http://www.deseretne...-All-Stars.html
NBA: Analyzing the All-Stars.
Published: By Andrew Aragon, Deseret News.
"Today is the final day of voting for the 2011 NBA All-Star Game, and I have a question for those who have submitted a ballot.
Well, the question isn't for everyone, just close to a million people who have submitted ballots. Why are they still voting for Yao Ming? When the last voting results were made public on Jan. 13, Yao led the Western Conference centers with 928,928 votes.
The staggering number of votes for a guy who has played in five games this season and scored a total of 51 points? I'm channeling my best Keyshawn Johnson voice from Monday Night Countdown, and saying, "Come on, fans!"
I do think, however, that it's pretty cool fans get to determine the starters for the All-Star Game. Paper balloting for the All-Star Game ended on Monday, but fans can still submit votes through the end of today on NBA.com.
For the most part, fans have done a great job in picking the teams. Here's a look at how the voting was reported back on Jan. 13, and if there will or should be changes before the teams are announced on Thursday.
Eastern Conference guards: Dwyane Wade, Heat; and Derrick Rose, Bulls: I don't have much of a problem with these two. In the last reported results, Rose passed Boston's Rajon Rondo for second place among East guards. Rose deserves it. He's playing like an MVP candidate.
Wade is averaging 25.1 points and 6.5 rebounds per game for the revamped Heat. He should start.
Eastern Conference forwards: LeBron James, Heat; and Amar'e Stoudemire, Knicks: Again, no real argument here. James, formerly the most popular player in the league and now the most polarizing, should start no matter how people feel about him.
Stoudemire, like Rose, passed a Celtic (Kevin Garnett) in the most recent reported results. He deserves to start after helping to revive the Knicks.
Eastern Conference center: Dwight Howard, Magic: No question here. Superman is averaging 21.9 points per game. His stat line on Friday against the Raptors needs no description from me: 31 points and 19 rebounds, with nine of them being on the offensive end.
Starting five analysis: Outstanding. They have a point guard in Rose who will distribute and not just look to score. This lineup is among the best starting fives in All-Star Games in recent memory.
Western Conference guards: Kobe Bryant, Lakers; and Chris Paul, Hornets: It's highly unlikely that either of these spots will change because they both were well out in front of the rest of the field on Jan. 13. Bryant is obviously a no-brainer pick.
Paul? I'm not so sure. If I could pick the team, I'd have Deron Williams or Russell Westbrook start over Paul at point guard. But if we're picking two guards regardless of position, I'd take San Antonio's Manu Ginobili.
The Spurs, who dominated the first half of the NBA season, deserve a starter. After covering high school sports for about 78 years, I'm pretty sold on the best-player-on-the-best-team-gets-rewarded principle. That's who Ginobili has been so far this season.
Western Conference forwards: Kevin Durant, Thunder; and Carmelo Anthony, Nuggets: Durant leads the league in scoring at 28.2 points per game and is well deserving of being in the starting five. Anthony has averaged 23.5 points per game while dealing with trade clouds hovering over his head throughout the season.
I can't really argue against Anthony being a starter, but my vote would go to the Lakers' Pau Gasol, who is listed as a forward on the all-star ballot. He averages a double-double at 18.6 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. The West will need his size and skill against the East's big front line.
You couldn't go wrong with Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Love, rookie sensation Blake Griffin, LaMarcus Aldridge or Tim Duncan, either. Tough call for Western Conference forwards this season.
Western Conference center: Yao Ming, Rockets: Let's face it. I have as much business being the Western Conference's starting center as Yao does. Yao is out for the season and won't play. Just who will replace him is in question, and perhaps a problem for the West.
The Lakers' Andrew Bynum is second among West center vote-getters, and he missed the first 24 games of the season. He could start unless Denver's Nene passes him in the voting. Nene has had a good season, averaging 15.2 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. Probably not all-star starter caliber worthy, but solid.
Starting five analysis: Obviously there are some spots still to be determined. There's a chance two Nuggets will be starting, and that isn't good for the West. Although the West's top five won't be as good as the East's, the West bench should be deeper.
All in all, it should be a great All-Star game, and you still have a few hours to help decide who starts the game on the floor instead of the bench."
Dallas Mavericks players to the 2011 NBA All-Star Game in Los Angeles.
Started by
jcisco loboe'77
, Dec 06 2010 07:36 PM
87 replies to this topic
#21
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Posted 24 January 2011 - 04:04 PM
#22
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Posted 24 January 2011 - 04:09 PM
http://www.examiner....asketball-stats
Blake Griffin continues to post solid fantasy basketball stats.
By Shawn S. Lealos.
"Blake Griffin has 33 double-doubles during the 2010-11 season."
http://newsok.com/what-theyre-saying-about-clippers-rookie-blake-griffin/article/3534969
What they're saying about Clippers rookie Blake Griffin.
BY JOHN ROHDE. Oklahoman.
Blake Griffin continues to post solid fantasy basketball stats.
By Shawn S. Lealos.
"Blake Griffin has 33 double-doubles during the 2010-11 season."
http://newsok.com/what-theyre-saying-about-clippers-rookie-blake-griffin/article/3534969
What they're saying about Clippers rookie Blake Griffin.
BY JOHN ROHDE. Oklahoman.
#23
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Posted 24 January 2011 - 04:14 PM
http://newsok.com/is...article/3534967
Is Blake Griffin's rookie season a historic one?
BY JOHN ROHDE. Oklahoman.
"As difficult as it is to wrap your head around Griffin's stats, hold on to your hat:
Griffin leads all rookies in double-doubles (35),
efficiency (26.5),
rebounding (12.9),
scoring (22.8) and
field-goal percentage (.522)
–ranking No. 2, No. 3, No. 4, No. 12 and No. 15 in the NBA, respectively, in these categories.
- Wilt Chamberlain (1959-60) averaged 37.6 points and 27.0 rebounds as a rookie.
- Walt Bellamy (1961-62) averaged 31.6 points and 19.0 rebounds.
- Oscar Robertson (1960-61) averaged 30.5 points, 10.1 rebounds and 9.7 assists.
- Elvin Hayes (1968-69) averaged 28.4 points and 17.1 rebounds.
- Lew Alcindor (1969-70) averaged 28.8 points, 14.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists.
- Elgin Baylor (1958-59) averaged 24.9 points, 15.0 rebounds and 4.1 assists.
- Rick Barry (1965-66) averaged 25.7 points and 10.6 rebounds.
- Bill Russell (1956-57) averaged 19.6 rebounds and 14.7 points.
- Wes Unseld (1968-69) averaged 18.2 rebounds and 13.8 points.
- Jerry Lucas (1963-64) averaged 17.7 points and 17.4 rebounds.
- Jordan averaged 28.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 2.4 steals.
- O'Neal averaged 23.4 points, 13.9 rebounds, 3.5 blocks and shot 56.2 percent from the field."
Is Blake Griffin's rookie season a historic one?
BY JOHN ROHDE. Oklahoman.
"As difficult as it is to wrap your head around Griffin's stats, hold on to your hat:
Griffin leads all rookies in double-doubles (35),
efficiency (26.5),
rebounding (12.9),
scoring (22.8) and
field-goal percentage (.522)
–ranking No. 2, No. 3, No. 4, No. 12 and No. 15 in the NBA, respectively, in these categories.
- Wilt Chamberlain (1959-60) averaged 37.6 points and 27.0 rebounds as a rookie.
