This is an article in which the author asked 5 GM's who they would put in the All-Star game. Yao and Steve aren't starting, but still make the team.(warning-long read) Divining the All-Stars by Chad Ford The fans have spoken. The media have spoken and spoken. And sometime today, the coaches will speak as well. The All-Star selection process is one of the great unsolved mysteries left in the universe. There is no rhyme or reason. No pattern. No logic. Might as well sacrifice small animals, throw their innards on the ground and let a shaman or two divine the stars. The fans would vote in Charles Barkley and Larry Bird if they could. They've played about as much as Vince Carter has this season. LeBron James would also be a shoo-in. So would Rafer Alston. The fans want to see the stars, the flash and the dunks. Period. There's nothing wrong with that. The media love to rail on the fans for getting it wrong. Of course, they too, rarely get it right. They're great at hyping their buddies or making selections that bolster their preseason predictions. It gets them better access in the locker room, maybe an exclusive interview or two, and nice dinner for two with the SFX agent of their choice and a chance to say, "I told you so." (Aside: Bad Journalism 101 -- Tell the reader that you hate to say, "I told you so," and then proceed to do it on a weekly basis while conveniently leaving out everything you got wrong.) The coaches have the best chance of getting things right. They do more than peruse box scores or breath heavily over the latest flavor of the month. They're less likely to be swayed by a good player putting up great stats on a horrible team. And they're more likely to give a guy who busts his butt every night (read Ron Artest) over an all-flash, no- substance scorer (read Antawn Jamison). They also have grudges. That's why you'll never see Rasheed Wallace or Latrell Sprewell get any love this time of year. Again, nothing wrong with that. Of course, here's the part where I tell you to ignore all of that and listen to me. I don't, however, have all of the answers. My All-Star ballot doesn't make much sense either. Is it OK to vote in a guy like Ricky Davis, whose team is terrible? I have no idea. What about a guy like Brad Miller? His numbers don't jump out at you, but he's a key player on the best team in the Eastern Conference. The Pacers would be lost without him. Company policy forbids me from mutilating squirrels, so I went for the next best thing. I called up five successful GMs and asked for their perspective. I respect the GMs' opinions for a couple of reasons. One, they see the whole picture. Skill, work ethic, bang for the buck, marketability and character all play into it for them. Second, they see the whole league. GMs are constantly scouting other players, looking for a good fit, or that guy who will put them over the top. It's not an exact science. But to these five guys, all of whom wished to remain anonymous, it's as close to science as any of this gets. While no one agreed on everything, here's a rough consensus of who should be flying first class to Atlanta in February. Eastern Conference Starters G- Jason Kidd (New Jersey) G- Tracy McGrady (Orlando) F- Ron Artest (Indiana) F- Jermaine O'Neal (Indiana) C- Ben Wallace (Detroit) Comments: All five GMs agreed that Kidd, McGrady and Wallace were the best at their positions in the East. O'Neal garnered four votes, but the big surprise was Artest, who squeaked in with three. Said one GM, "He may be the only guy in the league that you can put on just about anyone and he'll go out there and shut them down. Ask any coach or GM if they wouldn't love to have a guy like that. He may be a little crazy, but that just adds to the mystique." It's no surprise that four of these players come from the three best teams in the East. Eastern Conference Bench G - Paul Pierce (Boston) G - Ray Allen (Milwaukee) G - Allen Iverson (Philadelphia) F - Michael Jordan (Washington) F - Antoine Walker (Boston) F - Jamal Mashburn (New Orleans) C - Brad Miller (Indiana) Comments: A few interesting snubs here. No one was willing to give any love to Cleveland's two big scorers, Ricky Davis and Zydrunas Ilgauskas. They both went 0-5 among the GMs I talked to. Jerry Stackhouse also got the snub because of a direct comparison to Jordan. "Forget about the stat sheet, Jordan's the most valuable player on that team. The Wizards without Jordan would be counting pingpong balls. The Wizards without Stackhouse wouldn't be that far off the mark." Jalen Rose and Richard Hamilton also couldn't get much love. "Their both good scorers, but they don't do as much as the other guys do in the other categories. Anymore, versatility is the name of the game." Shareef Abdur-Rahim also had trouble getting any support. "He's a good, young talent," one GM said, "but I've lost faith. He should be carrying the Hawks right now. Instead, he's the first one heading for the lifeboats." Western Conference Starters G- Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers) G- Gary Payton (Seattle) F- Kevin Garnett (Minnesota) F- Tim Duncan (San Antonio) C- Shaquille O'Neal (Los Angeles Lakers) Comments: Shaq, Kobe, and Duncan were all unanimous selections. Garnett edged out Nowitzki, 3-2. Payton edged out Francis 4-1. Interestingly, the Western Conference vote broke ranks with the Eastern Conference pattern. Three starters play on teams that don't have winning records. What gives? "Shaq and Kobe are still the two most dominant players in the NBA. Their supporting cast is the problem." The KG-Nowitzki debate is an interesting one. Personally, I'd take Nowitzki because of his ability to play on the perimeter, but most of the GMs I polled felt that Garnett's athleticism, ferocity and durability set him apart. The Payton-Francis debate was more lackluster. "Francis' game has improved this season," one GM said. "But he still needs to work on getting his teammates involved. If he can do that, he'll be the best point guard in the league in a couple of years." Western Conference Bench G- Steve Francis (Houston) G- Steve Nash (Dallas) F- Shawn Marion (Phoenix) F - Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas) F - Chris Webber (Sacramento) F- Karl Malone (Utah) C - Yao Ming (Houston) Comments: Again, GMs definitely went the winning route with their bench. No one playing on a team with a losing record snuck onto the bench. Among the more interesting snubs? The Kings, largely considered the best team in the NBA, get just one player in C-Webb? Why? "If Mike Bibby had been healthy all season, he'd be in for sure. But his injury allows us to fudge a little." Stephon Marbury also was left off the list. "He's having a great year, but I think he's still a step behind Francis, Payton, Nash and Bibby as far as a playmaker goes. It seems to be that Marion is the glue on that team. He's got a more unique set of skills." And while we're mourning the guys left off the roster, why no love for Antawn Jamison and Michael Finley? "Give us another two guys and they'd be on the list," one GM said. Spoken like a true shaman.
