Some people question why the Magic have 3 players in the ASG, whereas the other "elite" teams, with better records, Boston and Cleveland, only have 2 and 1 respectively. Then a lot of people go off on how you can't really look that much into the team's winning record, stating several excellent players that didn't make it because their team isn't good, but Jerry Sloan makes a good point, someone has to score the points on those losing teams, which is not to say that these players aren't necessarily any worse than the All-Stars on a winning team, but that there definitely is something to be had to for being able to create wins for your team. Granted, it becomes kind of fuzzy with the whole, "Is it the star player or his supporting cast?" question, which is legitimate, it's not the be all-end all, but still, it counts for something. My personal criteria would be to look first at individual performance, then if it's kind of a tossup, go to the record.
The biggest player of contention I think of the Eastern Conference, I think would be Rashard Lewis, with Jameer Nelson being a distant second. I however, want to make a case for Rashard Lewis, how he is deserving of his ASG slot. As a note, Stan Van Gundy was also pushing for Rashard Lewis to be in the All-Star Game, more so then perhaps even Jameer Nelson.
So what makes Lewis deserving of this All-Star slot? Well, first place to look is at his numbers:
19.3 points, 6 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.6 blocks, and 2.9 threes on 2.1 turnovers, 45.1% FG shooting, 42.2% 3pt shooting, and 83.2% free throw shooting.
Most people probably understand this, but just to clear the air, yes, 45.1% shooting is pretty not good for a "big man". However, I think Rashard Lewis's place on the Magic is not necessarily a true power forward position (his starting position), but rather, a small forward (his natural position) who has to guard opposing power forwards. If you think about it in that context, also given that he's averaging like 7 three point attempts per game and leading the league in 3pts made and attempted it 45.1% actually is pretty good, also given the context that almost half of his shots are 3pt attempts. I agree with some commentors that say that perhaps people have a hard time looking past Lewis's contract, which I agree is quite hefty at $17 million this year and increasing to almost $23.8 million in 2013. It's a lot, but, Orlando threw this money at a player averaging 22.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.7 blocks on 46.1% shooting. Sure, his numbers are "down", but two points I bring up: first, that Rashard Lewis was for the most part playing with a Ray Allen that eventually shut down 3/4 of the ways through the season due to bone spurs in his ankle, making him, typically the primary option on a hurting Sonics. Secondly, he now moves to being a second option behind of all people Dwight Howard, I don't really think you can expect to play with Dwight Howard without taking a slight hit to your scoring and reboudning. If we want to continue with this mini-history-of-Rashard Lewis moment of nostalgia, it's also important to note that while his overall shooting % is down, part of it probably has to do with the fact he doesn't have to play in the lane as much (Nick Collison and Chris Wilcox aren't exactly the most domineering paint prescences, especially compared to Dwight Howard), he's doing what he's been asked to do on the Magic better than before, that is take 3's. Rashard Lewis was brought in to be the "outside" to Dwight Howard's "inside" game, making them a deadly and potent inside-outside combo, and Lewis has lived up to expectations, taking and making more threes (6.5 attempts to 7.0 attempts, 39% 3pt to 42.2% 3pt).
Secondly, Lewis, I think, is a typical example of a guy that does All-Star things that don't show up in the stat books. He definitely contributes a lot on the defensive end, even (or perhaps I should say especially) guarding players that he didn't normally have to before. Rashard Lewis isn't the biggest guy in the NBA, let's get that clear, he's 6-10, 230 lbs. To give you an idea of the guys he has to man up on (especially in the post), I'll list some of the more noteable ones:
Amar'e Stoudemire: 6-10, 249 lbs
Kevin Garnett: 6-11, 253 lbs
Pau Gasol: 7-0, 260 lbs
David West: 6-9, 240 lbs
Carlos Boozer: 6-9, 266 lbs
Even if you got Dwight Howard to guard Boozer, that would mean Lewis would have to guard Mehmet Okur, who stands at 6-11, 263 lbs (he probably would guard Matt Bonner on the Spurs and put Dwight Howard on Duncan). You see where I'm going with this. Like Chris Bosh, he's a tall, skinny guy. However, he's a smart player that can use his length to really bother a lot of players that normally would out-muscle him. He's doing a lot for the Magic on the defensive end that just doesn't show up in the box scores.
Now, if I'm going to make a case for Lewis, I think I need show why he deserves it a little more than those that didn't make it, but also why I think he's more deserving than some of the other ASG Eastern players and why if anyone were to be replaced, it wouldn't be him.
These aren't really in any order, just really how I decided to come up with them.
What about Vince Carter?