- Walt Bellamy (1961-62) averaged 31.6 points and 19.0 rebounds.
- Oscar Robertson (1960-61) averaged 30.5 points, 10.1 rebounds and 9.7 assists.
- Elvin Hayes (1968-69) averaged 28.4 points and 17.1 rebounds.
- Lew Alcindor (1969-70) averaged 28.8 points, 14.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists.
- Elgin Baylor (1958-59) averaged 24.9 points, 15.0 rebounds and 4.1 assists.
- Rick Barry (1965-66) averaged 25.7 points and 10.6 rebounds.
- Bill Russell (1956-57) averaged 19.6 rebounds and 14.7 points.
- Wes Unseld (1968-69) averaged 18.2 rebounds and 13.8 points.
- Jerry Lucas (1963-64) averaged 17.7 points and 17.4 rebounds.
- Jordan averaged 28.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 2.4 steals.
- O'Neal averaged 23.4 points, 13.9 rebounds, 3.5 blocks and shot 56.2 percent from the field."
#24
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Posted 24 January 2011 - 04:19 PM
2011 NBA All Star Game ... Thu, Feb 17 Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
http://www.vividseat...-17-969182.html
2011 NBA All Star Rookie ... Fri, Feb 18 Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
http://www.vividseat...-18-969183.html
2011 NBA All Star Jam Session Sat, Feb 19 Los Angeles Convention Los Angeles, CA
http://www.vividseat...19-1089959.html
http://www.vividseat...-17-969182.html
2011 NBA All Star Rookie ... Fri, Feb 18 Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
http://www.vividseat...-18-969183.html
2011 NBA All Star Jam Session Sat, Feb 19 Los Angeles Convention Los Angeles, CA
http://www.vividseat...19-1089959.html
#25
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Posted 24 January 2011 - 04:21 PM
http://sportifi.com/...ves-538262.html
2011 NBA All-Star Game Reserves.
The Truth Sports!
"With the 2011 All-Star voting coming to a close on Sunday night it is pretty obvious who the starters will be:
Dwight Howard, Amare Stoudemire, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose for the East.
Selected for the West, assuming Carmelo Anthony doesn’t get traded, he would start along with Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, Kobe Bean Bryant and Pau Gasol, the most logical replacement for Yao Ming who is injured. Yao played only 5 games but received more votes(tisk-tisk China) then any other center in the West.
So to help out the coaches around the league heres our official roster for the reserves for the 2011 NBA All-Star Game.
Lets start in the East:
Rajon Rondo: Dropped to 4th in dimes in the league, but is #1 in the East. Rondo has to be a lock due to the amount of alleys he is capable of delivering. Kevin Garnett: The elder-statesmen, and most deserving.
Paul Pierce and Ray Allen because you might as well put the entire Celtics team on the roster. Pierce is having a stellar veteran year and Ray Allen is 5th in 3pt. makes, and 4th in 3%.
Raymond Felton gets the nod for being better then anyone expected. Al Horford has been the “constant” for the Hawks this season and the team needs more bigs. Just so Toronto will enjoy the game and the slam dunk contest (DeRozan is my pick to win) Andrea Bargnani: Averaging 21.7 points and 5.8 rebounds a game.
Now the West Reserves:
Dirk was well on his way to MVP status before the knee injury slowed him down. Chris Paul is a lock, and a year and a half away from freedom. Deron Williams and Russell Westbrook round out the point guard overload in the West. Lamar Odom because he is having a career year and the game is in LA, so it works out for everyone. The last two picks are rebounding machines, one Blake Griffin is highlight reel personified, and the other is Kevin Love.
Sadly no Tim Duncan, Steve Nash, Ginobili, or Zach Randolph."
2011 NBA All-Star Game Reserves.
The Truth Sports!
"With the 2011 All-Star voting coming to a close on Sunday night it is pretty obvious who the starters will be:
Dwight Howard, Amare Stoudemire, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose for the East.
Selected for the West, assuming Carmelo Anthony doesn’t get traded, he would start along with Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, Kobe Bean Bryant and Pau Gasol, the most logical replacement for Yao Ming who is injured. Yao played only 5 games but received more votes(tisk-tisk China) then any other center in the West.
So to help out the coaches around the league heres our official roster for the reserves for the 2011 NBA All-Star Game.
Lets start in the East:
Rajon Rondo: Dropped to 4th in dimes in the league, but is #1 in the East. Rondo has to be a lock due to the amount of alleys he is capable of delivering. Kevin Garnett: The elder-statesmen, and most deserving.
Paul Pierce and Ray Allen because you might as well put the entire Celtics team on the roster. Pierce is having a stellar veteran year and Ray Allen is 5th in 3pt. makes, and 4th in 3%.
Raymond Felton gets the nod for being better then anyone expected. Al Horford has been the “constant” for the Hawks this season and the team needs more bigs. Just so Toronto will enjoy the game and the slam dunk contest (DeRozan is my pick to win) Andrea Bargnani: Averaging 21.7 points and 5.8 rebounds a game.
Now the West Reserves:
Dirk was well on his way to MVP status before the knee injury slowed him down. Chris Paul is a lock, and a year and a half away from freedom. Deron Williams and Russell Westbrook round out the point guard overload in the West. Lamar Odom because he is having a career year and the game is in LA, so it works out for everyone. The last two picks are rebounding machines, one Blake Griffin is highlight reel personified, and the other is Kevin Love.
Sadly no Tim Duncan, Steve Nash, Ginobili, or Zach Randolph."
#26
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Posted 24 January 2011 - 04:26 PM
#27
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Posted 25 January 2011 - 03:53 PM
http://lakersblog.la...ar-weekend.html
Ron Artest plans to release mixtape during NBA All-Star weekend.
..only in lala land!!
Ron Artest plans to release mixtape during NBA All-Star weekend.
..only in lala land!!
#28
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Posted 25 January 2011 - 03:55 PM
#29
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Posted 25 January 2011 - 04:04 PM
http://www.monstersa...rence-All-Stars
San Antonio's Popovich to coach Western Conference All-Stars.
By Paul Levine
"The NBA's annual mid-season extravaganza will be played on Sunday, Feb. 20, at Los Angeles' Staples Centre.
This will mark Popovich's second appearance having coached the West in the 2005 All-Star Game in Denver, which was won by the East, 125-115."
http://losangeles.sb...tern-conference
2011 NBA All-Star Game: Gregg Popovich To Coach Western Conference.
"San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich will coach the Western Conference in the 2011 NBA All-Star Game, in Los Angeles. Popovich also coached the Western Conference in the 2005 NBA All-Star Game."
By Eric Stephen-Editor.
http://www.nba.com/2...h-all-star-game
Spurs' Popovich earns 2nd nod to coach West in All-Star Game.
By Official release.
San Antonio's Popovich to coach Western Conference All-Stars.
By Paul Levine
"The NBA's annual mid-season extravaganza will be played on Sunday, Feb. 20, at Los Angeles' Staples Centre.
This will mark Popovich's second appearance having coached the West in the 2005 All-Star Game in Denver, which was won by the East, 125-115."
http://losangeles.sb...tern-conference
2011 NBA All-Star Game: Gregg Popovich To Coach Western Conference.
"San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich will coach the Western Conference in the 2011 NBA All-Star Game, in Los Angeles. Popovich also coached the Western Conference in the 2005 NBA All-Star Game."
By Eric Stephen-Editor.
http://www.nba.com/2...h-all-star-game
Spurs' Popovich earns 2nd nod to coach West in All-Star Game.
