Wig Handicaps the 2000 All-Star selections
Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2015 6:45 pm
As always, we all know injuries can mess things up pretty quick but assuming everyone stays healthy, here are my picks for who has the inside track to an all-star selection this year.
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
CENTER
Who is going to be in the center slots doesn't need much discussion; Shaq (22.0 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 2.7 bpg) may be having a down year by his standards, but he's still a dominant force in the middle. David Robinson (20.7 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 2.2 bpg) is slowing down but looking at those stats even at age 34 reminds you why he was the original OP. No other center in the East even deserves to be in the discussion, and since Shaq is flat better than the Admiral in every meaningful category, it's pretty easy to figure this one out.
Starter: Shaq
Backup: Admiral
POWER FORWARD
There is only one choice for starter here, it's the current OP, Kemp. 30.3 ppg, 10.1 rpg, 3.6 bpg... he basically does everything you want a big man to do and does it better than everyone else. There were miniscule signs of slippage in his game this season, but one of the young up-and-comers is going to have to rip the starting spot away from him, and none of them have yet. The backup spot, however, has a crowd of players vying for it; Utah's Tim Duncan is putting up 25.1 ppg, 9.0 rpg, and 3.5 bpg to be almost as much of a two-way threat as Kemp. Chris Webber in Minny, long the second-best PF in the West, and his 25.3 ppg, 10.3 rpg, and 3.5 apg isn't letting Kemp get any breathing room in terms of excellence. Kevin Garnett made huge strides in training camp this season and his 23.9 ppg, 8.4 rpg, and 1.6 bpg are pretty impressive as well. To me, Webber is still better than Garnett in most areas (though how long that will last is anyone's guess), so that pushes Garnett out of contention... but Duncan's blocks margin (2.0 per game) trumps Webber's slight rebounding edge (1.3 per game) to give him the nod at backup - Duncan is doing a great Kemp impression so far in his career, which is bad news for the rest of the league.
Starter: Kemp
Backup: Duncan
SMALL FORWARD
The small forward class in the West is pretty impressive; Steve Smith of the Jazz (20.4 ppg, 7.2 rpg, and 5.4 apg) does almost everything well, Cedric Ceballos in Golden State (21.1 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 1.5 apg) may be a power forward in a small forward's body, Grant Hill in Minnesota (19.8 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 4.2 apg) is a well-rounded offensive talent, and "Big Dog" Glenn Robinson of the Spurs (18.9 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 5.1 apg) continues to impress. This is going to be an extremely tight race; however, I think Ceballos can be eliminated because he lacks the passing skill the others possess. Grant Hill doesn't quite have the same reboundind and passing stats as Smith and Robinson, so I think he's the "next one out." I waffled back and forth on this one, but gave it to Smith since has an edge in two categories (scoring and passing) to Robinson's one (rebounding).
Starter: Steve Smith
Backup: Big Dog
SHOOTING GUARD
Cousins Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady are both giddy over the Sprewell trade, as it opens up a starting 2-guard spot for one of them in the all-star game. Vince is the undisputed leader of VanMemphis and it shows (24.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.3 apg - being the leader apparently means never having to say you're sorry you shot the ball), while McGrady is part of a more balanced Sacramento squad (19.8 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 2.9 apg). Despite McGrady's impressive rebounding numbers, fans dig offense, and Carter is going to get the start.
Starter: Vinsanity
Backup: Tracy
POINT GUARD
Like the Power Forward spot, there's no debate over the starter here. OPenny of the Mavericks and his ludicrous 31.2 ppg, 7.3 rpg, and 8.3 apg with 2.3 spg to boot gets the nod and everyone else is playing for second place. Three guys really stick out - Nick Van Exel of the Clippers (19.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 11.3 apg), Jason Kidd of the Lakers (13.0 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 9.4 apg), and Stephon Marbury of the Jazz (19.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 8.0 apg). Unfortunately for Stephon, we can pretty much eliminate him right off since Van Exel does about everything better. That leaves Van Exel and Kidd fighting for the final spot. Van Exel's assist numbers are likely to drop with the trade of Sprewell out of L.A., but he'll get a lot more scoring opportunities now... and while I love that Kidd is within shouting distance of averaging a triple-double, the 4.2 rpg by which he edges Van Exel aren't prototypical PG stats and Van Exel has a 6.2 ppg scoring edge and a 1.9 apg passing edge. Nick the Quick gets the backup spot and Kidd will be looking for an at-large invite.