There's no doubt, Vince Carter has definitely established one of his best seasons thusfar in his career. The stats don't necessarily show it all, but he's hustling, he's working hard to help his team, it's unfortunate that this comes in the brunt of the Nets' rebuilding phase. If we look first at the stats, Carter is averaging some respectable numbers; 21.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1 steal, 0.4 blocks, 1.9 threes on 44.3% shooting and 2.1 turnovers. A side note is that he's also shooting a nice 40.1% from downtown. The numbers definitely look much more impressive than Lewis's, but it also hurts that he's on the Nets who are only 20-26 so far this season, ahead of only Toronto in their standings. Which then begs the question(s), what about Devin Harris (and/or Chris Bosh)? Firstly, I think the Bosh thing is kind of moot, he's the best qualified center eligible player out there, so what about Devin Harris? I mentioned before winning isn't everything, but it's something. Devin Harris has made a tremendous stride forward and definitely stepped it up, by far establishing himself as the best PG in the East, and has stepped up to the onus of carrying a team, it's a little unfair to Carter, but the off-guard position is definitely more competitive, and he definitely isn't more deserving than Joe Johnson. While I think Carter was definitely snubbed, I wouldn't replace Lewis with him, actually, if I were to replace anyone, it'd likely have been Jameer Nelson or Paul Pierce, it would likely have ended up Nelson though, if I had to come down to the wire.
Why replace Jameer Nelson first?
Don't get me wrong Jameer Nelson is having an excellent year, however I feel that PGs inherently get an "advantage" when being considered, by both fans and experts alike, simply because they're PGs. Therefore, so long as they're pretty successful, they get the nod. Jameer Nelson has ratcheted up to another level this season, after his disappointing previous few. He's averaging 16.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.2 steals, 2 threes on 50.5% FG shooting and 2.0 turnovers. Impressive numbers to say the least, but not the best out there. However, tack on the fact that he's a PG, one of the hardest positions to play, and he gets in. It's perhaps legitimate to tack on positional preferences when selecting the wildcards, and Nelson has been a big part in the Magic's success, I just don't necessarily think it's entirely All-Star worthy. They were winning already last season when Nelson was kind of playing in a funk, and while his improvement has been a huge factor in Orlando's 35-10 record, I don't think it's the be all-end all. Part of it has to do with him being the team captain I think, and the rest is in two things, first improved play, the big disparity between the previous season and this season (see Devin Harris), as well as him being PG (see again, Devin Harris), definitely edges him in. There are only three teams that don't necessarily have the ball in the PG's hands a lot, those three being the Lakers, Blazers, and Cavs. So it's only natural that the PG contributes a lot to a team, so when they do well, they look even better. Again, I'm not saying Nelson is a bad player, and definitely should be considered for the ASG, I'm not going to say he's not deserving, but of those that made the roster, I think he's the least deserving.
What about Ray Allen?
I think Allen suffers the ill fate of also being a wing player, which, I think because there are so many of them that are kind of superstars, and centerpieces of the team it's easier to discount him. Another part of it is noteriety, Ray Allen is the smallest of the Big 3, he's obviously been nominally called the 3rd option on offense, though I'm sure Doc Rivers adjusts his offense according to who's hot. His numbers are impressive to say the least; 18 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1 steal, 2.4 threes on 50.3% shooting and 1.7 turnovers. Throw in the fact that his 3pt% is also sitting at 41.5%, that makes him a solid contributor. I completely agree with Tas Melas on today's episode of the Basketball Jones, in that, if there are only two Celtics on the ASG roster, Ray Allen should be there instead of Paul Pierce. Tas has actually been saying that Ray Allen has been the best Celtic thusfar this year for a while, and I'm inclined to agree. Ray Allen has been lighting it up for the Celtics and has come through a lot of times in big games when Pierce and Garnett have kind of struggled. It's a tough call, because it's so close, so this was kind of a tossup, again though, not with Rashard Lewis, but rather with Paul Pierce or Jameer Nelson. While his numbers aren't necessarily as "impressive" as Pierce's or even Nelson's perhaps, he's definitely been more clutch (than at least Pierce) and I think that should definitely play into a factor.
Why the Paul Pierce bashing?