By Official release.
#30
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Posted 25 January 2011 - 04:07 PM
http://www.nba.com/allstar/2011
"February 20, 2011
5:00pm PST
STAPLES Center
Los Angeles, California
Coming in February 2011 – an event so big it will take the STAPLES Center to hold all the excitement. The 60th NBA All-Star Game will bring together 24 of the world's best athletes to compete on the NBA's biggest stage ever. Be part of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and NBA All-Star History!
2011
Time (TBD) PST
STAPLES Center
Los Angeles, California
Purchase your official NBA All-Star 2011 ticket and party packages through NBA Events.
Official packages include tickets to all three nights of NBA All-Star 2011 events, including the 60th NBA All-Star Game, exclusive, In-Arena Game Day Party prior to and following the NBA All-Star Game that includes open bar, legends appearances, gourmet food and more, and an official NBA Events gift bag!
Customize your packages with tickets to the hottest parties during NBA All-Star 2011, have your travel arrangements coordinated and more!
Saturday, February 19, 2011
5:00pm PST
STAPLES Center
Los Angeles, California
NBA All-Star Saturday Night will take place at the STAPLES Center and includes four competitions featuring some of the NBA's best players.
The Haier Shooting Stars competition features NBA, WNBA players and NBA Legends in a shooting contest. The Taco Bell Skills Challenge, a contest of top guards working against the clock to complete a series of passes, free throws, lay-ups and agility drills. The Foot Locker Three-Point Shootout where six of the best long-range shooters compete against each other and the clock in a test of accuracy.
The evening's grand finale, the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest, will showcase some of the NBA's best athletes as they take to the air mystifying fans with their gravity-defying creativity.
This event is not for public sale.
February 18–21,2011
Los Angeles Convention Center
Los Angeles, California
NBA All-Star Jam Session features over 300,000 square feet of NBA All-Star excitement, where the chance to meet & collect FREE autographs from NBA Players & Legends is just the beginning!
Ticket Information
Friday, February 18 & Monday, February 21
Adults $20
Kids (3 – 12) $12
Kids (2 & Under) FREE
Seniors/Military (with valid ID) $12
Saturday, February 19 & Sunday, February 20
Adults $30
Kids (3 – 12) $20
Kids (2 & Under) FREE
Seniors/Military (with valid ID) $20
Please Note: All tickets are sold on a timed-entry basis – which means you must select the time of day you would like to enter Jam Session. Once in Jam Session, you can stay as long as you like. Peak entry times sell out fast so purchase EARLY.
NBA All-Star Celebrity Game
BBVA NBA All-Star Celebrity Game
Friday, February 18, 2011
3:15pm PST
Center Court at Jam Session
Tickets on sale February 1, 2011
NBA All-Star Practice
Saturday, February 19, 2011
10:00am PST
Center Court at Jam Session
Tickets on sale January 28, 2011.
Friday, February 18, 2011
6:00pm PST
STAPLES Center
Los Angeles, California
Watch the NBA's best Rookies take on the best second-year players in a head-to-head competition."
"February 20, 2011
5:00pm PST
STAPLES Center
Los Angeles, California
Coming in February 2011 – an event so big it will take the STAPLES Center to hold all the excitement. The 60th NBA All-Star Game will bring together 24 of the world's best athletes to compete on the NBA's biggest stage ever. Be part of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and NBA All-Star History!
2011
Time (TBD) PST
STAPLES Center
Los Angeles, California
Purchase your official NBA All-Star 2011 ticket and party packages through NBA Events.
Official packages include tickets to all three nights of NBA All-Star 2011 events, including the 60th NBA All-Star Game, exclusive, In-Arena Game Day Party prior to and following the NBA All-Star Game that includes open bar, legends appearances, gourmet food and more, and an official NBA Events gift bag!
Customize your packages with tickets to the hottest parties during NBA All-Star 2011, have your travel arrangements coordinated and more!
Saturday, February 19, 2011
5:00pm PST
STAPLES Center
Los Angeles, California
NBA All-Star Saturday Night will take place at the STAPLES Center and includes four competitions featuring some of the NBA's best players.
The Haier Shooting Stars competition features NBA, WNBA players and NBA Legends in a shooting contest. The Taco Bell Skills Challenge, a contest of top guards working against the clock to complete a series of passes, free throws, lay-ups and agility drills. The Foot Locker Three-Point Shootout where six of the best long-range shooters compete against each other and the clock in a test of accuracy.
The evening's grand finale, the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest, will showcase some of the NBA's best athletes as they take to the air mystifying fans with their gravity-defying creativity.
This event is not for public sale.
February 18–21,2011
Los Angeles Convention Center
Los Angeles, California
NBA All-Star Jam Session features over 300,000 square feet of NBA All-Star excitement, where the chance to meet & collect FREE autographs from NBA Players & Legends is just the beginning!
Ticket Information
Friday, February 18 & Monday, February 21
Adults $20
Kids (3 – 12) $12
Kids (2 & Under) FREE
Seniors/Military (with valid ID) $12
Saturday, February 19 & Sunday, February 20
Adults $30
Kids (3 – 12) $20
Kids (2 & Under) FREE
Seniors/Military (with valid ID) $20
Please Note: All tickets are sold on a timed-entry basis – which means you must select the time of day you would like to enter Jam Session. Once in Jam Session, you can stay as long as you like. Peak entry times sell out fast so purchase EARLY.
NBA All-Star Celebrity Game
BBVA NBA All-Star Celebrity Game
Friday, February 18, 2011
3:15pm PST
Center Court at Jam Session
Tickets on sale February 1, 2011
NBA All-Star Practice
Saturday, February 19, 2011
10:00am PST
Center Court at Jam Session
Tickets on sale January 28, 2011.
Friday, February 18, 2011
6:00pm PST
STAPLES Center
Los Angeles, California
Watch the NBA's best Rookies take on the best second-year players in a head-to-head competition."