Starter: OPenny
Backup: Nick the Quick
AT LARGE
Jason Kidd, Grant Hill, Cedric Ceballos, Chris Webber, and Kevin Garnett are our candidates here. The first casualty to the number crunch is probably Ceballos; doing just two things well (scoring and rebounding) isn't going to be enough with this group. This leaves me with two Lakers (Kidd/Garnett) and two Wolves (Hill/Webber) so I think the fair thing to do is to just let each team send their bigger star. For the Lakers, that's Garnett. For the Wolves, it's Webber.... so two PFs, which, when I look at the strength of PF compared to all the other players in the West not named OPenny, I don't feel bad about at all.
At-large: Chris Webber
At-large: Kevin Garnett
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EASTERN CONFERENCE
CENTERS
The top tier of centers in the East is pretty obvious - it's Alonzo Mourning in Boston and Tom Gugliotta in New Jersey, who both anchor squads vying for the Atlantic division title. A step below Zo and Gugs sit "Big Z" Zydrunas Ilgauskas of Milwaukee and maybe Shawn Bradley of the New York Knicks, who seems to be undergoing a bit of a career renaissance in the Big Apple. In this case, though, the starting choice is obvious. Zo's numbers - 29.5 ppg, 10.6 rpg, and 3.7 bpg - are almost Kemp-like, making even Gugs' 23.6 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 4.0 apg, and 1.8 spg pale in comparison. Big Z (18.8 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 2.6 bpg) simply isn't on the same level as either of those guys and will have to hope for an at-large berth.
Starter: Zo
Backup: Gugs
POWER FORWARDS
Power Forward is apparently where the green players go to flourish, as there is an awful lot of green at the top here - proof that situation and hard work matter as much as raw talent. Juwan Howard of the Wizards is putting up monster numbers (26.7 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 2.7 apg) but Antonio McDyess isn't far behind (24.7 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 1.5 apg) and because he does it in about 80% of Howard's minutes, actually sports a better PER than Howard does (24.8 for McDyess, 21.4 for Howard). Howard would probably get the nod based on sheer volume of production anyway, but with Sprewell joining the Hawks, expect McDyess' numbers to take a bit of a hit as Spree takes shots away from him, sealing the deal for Juwan to start. The "next two guys" aren't on the same level as these two, but the Hornets' Rasheed Wallace (18.6 ppg, 8.1 rpg) and an out-of-position Sean Elliott in Indy (17.5 ppg, 4.7 rpg) are probably the guys you'd at least look at as bench players.
Starter: Juwan Howard
Backup: Antonio McDyess
SMALL FORWARDS
We have three pretty good candidates and only two slots. The guys everyone expected to be on this list at the beginning of the year are resident two-way stud Eddie Jones in Cleveland (24.2 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 4.2 apg, 2.2 spg) and offensively skilled - though currently on the trade block - Jim Jackson in Miami (22.3 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 5.1 apg). But consideration has to be given to a guy whose stock everyone sold during training camp in the person of Orlando's Jerry Stackhouse (27.6 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 4.4 apg), who has shown he may not be great on the defensive end but is more than capable of being an offensive beast. For my money, Jones gets the start - he's an excellent two-way player, which neither Jackson nor Stackhouse can lay claim to, and Stack gets the backup spot since Jackson is only marginally better in rebounding and assists but Stack is a noticeably more prolific scorer. Jim will have to hope for an at-large bid.
