all-star selection.
There are only 12 spots on each roster, and it should go to 12 of the most deserving players. I know that fans want their favorite players and fellow countrymen (for international players) to make it to the all-star game, but it should be earned by their play on the court.
This season Zaza Pachulia finished second in the Western Conference in fan votes, which is completely unacceptable. Players like Karl-Anthony Towns, LaMarcus Aldridge and even the Grizzlies’ Marc Gasol are possibly going to miss out on a roster spot.
Pachulia is a solid NBA center, but he is not an all-star caliber player. The seven footer from Tbilisi, Georgia (the country, not the state), is averaging 5.5 points and six rebounds per contest. That is not all-star worthy.
Last year Kobe Bryant got to start because of fan voting despite posting some of the worst stats of his career. I get that people voted for him “to honor his legacy” or because he is a first ballot hall of famer and NBA legend. But he took a spot from a more deserving player who may never have that chance again.
I am all for earning what you get each year and not having all-star selections handed to you because you were great five years ago. That is how players Like Mike Conley, who have the stats but not the name recognition, miss out on their change to be an all-star.
It is not just the NBA with the problem, the MLB uses fan voting for the all-star game too. Baseball is a bigger popularity contest than the NBA because fans tend to vote for the new great team, like the Cubs this past season.
Chicago’s infield became the National League’s infield because a ton of fans jumped on the Cubs bandwagon. Only two of the four Cubs starters deserved the starting roster spot, and that means that two players who actually deserved the honor were left out because of fan voting.
And the NFL uses fan voting too, but nobody cares about the NFL Pro-Bowl and even less people watch it. Even a lot of NFL players do not like it. They get selected and turn it down because they just want to go have fun on the beach or relax with their family.
I’m not saying that fans should not have the right to vote for the all-star games. But I am saying that we as fans should take it more serious and vote for players who deserve it.