#31
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Posted 25 January 2011 - 04:17 PM
http://www.allstarnb.../ballot/#ballot
EAST
---------------------GUARDS---------------------FORWARDS-----------------------CENTERS
Dwyane Wade (Mia) 1.499.768 Lebron James (Mia) 1.518.807 Dwight Howard (Orl) 1.537.619
Derrick Rose (Chi) 1.225.575 Amar'e Stoudemire (NY) 1.143.391 Shaquille O'Neal (Bos) 639.661
Rajon Rondo (Bos) 1.171.311 Kevin Garnett (Bos) 1.049.544 Joakim Noah (Chi) 291.107
Ray Allen (Bos) 630.588 Paul Pierce (Bos) 578.473 Andrew Bogut (Mil) 245.253
John Wall (Was) 260.893 Chris Bosh (Mia) 427.551 Al Horford (Atl) 193.449
Brandon Jennings (Mil) 254.614 Carlos Boozer (Chi) 320.661 Roy Hibbert (Ind) 183.092
Raymond Felton (NY) 246.208 Josh Smith (Atl) 280.158 Andrea Bargnani (Tor) 162.364
Gilbert Arenas (Orl) 240.586 Danilo Gallinari (NY) 259.619 Brook Lopez (NJ) 125.022
Jamal Crawford (Atl) 163.971 Danny Granger (Ind) 201.653 JaVale McGee (Was) 106.710
Darren Collison (Ind) 156.230 Luol Deng (Chi) 191.312 Ben Wallace (Det) 79.017
WEST
---------------------GUARDS---------------------FORWARDS----------------CENTERS
Kobe Bryant (Lal) 1.757.216 Kevin Durant (Okl) 1.270.729 Yao Ming (Hou) 928.928
Chris Paul (NO) 949.049 Carmelo Anthony (Den) 945.720 Andrew Bynum (Lal) 660.576
Manu Ginobili (SA) 593.718 Pau Gasol (Lal) 851.456 Nene (Den) 389.263
Steve Nash (Pho) 522.215 Blake Griffin (Lac) 702.784 Marc Gasol (Mem) 352.136
Deron Williams (Uta) 487.887 Tim Duncan (SA) 663.487 Emeka Okafor (NO) 317.677
Russell Westbrook (Okl) 463.250 Dirk Nowitzki (Dal) 615.243 Brendan Haywood (Dal) 276.777
Tony Parker (SA) 355.993 Lamar Odom (Lal) 364.950 Marcus Camby (Por) 201.133
Jason Kidd (Dal) 303.164 Luis Scola (Hou) 347.986 Chris Kaman (Lac) 165.684
Vince Carter (Pho) (*) 277.430 Kevin Love (Min) 301.529 Andris Biedrins (GS) 126.567
Kevin Martin (Hou) 266.037 Caron Butler (Dal) 205.146 DeMarcus Cousins (Sac) 110.230
The 120 players on the ballot (24 guards, 24 forwards and 12 centers each conference) were selected by a panel of media who regularly cover the NBA:
J.A. Adande (ESPN.com),
Marv Albert (TNT),
Art Garcia (NBA.com),
Marc Spears (Yahoo! Sports),
Doug Smith (The Toronto Star) and
Ian Thomsen (Sports Illustrated).
-------------------GUARDS----FORWARDS----CENTERS
C. Billups (Den) Ray Allen (Bos) L. Aldridge (Por) Carlos Boozer (Chi) Andris Biedrins (GS) And. Bargnani (Tor)
Corey Brewer (Min) Gilbert Arenas (Was) C. Anthony (Den) Chris Bosh (Mia) Andrew Bynum (Lal) Andrew Bogut (Mil)
Aaron Brooks (Hou) Mike Bibby (Atl) Trevor Ariza (NO) Elton Brand (Phi) Marcus Camby (Por) Roy Hibbert (Ind)
Kobe Bryant (Lal) Vince Carter (Orl) Ron Artest (Hou) Luol Deng (Chi) DeMar. Cousins (Sac) Al Horford (Atl)
M. Conley (Mem) Mario Chalmers (Mia) Michael Beasley (Min) Boris Diaw (Cha) Marc Gasol (Mem) Dwight Howard (Orl)
Stephen Curry (GS) Darren Collison (Ind) Caron Butler (Dal) Danilo Gallinari (NY) B. Haywood (Dal) Brook Lopez (NJ)
Baron Davis (Lac) Jamal Crawford (Atl) Tim Duncan (SA) Kevin Garnett (Bos) Chris Kaman (Lac) JaVale McGee (Was)
Monta Ellis (GS) DeMar DeRozan (Tor) Kevin Durant (Okl) Drew Gooden (Mil) Robin Lopez (Pho) N. Mohammed (Cha)
Tyreke Evans (Sac) Raymond Felton (NY) Pau Gasol (Lal) Danny Granger (Ind) Nene (Den) Joakim Noah (Chi)
Derek Fisher (Lal) Ben Gordon (Det) Rudy Gay (Mem) J.J. Hickson (Cle) Emeka Okafor (NO) Shaq. O'Neal (Bos)
Manu Ginobili (SA) R. Hamilton (Det) Jeff Green (Okl) Andre Iguodala (Phi) Mehmet Okur (Uta) Ander. Varejao (Cle)
Eric Gordon (Lac) Devin Harris (NJ) Blake Griffin (Lac) Lebron James (Mia) Yao Ming (Hou) Ben Wallace (Cle)
Jason Kidd (Dal) Jrue Holiday (Phi) Grant Hill (Pho) A. Jamison (Cle)
Coaches will select the bench players.
Kevin Martin (Hou) Steph. Jackson (Cha) Al Jefferson (Uta) Linas Kleiza (Tor)
OJ Mayo (Mem) B. Jennings (Mil) A. Kirilenko (Uta) Rashard Lewis (Orl)
Andre Miller (Por) Joe Johnson (Atl) Carl Landry (Sac) Corey Maggette (Mil)
Steve Nash (Pho) Jameer Nelson (Orl) David Lee (GS) Troy Murphy (NJ)
Tony Parker (SA) Rajon Rondo (Bos) Kevin Love (Min) Paul Pierce (Bos)
Chris Paul (NO) Derrick Rose (Chi) Dirk Nowitzki (Dal) T. Prince (Det)
J. Richardson (Pho) John Salmons (Mil) Lamar Odom (Lal) Josh Smith (Atl)
Brandon Roy (Por) Rodn. Stuckey (Det) Zack Randolph (Mem) A. Stoudemire (NY)
T. Sefolosha (Okl) Dwyane Wade (Mia) Luis Scola (Hou) Gerald Wallace (Cha)
R. Westbrook (Okl) John Wall (Was) Hedo Turkoglu (Pho) Marvin Williams (Atl)
Deron Williams (Uta) Mo Williams (Cle) David West (NO) Thad. Young (Phi)
EAST
---------------------GUARDS---------------------FORWARDS-----------------------CENTERS
Dwyane Wade (Mia) 1.499.768 Lebron James (Mia) 1.518.807 Dwight Howard (Orl) 1.537.619
Derrick Rose (Chi) 1.225.575 Amar'e Stoudemire (NY) 1.143.391 Shaquille O'Neal (Bos) 639.661
Rajon Rondo (Bos) 1.171.311 Kevin Garnett (Bos) 1.049.544 Joakim Noah (Chi) 291.107
Ray Allen (Bos) 630.588 Paul Pierce (Bos) 578.473 Andrew Bogut (Mil) 245.253
John Wall (Was) 260.893 Chris Bosh (Mia) 427.551 Al Horford (Atl) 193.449
Brandon Jennings (Mil) 254.614 Carlos Boozer (Chi) 320.661 Roy Hibbert (Ind) 183.092
Raymond Felton (NY) 246.208 Josh Smith (Atl) 280.158 Andrea Bargnani (Tor) 162.364
Gilbert Arenas (Orl) 240.586 Danilo Gallinari (NY) 259.619 Brook Lopez (NJ) 125.022
Jamal Crawford (Atl) 163.971 Danny Granger (Ind) 201.653 JaVale McGee (Was) 106.710
Darren Collison (Ind) 156.230 Luol Deng (Chi) 191.312 Ben Wallace (Det) 79.017
WEST
---------------------GUARDS---------------------FORWARDS----------------CENTERS
Kobe Bryant (Lal) 1.757.216 Kevin Durant (Okl) 1.270.729 Yao Ming (Hou) 928.928
Chris Paul (NO) 949.049 Carmelo Anthony (Den) 945.720 Andrew Bynum (Lal) 660.576
Manu Ginobili (SA) 593.718 Pau Gasol (Lal) 851.456 Nene (Den) 389.263
Steve Nash (Pho) 522.215 Blake Griffin (Lac) 702.784 Marc Gasol (Mem) 352.136
Deron Williams (Uta) 487.887 Tim Duncan (SA) 663.487 Emeka Okafor (NO) 317.677
Russell Westbrook (Okl) 463.250 Dirk Nowitzki (Dal) 615.243 Brendan Haywood (Dal) 276.777
Tony Parker (SA) 355.993 Lamar Odom (Lal) 364.950 Marcus Camby (Por) 201.133
Jason Kidd (Dal) 303.164 Luis Scola (Hou) 347.986 Chris Kaman (Lac) 165.684
Vince Carter (Pho) (*) 277.430 Kevin Love (Min) 301.529 Andris Biedrins (GS) 126.567
Kevin Martin (Hou) 266.037 Caron Butler (Dal) 205.146 DeMarcus Cousins (Sac) 110.230
The 120 players on the ballot (24 guards, 24 forwards and 12 centers each conference) were selected by a panel of media who regularly cover the NBA:
J.A. Adande (ESPN.com),
Marv Albert (TNT),
Art Garcia (NBA.com),
Marc Spears (Yahoo! Sports),
Doug Smith (The Toronto Star) and
Ian Thomsen (Sports Illustrated).