Starter: Eddie Jones
Backup: Stack
SHOOTING GUARDS
One word describes the situation here: loaded. Kobe Bryant (28.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.2 apg) in Chicago, new Eastern Conference resident Latrell Sprewell in Atlanta (26.7 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 6.0 apg, and 1.9 spg), Toronto's Michael Finley (24.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 5.1 apg), and even Cleveland's Jon Barry (18.8 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3.9 apg, 1.9 spg) is a two-way player whose comparatively lesser stats are due only to lesser minutes. I'll probably be accused of homerism here, but I think Spree will get the start; his scoring is only a touch behind Kobe's and his rebounds, assists, and steals are substantially more and he leads all four players in these categories. Finley and Kobe is a coin flip for the backup spot; Kobe has the edge in scoring and steals, while Finley is a better rebounder, passer, and turns the ball over less. Because the game, like real life, seems to love offense, I'll say Kobe. Finley will have to hope for an at-large invite.
Starter: Spree
Backup: Kobe
POINT GUARDS
Gary Payton (25.0 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 8.4 apg, 2.7 spg) seems like a shoo-in to start here; Anthony Peeler (23.2 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 4.6 apg, 1.5 spg) is a shooting guard playing out of position and Jalen Rose (21.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 7.3 apg, 1.1 spg) is a Small Forward playing out of position. Between Rose and Peeler, Rose is doing a better job imitating a point guard (look at the assists), so I think he gets the backup nod. Peeler will drop into the at-large pool.
Starter: The Glove
Backup: Rose
AT LARGE
So our at-large pool consists of Big Z, Rasheed, Jim Jackson, Finley, and Peeler. Big Z and Rasheed can't match the scoring and assists the other players bring to the table, so I think we can knock him out, leaving us with two spots for three guys... Jackson, Finley, and Peeler. My next cut goes to the guy that isn't leading his team to the playoffs, so I think Peeler is out. That means your at-large entries are Jim Jackson and Michael Finley, in no particular order.
At-Large: Jim Jackson
At-Large: Michael Finley
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
CENTER
Who is going to be in the center slots doesn't need much discussion; Shaq (22.0 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 2.7 bpg) may be having a down year by his standards, but he's still a dominant force in the middle. David Robinson (20.7 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 2.2 bpg) is slowing down but looking at those stats even at age 34 reminds you why he was the original OP. No other center in the East even deserves to be in the discussion, and since Shaq is flat better than the Admiral in every meaningful category, it's pretty easy to figure this one out.
Starter: Shaq
Backup: Admiral
POWER FORWARD
There is only one choice for starter here, it's the current OP, Kemp. 30.3 ppg, 10.1 rpg, 3.6 bpg... he basically does everything you want a big man to do and does it better than everyone else. There were miniscule signs of slippage in his game this season, but one of the young up-and-comers is going to have to rip the starting spot away from him, and none of them have yet. The backup spot, however, has a crowd of players vying for it; Utah's Tim Duncan is putting up 25.1 ppg, 9.0 rpg, and 3.5 bpg to be almost as much of a two-way threat as Kemp. Chris Webber in Minny, long the second-best PF in the West, and his 25.3 ppg, 10.3 rpg, and 3.5 apg isn't letting Kemp get any breathing room in terms of excellence. Kevin Garnett made huge strides in training camp this season and his 23.9 ppg, 8.4 rpg, and 1.6 bpg are pretty impressive as well. To me, Webber is still better than Garnett in most areas (though how long that will last is anyone's guess), so that pushes Garnett out of contention... but Duncan's blocks margin (2.0 per game) trumps Webber's slight rebounding edge (1.3 per game) to give him the nod at backup - Duncan is doing a great Kemp impression so far in his career, which is bad news for the rest of the league.