Ok, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Paul Pierce is bad, he's a great player, I just don't think he's necessarily worthy of an All-Star selection this year. It definitely helps him that he's now considered more of a forward than a guard, and the selection of Chris Bosh at center enables coaches to pick one more forward. Pierce has been solid; 18.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.1 steals, 1.5 threes, on 44% shooting and 2.7 turnovers. Those stats are nothing to be ashamed about, but Pierce hasn't really been bringing it, you kind of get the feeling he's saving himself for playoffs. He's not taking over games like you would expect from a number 1 option on the returning champs. I agree with Tas (see link above) that I think this is much more of a reputation vote for Pierce than his actual performance. Now that Celtics are good, it's kind of like making up for previous years, and the fact that he's more or less the face of the Celtics franchise. The most well-known/arguably best player on one of the best teams in the league, that's what gets him in. I'm not trying to bad-mouth Pierce in anyway, I think he's a phenomenal player, he just isn't really bringing an All-Star deserving game this season, and maybe he doesn't need to until Playoffs, I don't know, but if that's the case, then other people should get in.
How about Rajon Rondo?
A lot of people are saying that Rondo got snubbed. Sure I think he's a great PG, possibly the third best in the conference (behind Nelson and Harris maybe) but I really don't buy the All-Star snub thing. Someone is going to argue to me that Rondo's contributions are another one of those, off-box score type of deals and therefore we can't base it solely on numbers. Granted, Rondo is a phenomenal defensive point guard. 11.2 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists, 2.2 steals on 51% shooting and 2.6 turnovers per is a great line to have. However, Rondo hasn't consistently brought it this season, honestly he's been kind of streaky. A lot of people have mentioned that Rondo's performances might have something to do with what some might call "Big 3 euphoria", and perhaps Rondo wouldn't be this good if the Big 3 weren't there. My main knock on Rondo this season has been the fact that he's been up and down. Sure he had major tears in November and December, however, he came back down to earth, and honestly, game-by-game he's kind of hit or miss. I honestly don't think he's All-Star worthy yet, not to say he won't get there. Additionally, I don't think you can really say Rondo got snubbed and not say anything about Rodney Stuckey.
Why is LeBron the only Cav?
Cavs are 35-9, why is there only one guy from that team on there? Surely LeBron can't be the only reason that the Cavs are doing so well, and he's not. Ultimately this question boils down to, why no Mo (Williams)? Mo Williams has been a solid second piece next to LeBron, and contributed a lot to the Cavs' success, however, much of that success can also be attributed to two other players playing well, those being Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Delonte West. Had Big Z been healthy, some might have made the case that Big Z is somewhat deserving to be a backup center, however, I would imagine that there are more forwards deserving of an ASG roster slot than Big Z, and the same selection of Chris Bosh at "center" would occur so that the coaches could select another forward (in this case Danny Granger and Paul Pierce). Mo Williams honestly is doing the same thing he did in Milwaukee, just now, his team is winning. That doesn't translate from "no All-Star consideration whatsoever" to "should have been in the All-Star game and got snubbed".
How about David Lee?
Lee is actually a name I've been seeing quite a bit in consideration for All-Star snubbage. Lee has been putting up very impressive numbers, I'll be the first to admit it, but one note to take into account is that 7SoL (7 seconds or less) aka Mike D'Antoni's offensive scheme has a tendency to pad stats, don't believe me? Look at Steve Nash's numbers from before and after D'Antoni left. Certainly Lee has some impressive credentials, commentors to Roderick Boone's reaction to the ASG roster announcement are of a mixed crowd, but definitely people out there think Lee was jilted of a roster slot. One fan goes as far to compare Lee's performance thusfar to KG's:
Lee: 15.7 points, 11.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.3 blocks, 56.9% FG, 2.2 TOs
Garnett: 16.2 points, 9 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.2 blocks, 52.4% FG, 1.7 TOs
Which are pretty comparable, but a good reminder is that the fans decided, not coaches, that Garnett should be in the game, so it doesn't really matter if Lee is playing better than KG. Skeets goes out of his way to mention Lee as snub in this morning's Basketball Jones as well. Boone suggests that Lee was snubbed because of the Knicks' sub .500 record, which is possible, and Skeets also points out that he has 34 double-doubles in the season already, while impressive I don't think that means a lot, otherwise Troy Murphy would be in the talks too. That's great in all, but again, there's the whole 7SoL stat padding thing. Lee's always been known as a hustler and kind of a blue collar worker. Boone mentions that Lee might've been able to make it as a backup center, but again, Lee's not making it over Bosh, and Bosh was going to be the backup center. He's doing well, but he's not an All-Star, he's a solid blue-collar contributor that anyone and everyone would love to have on his team, but I think he's not really at that All-Star level. If someone were to ask me if I had to choose (ASG aside) Rashard Lewis or David Lee for my team, I'd go with Rashard Lewis in a heartbeat, even if I had to base it entirely on this season's performance alone.
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