-------------------GUARDS----FORWARDS----CENTERS
C. Billups (Den) Ray Allen (Bos) L. Aldridge (Por) Carlos Boozer (Chi) Andris Biedrins (GS) And. Bargnani (Tor)
Corey Brewer (Min) Gilbert Arenas (Was) C. Anthony (Den) Chris Bosh (Mia) Andrew Bynum (Lal) Andrew Bogut (Mil)
Aaron Brooks (Hou) Mike Bibby (Atl) Trevor Ariza (NO) Elton Brand (Phi) Marcus Camby (Por) Roy Hibbert (Ind)
Kobe Bryant (Lal) Vince Carter (Orl) Ron Artest (Hou) Luol Deng (Chi) DeMar. Cousins (Sac) Al Horford (Atl)
M. Conley (Mem) Mario Chalmers (Mia) Michael Beasley (Min) Boris Diaw (Cha) Marc Gasol (Mem) Dwight Howard (Orl)
Stephen Curry (GS) Darren Collison (Ind) Caron Butler (Dal) Danilo Gallinari (NY) B. Haywood (Dal) Brook Lopez (NJ)
Baron Davis (Lac) Jamal Crawford (Atl) Tim Duncan (SA) Kevin Garnett (Bos) Chris Kaman (Lac) JaVale McGee (Was)
Monta Ellis (GS) DeMar DeRozan (Tor) Kevin Durant (Okl) Drew Gooden (Mil) Robin Lopez (Pho) N. Mohammed (Cha)
Tyreke Evans (Sac) Raymond Felton (NY) Pau Gasol (Lal) Danny Granger (Ind) Nene (Den) Joakim Noah (Chi)
Derek Fisher (Lal) Ben Gordon (Det) Rudy Gay (Mem) J.J. Hickson (Cle) Emeka Okafor (NO) Shaq. O'Neal (Bos)
Manu Ginobili (SA) R. Hamilton (Det) Jeff Green (Okl) Andre Iguodala (Phi) Mehmet Okur (Uta) Ander. Varejao (Cle)
Eric Gordon (Lac) Devin Harris (NJ) Blake Griffin (Lac) Lebron James (Mia) Yao Ming (Hou) Ben Wallace (Cle)
Jason Kidd (Dal) Jrue Holiday (Phi) Grant Hill (Pho) A. Jamison (Cle)
Coaches will select the bench players.
Kevin Martin (Hou) Steph. Jackson (Cha) Al Jefferson (Uta) Linas Kleiza (Tor)
OJ Mayo (Mem) B. Jennings (Mil) A. Kirilenko (Uta) Rashard Lewis (Orl)
Andre Miller (Por) Joe Johnson (Atl) Carl Landry (Sac) Corey Maggette (Mil)
Steve Nash (Pho) Jameer Nelson (Orl) David Lee (GS) Troy Murphy (NJ)
Tony Parker (SA) Rajon Rondo (Bos) Kevin Love (Min) Paul Pierce (Bos)
Chris Paul (NO) Derrick Rose (Chi) Dirk Nowitzki (Dal) T. Prince (Det)
J. Richardson (Pho) John Salmons (Mil) Lamar Odom (Lal) Josh Smith (Atl)
Brandon Roy (Por) Rodn. Stuckey (Det) Zack Randolph (Mem) A. Stoudemire (NY)
T. Sefolosha (Okl) Dwyane Wade (Mia) Luis Scola (Hou) Gerald Wallace (Cha)
R. Westbrook (Okl) John Wall (Was) Hedo Turkoglu (Pho) Marvin Williams (Atl)
Deron Williams (Uta) Mo Williams (Cle) David West (NO) Thad. Young (Phi)
#32
jcisco loboe'77
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Posted 25 January 2011 - 04:20 PM
http://www.allstarnb.../ballot/#ballot
"Fourth voting results announced on Thursday, January 13. Players in bold would be the starters right now.
More 2011 balloting results: 16 December | 30 December | January 6
Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard still lead their conferences but Lebron James is getting closer.
Carmelo Anthony's distance over Pau Gasol keeps growing for the second forward place in the West starting five.
Derrick Rose and Amare Stoudemire finally reach a starting spot surpassing Rajon Rondo and Kevin Garnett."
Dirk Nowitzki (Dal) 615.243
Brendan Haywood (Dal) 276.777
Jason Kidd (Dal) 303.164
Caron Butler (Dal) 205.146
"Fourth voting results announced on Thursday, January 13. Players in bold would be the starters right now.
More 2011 balloting results: 16 December | 30 December | January 6
Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard still lead their conferences but Lebron James is getting closer.
Carmelo Anthony's distance over Pau Gasol keeps growing for the second forward place in the West starting five.
Derrick Rose and Amare Stoudemire finally reach a starting spot surpassing Rajon Rondo and Kevin Garnett."
Dirk Nowitzki (Dal) 615.243
Brendan Haywood (Dal) 276.777
Jason Kidd (Dal) 303.164
Caron Butler (Dal) 205.146
#33
jcisco loboe'77
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Posted 27 January 2011 - 05:31 PM
http://espn.go.com/b...e-touch-choices
Tough choices for Carlisle, West coaches.
Comments By Jeff Caplan.
DALLAS--"The 2011 All-Star Game starters, as voted on by fans, will be announced Thursday. Then the real work comes for the league's head coaches, who will select the seven reserves for each squad. Those spots will be announced Feb. 3.
Perhaps the most intriguing position is forward for the Western Conference. Carmelo Anthony, assuming he isn't traded to an Eastern Conference team beforehand, and Kevin Durant, are leading the fans' vote to start the Feb. 20 All-Star Game held at Staples Center in Los Angeles. Then the coaches must choose, maybe as many as four reserves from the following pool of worthy candidates: Dirk Nowitzki, Tim Duncan, Pau Gasol, LaMarcus Aldridge, Blake Griffin and Kevin Love.
While some -- OK, one -- has made the suggestion that the coaches should bypass Nowitzki this year, that just isn't going to happen despite a knee injury that sidelined him for nine games and has taken a toll on his shooting percentage. Before his injury on Dec. 27, Nowitzki was averaging 24.1 points on a blistering 54.5-percent shooting.
"During that period of time, he was the MVP [of the league] in my opinion," Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. "His value to us -- he’s priceless to us."
No MVP candidate will be left off the All-Star team. The coaches could catch a slight break if NBA commissioner David Stern selects Tim Duncan to replace the injured Yao Ming, the fans' nonsensical vote to start at center. Duncan is technically a power forward, but he's as close as it gets to a pure center and the most sensible candidate to replace Yao.