Starter: Kemp
Backup: Duncan
SMALL FORWARD
The small forward class in the West is pretty impressive; Steve Smith of the Jazz (20.4 ppg, 7.2 rpg, and 5.4 apg) does almost everything well, Cedric Ceballos in Golden State (21.1 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 1.5 apg) may be a power forward in a small forward's body, Grant Hill in Minnesota (19.8 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 4.2 apg) is a well-rounded offensive talent, and "Big Dog" Glenn Robinson of the Spurs (18.9 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 5.1 apg) continues to impress. This is going to be an extremely tight race; however, I think Ceballos can be eliminated because he lacks the passing skill the others possess. Grant Hill doesn't quite have the same reboundind and passing stats as Smith and Robinson, so I think he's the "next one out." I waffled back and forth on this one, but gave it to Smith since has an edge in two categories (scoring and passing) to Robinson's one (rebounding).
Starter: Steve Smith
Backup: Big Dog
SHOOTING GUARD
Cousins Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady are both giddy over the Sprewell trade, as it opens up a starting 2-guard spot for one of them in the all-star game. Vince is the undisputed leader of VanMemphis and it shows (24.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.3 apg - being the leader apparently means never having to say you're sorry you shot the ball), while McGrady is part of a more balanced Sacramento squad (19.8 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 2.9 apg). Despite McGrady's impressive rebounding numbers, fans dig offense, and Carter is going to get the start.
Starter: Vinsanity
Backup: Tracy
POINT GUARD
Like the Power Forward spot, there's no debate over the starter here. OPenny of the Mavericks and his ludicrous 31.2 ppg, 7.3 rpg, and 8.3 apg with 2.3 spg to boot gets the nod and everyone else is playing for second place. Three guys really stick out - Nick Van Exel of the Clippers (19.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 11.3 apg), Jason Kidd of the Lakers (13.0 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 9.4 apg), and Stephon Marbury of the Jazz (19.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 8.0 apg). Unfortunately for Stephon, we can pretty much eliminate him right off since Van Exel does about everything better. That leaves Van Exel and Kidd fighting for the final spot. Van Exel's assist numbers are likely to drop with the trade of Sprewell out of L.A., but he'll get a lot more scoring opportunities now... and while I love that Kidd is within shouting distance of averaging a triple-double, the 4.2 rpg by which he edges Van Exel aren't prototypical PG stats and Van Exel has a 6.2 ppg scoring edge and a 1.9 apg passing edge. Nick the Quick gets the backup spot and Kidd will be looking for an at-large invite.
Starter: OPenny
Backup: Nick the Quick
AT LARGE
Jason Kidd, Grant Hill, Cedric Ceballos, Chris Webber, and Kevin Garnett are our candidates here. The first casualty to the number crunch is probably Ceballos; doing just two things well (scoring and rebounding) isn't going to be enough with this group. This leaves me with two Lakers (Kidd/Garnett) and two Wolves (Hill/Webber) so I think the fair thing to do is to just let each team send their bigger star. For the Lakers, that's Garnett. For the Wolves, it's Webber.... so two PFs, which, when I look at the strength of PF compared to all the other players in the West not named OPenny, I don't feel bad about at all.
At-large: Chris Webber
At-large: Kevin Garnett
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EASTERN CONFERENCE
CENTERS
The top tier of centers in the East is pretty obvious - it's Alonzo Mourning in Boston and Tom Gugliotta in New Jersey, who both anchor squads vying for the Atlantic division title. A step below Zo and Gugs sit "Big Z" Zydrunas Ilgauskas of Milwaukee and maybe Shawn Bradley of the New York Knicks, who seems to be undergoing a bit of a career renaissance in the Big Apple. In this case, though, the starting choice is obvious. Zo's numbers - 29.5 ppg, 10.6 rpg, and 3.7 bpg - are almost Kemp-like, making even Gugs' 23.6 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 4.0 apg, and 1.8 spg pale in comparison. Big Z (18.8 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 2.6 bpg) simply isn't on the same level as either of those guys and will have to hope for an at-large berth.