What if Stern doesn't select Duncan? Do you really think the coaches leave him off the team? Duncan has made every All-Star Game since he entered the league and according to Carlisle's standards for voting, he would seem a shoe-in even though his statistics, for various reasons, are not at his career levels.
"The thing that I’ll tell you and I’ll be very frank is that the coaches' vote is always tipped heavily toward winning," Carlisle said. 'I’m no different than the rest of the voters. I think that’s a major factor in who gets the votes. Those guys are 37-4 [38-7] or something. You got to take a strong look at that, that Duncan’s on a team that’s winning every game. That’s a big deal and it should be. As we get closer to it and I look at it, it’s going to be some difficult votes for sure."
The game is in Los Angeles, so how can coaches leave Gasol (18.6 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 1.9 bpg) off the team? And what about the Clips' rookie sensation and dunkmeister Griffin (22.9 ppg, 12.9 rpg), who has made the other L.A. team relevant in all of half a season?
But, if winning is such a significant factor, would the Clippers' 17-27 record hold Griffin back? If it does, what chance does rebounding machine Kevin Love, playing for the 10-34 Timberwolves, have of making his first All-Star squad? Love, a UCLA product, is averaging 21.4 points and 15.6 rebounds and became the first player to record a 30-30 game (30 points, 31 rebounds) since Moses Malone did it in 1982.
"There’s a few games until [selections are due] and you look at all that stuff," Carlisle said. "Kevin Love is having a great year, having a breakout year. And so he’s a guy that will get consideration for sure."
"Good luck."
Tough choices for Carlisle, West coaches.
Comments By Jeff Caplan.
DALLAS--"The 2011 All-Star Game starters, as voted on by fans, will be announced Thursday. Then the real work comes for the league's head coaches, who will select the seven reserves for each squad. Those spots will be announced Feb. 3.
Perhaps the most intriguing position is forward for the Western Conference. Carmelo Anthony, assuming he isn't traded to an Eastern Conference team beforehand, and Kevin Durant, are leading the fans' vote to start the Feb. 20 All-Star Game held at Staples Center in Los Angeles. Then the coaches must choose, maybe as many as four reserves from the following pool of worthy candidates: Dirk Nowitzki, Tim Duncan, Pau Gasol, LaMarcus Aldridge, Blake Griffin and Kevin Love.
While some -- OK, one -- has made the suggestion that the coaches should bypass Nowitzki this year, that just isn't going to happen despite a knee injury that sidelined him for nine games and has taken a toll on his shooting percentage. Before his injury on Dec. 27, Nowitzki was averaging 24.1 points on a blistering 54.5-percent shooting.
"During that period of time, he was the MVP [of the league] in my opinion," Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. "His value to us -- he’s priceless to us."
No MVP candidate will be left off the All-Star team. The coaches could catch a slight break if NBA commissioner David Stern selects Tim Duncan to replace the injured Yao Ming, the fans' nonsensical vote to start at center. Duncan is technically a power forward, but he's as close as it gets to a pure center and the most sensible candidate to replace Yao.
What if Stern doesn't select Duncan? Do you really think the coaches leave him off the team? Duncan has made every All-Star Game since he entered the league and according to Carlisle's standards for voting, he would seem a shoe-in even though his statistics, for various reasons, are not at his career levels.
"The thing that I’ll tell you and I’ll be very frank is that the coaches' vote is always tipped heavily toward winning," Carlisle said. 'I’m no different than the rest of the voters. I think that’s a major factor in who gets the votes. Those guys are 37-4 [38-7] or something. You got to take a strong look at that, that Duncan’s on a team that’s winning every game. That’s a big deal and it should be. As we get closer to it and I look at it, it’s going to be some difficult votes for sure."
The game is in Los Angeles, so how can coaches leave Gasol (18.6 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 1.9 bpg) off the team? And what about the Clips' rookie sensation and dunkmeister Griffin (22.9 ppg, 12.9 rpg), who has made the other L.A. team relevant in all of half a season?
But, if winning is such a significant factor, would the Clippers' 17-27 record hold Griffin back? If it does, what chance does rebounding machine Kevin Love, playing for the 10-34 Timberwolves, have of making his first All-Star squad? Love, a UCLA product, is averaging 21.4 points and 15.6 rebounds and became the first player to record a 30-30 game (30 points, 31 rebounds) since Moses Malone did it in 1982.
"There’s a few games until [selections are due] and you look at all that stuff," Carlisle said. "Kevin Love is having a great year, having a breakout year. And so he’s a guy that will get consideration for sure."
"Good luck."
#34
jcisco loboe'77
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Posted 27 January 2011 - 06:08 PM
http://www.nydailyne...ing_visits.html
LeBron James and Amar'e Stoudemire will be teammates, not with Knicks, but in 2011 NBA All-Star Game.
BY Frank Isola.
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER .
"Whether it is destiny or just Knick fans stuffing the ballot boxes, Amar'e Stoudemire and LeBron James will finally become teammates next month at the All-Star Game in Los Angeles.
James is a lock to be named a starter and, judging from the most recent fan voting results, Stoudemire will be in the other forward spot when TNT announces the All-Star starting lineups Thursday night before the Knicks-Heat game at the Garden. (It also gives Stoudemire an opportunity to ask Charles Barkley why he picked the Nets, and not the Knicks, to make the playoffs).
"It wouldn't be possible if it wasn't for the fans," Stoudemire said Wednesday, sounding as if he was rehearsing his acceptance speech. "They're very, very appreciative of the hard work that we put forth here in New York. I think it would be an honor to be a starter for the All-Star Game."
If Stoudemire earns a starting spot, he would be the first Knick to accomplish the feat since Patrick Ewing in 1992. That's a long dry spell but it also helps to explain why the Knicks' championship drought is approaching 38 years.
None of the players on the current roster was alive in 1973 when the Knicks won their second championship in four years. But most of them are aware of the history between Stoudemire and James, two of the game's elite players.
Last season, Stoudemire and James nearly joined forces in Cleveland, but the Cavs' front office backed out of a proposed trade with Phoenix. Five months later, James and Dwyane Wade had the power to bring Stoudemire's talents to South Beach but they instead recruited Chris Bosh, who remains sidelined with a sprained ankle and will not play Thursday night.
There are different accounts of what actually transpired in late June and into July. The Stoudemire camp claims that James did reach out to the current Knick and told him to come to Miami, albeit at a reduced rate. But Wade had already targeted Bosh as the Heat's future power forward. The two share the same agent and even met with teams, including the Knicks, together in Chicago.
If that arrangement bothers Stoudemire, he won't say so publicly, but his answers about the Heat reveal another side. When reminded Wednesday that James likes the big stage, having recorded a triple double - 32 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists - during Miami's last visit to the Garden on Dec. 17, Stoudemire wasn't impressed.
"I mean, we all like big stages so it's nothing special," he said. "Nobody's afraid of the Miami Heat. We're going to play as hard as we can and see what we can do."
Miami defeated the Knicks, 113-91, last month, a loss that affected the Knicks so much that the next night they lost in Cleveland to a Cavs team that hasn't won since. Meanwhile, Miami is 31-13, including two wins over the Knicks.
It's an impressive record, but Stoudemire was quick to remind reporters that it's not the best record. Miami owns the league's fourth-best mark after San Antonio, Boston and the Lakers.
"I think San Antonio's been the surprise of the season," Stoudemire said.The Knicks (23-21) have lost six of their last seven games, and Stoudemire admitted that they get themselves in trouble when they "take some plays off defensively and teams take advantage of it."
James and Wade present matchup problems for every team, but Bosh's absence leaves a huge void in the middle. Stoudemire scored 24 and 30, respectively, in the two losses to Miami but he made just 21 of 51 shots.
Thursday night, however, could be different. The combination of a nationally televised game, an All-Star announcement and Bosh being out will provide plenty of incentive for King James' soon-to-be one-day teammate.
"Miami played well both games, we did also," Stoudemire said. "We feel like we're still improving, we still have something to prove. We're trying to get better as a team and it starts tomorrow night. "
LeBron James and Amar'e Stoudemire will be teammates, not with Knicks, but in 2011 NBA All-Star Game.
BY Frank Isola.
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER .
"Whether it is destiny or just Knick fans stuffing the ballot boxes, Amar'e Stoudemire and LeBron James will finally become teammates next month at the All-Star Game in Los Angeles.
James is a lock to be named a starter and, judging from the most recent fan voting results, Stoudemire will be in the other forward spot when TNT announces the All-Star starting lineups Thursday night before the Knicks-Heat game at the Garden. (It also gives Stoudemire an opportunity to ask Charles Barkley why he picked the Nets, and not the Knicks, to make the playoffs).
"It wouldn't be possible if it wasn't for the fans," Stoudemire said Wednesday, sounding as if he was rehearsing his acceptance speech. "They're very, very appreciative of the hard work that we put forth here in New York. I think it would be an honor to be a starter for the All-Star Game."
If Stoudemire earns a starting spot, he would be the first Knick to accomplish the feat since Patrick Ewing in 1992. That's a long dry spell but it also helps to explain why the Knicks' championship drought is approaching 38 years.
None of the players on the current roster was alive in 1973 when the Knicks won their second championship in four years. But most of them are aware of the history between Stoudemire and James, two of the game's elite players.
Last season, Stoudemire and James nearly joined forces in Cleveland, but the Cavs' front office backed out of a proposed trade with Phoenix. Five months later, James and Dwyane Wade had the power to bring Stoudemire's talents to South Beach but they instead recruited Chris Bosh, who remains sidelined with a sprained ankle and will not play Thursday night.
There are different accounts of what actually transpired in late June and into July. The Stoudemire camp claims that James did reach out to the current Knick and told him to come to Miami, albeit at a reduced rate. But Wade had already targeted Bosh as the Heat's future power forward. The two share the same agent and even met with teams, including the Knicks, together in Chicago.
If that arrangement bothers Stoudemire, he won't say so publicly, but his answers about the Heat reveal another side. When reminded Wednesday that James likes the big stage, having recorded a triple double - 32 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists - during Miami's last visit to the Garden on Dec. 17, Stoudemire wasn't impressed.
"I mean, we all like big stages so it's nothing special," he said. "Nobody's afraid of the Miami Heat. We're going to play as hard as we can and see what we can do."
Miami defeated the Knicks, 113-91, last month, a loss that affected the Knicks so much that the next night they lost in Cleveland to a Cavs team that hasn't won since. Meanwhile, Miami is 31-13, including two wins over the Knicks.
It's an impressive record, but Stoudemire was quick to remind reporters that it's not the best record. Miami owns the league's fourth-best mark after San Antonio, Boston and the Lakers.
"I think San Antonio's been the surprise of the season," Stoudemire said.The Knicks (23-21) have lost six of their last seven games, and Stoudemire admitted that they get themselves in trouble when they "take some plays off defensively and teams take advantage of it."
James and Wade present matchup problems for every team, but Bosh's absence leaves a huge void in the middle. Stoudemire scored 24 and 30, respectively, in the two losses to Miami but he made just 21 of 51 shots.
Thursday night, however, could be different. The combination of a nationally televised game, an All-Star announcement and Bosh being out will provide plenty of incentive for King James' soon-to-be one-day teammate.
"Miami played well both games, we did also," Stoudemire said. "We feel like we're still improving, we still have something to prove. We're trying to get better as a team and it starts tomorrow night. "
#35
jcisco loboe'77
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Posted 27 January 2011 - 06:14 PM
http://www.associate..._announced.html
2011 NBA All Star Game Starters Announced Thursday.
Ryan Christopher DeVault, Yahoo! Contributor Network.
"The 2011 NBA All Star Game starters will be announced on Thursday night. The 2011 NBA All Star starters are based on votes from fans, many of whom have been submitting ballots since the voting period opened. Now the revelation of the 10 starters is going to become official as TNT hosts a special presentation in front of two really good looking NBA games.
The announcement of the 2011 NBA All Star Game starters will take place during the Thursday, Jan. 27, episode of "NBA Tip-Off" on TNT. Host Ernie Johnson will take center stage with NBA analysts Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith as the TNT crew lets us in on who will be featured in the Feb. 20 All Star Game. It's an exciting moment every season, even if some of the starters are pretty easy to predict at this point.
Once we know who the starters are, the league will then decide who is going to come off the bench in the reserve roles. It is assumed that Yao Ming is going to be the starting center in the Western Conference again, as the voters have still favored him over the other options at center. Whether he deserves the spot or not is another story, but due to his injury right now, he isn't going to be able to participate in the All Star Game this year.
With Yao bowing out of the game, it will be up to the NBA commissioner (David Stern) to appoint the player who will replace Yao on the roster. That could leave it up to Stern to place anyone he wants on the team, and it could be an area of contention if he doesn't put a fan-favorite on the roster. It's a tough position to be in, but he has made some pretty smart decisions when it comes to the league in the past. It doesn't necessarily have to be a center either, because several forwards (like Pau Gasol and Tim Duncan) could easily slide over during the game.
The other players who are expected to get the nod in the Western Conference are guards Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers and Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets. The forwards are likely to be Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Carmelo Anthony of the Denver Nuggets.
.In the Eastern Conference, the center is likely to be Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic, while the forwards should be LeBron James of the Miami Heat and Amare
Stoudemire of the New York Knicks. In the guard positions, the last we saw, it was going to be Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose and Miami Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade.
Voting could have altered the leaders of the votes, which could have bumped Rajon Rondo or Kevin Garnett (or both) into one of the top slots in the East, but beyond that there shouldn't be any more surprises. As soon as we learn who the starters are, though, the debate will begin about who deserves to be on the roster as one of the seven reserves on each roster."
2011 NBA All Star Game Starters Announced Thursday.
Ryan Christopher DeVault, Yahoo! Contributor Network.
"The 2011 NBA All Star Game starters will be announced on Thursday night. The 2011 NBA All Star starters are based on votes from fans, many of whom have been submitting ballots since the voting period opened. Now the revelation of the 10 starters is going to become official as TNT hosts a special presentation in front of two really good looking NBA games.
The announcement of the 2011 NBA All Star Game starters will take place during the Thursday, Jan. 27, episode of "NBA Tip-Off" on TNT. Host Ernie Johnson will take center stage with NBA analysts Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith as the TNT crew lets us in on who will be featured in the Feb. 20 All Star Game. It's an exciting moment every season, even if some of the starters are pretty easy to predict at this point.
Once we know who the starters are, the league will then decide who is going to come off the bench in the reserve roles. It is assumed that Yao Ming is going to be the starting center in the Western Conference again, as the voters have still favored him over the other options at center. Whether he deserves the spot or not is another story, but due to his injury right now, he isn't going to be able to participate in the All Star Game this year.