Starter: Zo
Backup: Gugs
POWER FORWARDS
Power Forward is apparently where the green players go to flourish, as there is an awful lot of green at the top here - proof that situation and hard work matter as much as raw talent. Juwan Howard of the Wizards is putting up monster numbers (26.7 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 2.7 apg) but Antonio McDyess isn't far behind (24.7 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 1.5 apg) and because he does it in about 80% of Howard's minutes, actually sports a better PER than Howard does (24.8 for McDyess, 21.4 for Howard). Howard would probably get the nod based on sheer volume of production anyway, but with Sprewell joining the Hawks, expect McDyess' numbers to take a bit of a hit as Spree takes shots away from him, sealing the deal for Juwan to start. The "next two guys" aren't on the same level as these two, but the Hornets' Rasheed Wallace (18.6 ppg, 8.1 rpg) and an out-of-position Sean Elliott in Indy (17.5 ppg, 4.7 rpg) are probably the guys you'd at least look at as bench players.
Starter: Juwan Howard
Backup: Antonio McDyess
SMALL FORWARDS
We have three pretty good candidates and only two slots. The guys everyone expected to be on this list at the beginning of the year are resident two-way stud Eddie Jones in Cleveland (24.2 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 4.2 apg, 2.2 spg) and offensively skilled - though currently on the trade block - Jim Jackson in Miami (22.3 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 5.1 apg). But consideration has to be given to a guy whose stock everyone sold during training camp in the person of Orlando's Jerry Stackhouse (27.6 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 4.4 apg), who has shown he may not be great on the defensive end but is more than capable of being an offensive beast. For my money, Jones gets the start - he's an excellent two-way player, which neither Jackson nor Stackhouse can lay claim to, and Stack gets the backup spot since Jackson is only marginally better in rebounding and assists but Stack is a noticeably more prolific scorer. Jim will have to hope for an at-large bid.
Starter: Eddie Jones
Backup: Stack
SHOOTING GUARDS
One word describes the situation here: loaded. Kobe Bryant (28.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.2 apg) in Chicago, new Eastern Conference resident Latrell Sprewell in Atlanta (26.7 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 6.0 apg, and 1.9 spg), Toronto's Michael Finley (24.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 5.1 apg), and even Cleveland's Jon Barry (18.8 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3.9 apg, 1.9 spg) is a two-way player whose comparatively lesser stats are due only to lesser minutes. I'll probably be accused of homerism here, but I think Spree will get the start; his scoring is only a touch behind Kobe's and his rebounds, assists, and steals are substantially more and he leads all four players in these categories. Finley and Kobe is a coin flip for the backup spot; Kobe has the edge in scoring and steals, while Finley is a better rebounder, passer, and turns the ball over less. Because the game, like real life, seems to love offense, I'll say Kobe. Finley will have to hope for an at-large invite.
Starter: Spree
Backup: Kobe
POINT GUARDS
Gary Payton (25.0 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 8.4 apg, 2.7 spg) seems like a shoo-in to start here; Anthony Peeler (23.2 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 4.6 apg, 1.5 spg) is a shooting guard playing out of position and Jalen Rose (21.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 7.3 apg, 1.1 spg) is a Small Forward playing out of position. Between Rose and Peeler, Rose is doing a better job imitating a point guard (look at the assists), so I think he gets the backup nod. Peeler will drop into the at-large pool.
Starter: The Glove
Backup: Rose
AT LARGE
So our at-large pool consists of Big Z, Rasheed, Jim Jackson, Finley, and Peeler. Big Z and Rasheed can't match the scoring and assists the other players bring to the table, so I think we can knock him out, leaving us with two spots for three guys... Jackson, Finley, and Peeler. My next cut goes to the guy that isn't leading his team to the playoffs, so I think Peeler is out. That means your at-large entries are Jim Jackson and Michael Finley, in no particular order.
At-Large: Jim Jackson
At-Large: Michael Finley