With Yao bowing out of the game, it will be up to the NBA commissioner (David Stern) to appoint the player who will replace Yao on the roster. That could leave it up to Stern to place anyone he wants on the team, and it could be an area of contention if he doesn't put a fan-favorite on the roster. It's a tough position to be in, but he has made some pretty smart decisions when it comes to the league in the past. It doesn't necessarily have to be a center either, because several forwards (like Pau Gasol and Tim Duncan) could easily slide over during the game.
The other players who are expected to get the nod in the Western Conference are guards Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers and Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets. The forwards are likely to be Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Carmelo Anthony of the Denver Nuggets.
.In the Eastern Conference, the center is likely to be Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic, while the forwards should be LeBron James of the Miami Heat and Amare
Stoudemire of the New York Knicks. In the guard positions, the last we saw, it was going to be Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose and Miami Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade.
Voting could have altered the leaders of the votes, which could have bumped Rajon Rondo or Kevin Garnett (or both) into one of the top slots in the East, but beyond that there shouldn't be any more surprises. As soon as we learn who the starters are, though, the debate will begin about who deserves to be on the roster as one of the seven reserves on each roster."
#36
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Posted 27 January 2011 - 06:14 PM
http://www.associate...for.html?cat=14
2011 NBA All-Star game projections for Western Conference.
Ryan Christopher DeVault, Yahoo! Contributor Network.
"It's time for 2011 NBA All-Star Game projections, and there are certainly a few players standing out as the elite of the league so far. The 2011 Western Conference All-Star team will end up leaving quite a few talented players out of the loop, despite have really having stolen the spotlight early on. We are now one month into the year, the NBA All-Star ballots are out, and it's time to start discussing which players deserve a spot in the 2011 NBA All-Star Game.
First let's start with the obvious choices for who might end up gaining fan support for a starting spot in the 2011 NBA All-Star Game. The Western Conference All-Stars are probably the easiest to discuss right now, as there are again clear favorites that stand out from the group. The forward position comes down to five guys that will run away with the votes, and they include Carmelo Anthony, Tim Duncan, Kevin Durant, Pau Gasol, and Dirk Nowitzki. The two starters will come from that group, and we think that it will be Anthony and Durant that receive the nods.
The Western Conference All-Star guards will begin with Kobe Bryant in one of the slots, and the second slot will come down to a vote between Steve Nash and Chris Paul. With Paul really on his game again this season, he seems like the one that will make the point guard slot, even though there are some great there are some really great point guards in the West again this year. It might make the center position even more embarrassing, as it will probably be Yao Ming that gets the votes to start again.
Western Conference Starting Five
G -- Kobe Bryant
G -- Chris Paul
C -- Yao Ming--(bowing out of the game.)
F -- Kevin Durant
F -- Carmelo Anthony
After we conclude which five players will start for the Western Conference, things get really difficult when deciding which players are going to come off the bench for the team. With seven more slots for a group of great players that include probably 20 that could be All-Stars, there are going to be quite a few snubs this year. The question becomes which players will garner enough support to grab one of those bench spots."
2011 NBA All-Star game projections for Western Conference.
Ryan Christopher DeVault, Yahoo! Contributor Network.
"It's time for 2011 NBA All-Star Game projections, and there are certainly a few players standing out as the elite of the league so far. The 2011 Western Conference All-Star team will end up leaving quite a few talented players out of the loop, despite have really having stolen the spotlight early on. We are now one month into the year, the NBA All-Star ballots are out, and it's time to start discussing which players deserve a spot in the 2011 NBA All-Star Game.
First let's start with the obvious choices for who might end up gaining fan support for a starting spot in the 2011 NBA All-Star Game. The Western Conference All-Stars are probably the easiest to discuss right now, as there are again clear favorites that stand out from the group. The forward position comes down to five guys that will run away with the votes, and they include Carmelo Anthony, Tim Duncan, Kevin Durant, Pau Gasol, and Dirk Nowitzki. The two starters will come from that group, and we think that it will be Anthony and Durant that receive the nods.
The Western Conference All-Star guards will begin with Kobe Bryant in one of the slots, and the second slot will come down to a vote between Steve Nash and Chris Paul. With Paul really on his game again this season, he seems like the one that will make the point guard slot, even though there are some great there are some really great point guards in the West again this year. It might make the center position even more embarrassing, as it will probably be Yao Ming that gets the votes to start again.
Western Conference Starting Five
G -- Kobe Bryant
G -- Chris Paul
C -- Yao Ming--(bowing out of the game.)
F -- Kevin Durant
F -- Carmelo Anthony
After we conclude which five players will start for the Western Conference, things get really difficult when deciding which players are going to come off the bench for the team. With seven more slots for a group of great players that include probably 20 that could be All-Stars, there are going to be quite a few snubs this year. The question becomes which players will garner enough support to grab one of those bench spots."
#37
jcisco loboe'77
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Posted 27 January 2011 - 06:14 PM
http://www.associate...tar.html?cat=14
2011 NBA Eastern Conference All-Star Team Projections.
Ryan Christopher DeVault, Yahoo! Contributor Network.
"The 2011 Eastern Conference All-Star team is going to be tough to predict. Early 2011 NBA All-Star Game projections have players like Rajon Rondo and Joakim Noah really stepping up their games to
earn a spot, but with so many other star players on the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics it is going to be interesting to see how the fans, players, and coaches feel about the 12 roster spots.
The 2011 NBA All-Star Game ballots are already out, allowing fans to start placing their votes for the starting five this year. Some of the selections in the Eastern Conference seem like they should be pretty obvious, but it is also clear that there is going to be a lot of debate about who should not just be in the starting five, but among the players that are selected to take one of the seven bench spots.
Let's start easy, with the Eastern Conference starting center, as we all know it will be Dwight Howard in a land-slide vote. Moving over to the guard position it gets a little tougher to predict, but Dwyane Wade, Rajon Rondo and Derrick Rose stand out from the group. The voters will probably go with the more exciting Rose over Rondo, and he will join Wade in the starting lineup.
At the forward position it isn't clear if there are enough people supporting LeBron James to earn him a starting nod. In addition to James, there is Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Amare Stoudemire, and Gerald Wallace. It seems like James and Garnett will again get the votes, even if Garnett might not deserve a slot on the All-Star team this year. Going with those two means that four of the five All-Stars will be the same as in 2010, with just Rose replacing Allen Iverson.
Eastern Conference All Star Starting Five
F -- LeBron James
F -- Kevin Garnett
C -- Dwight Howard
G -- Dwyane Wade
G -- Derrick Rose."
2011 NBA Eastern Conference All-Star Team Projections.
Ryan Christopher DeVault, Yahoo! Contributor Network.
"The 2011 Eastern Conference All-Star team is going to be tough to predict. Early 2011 NBA All-Star Game projections have players like Rajon Rondo and Joakim Noah really stepping up their games to
earn a spot, but with so many other star players on the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics it is going to be interesting to see how the fans, players, and coaches feel about the 12 roster spots.
The 2011 NBA All-Star Game ballots are already out, allowing fans to start placing their votes for the starting five this year. Some of the selections in the Eastern Conference seem like they should be pretty obvious, but it is also clear that there is going to be a lot of debate about who should not just be in the starting five, but among the players that are selected to take one of the seven bench spots.
Let's start easy, with the Eastern Conference starting center, as we all know it will be Dwight Howard in a land-slide vote. Moving over to the guard position it gets a little tougher to predict, but Dwyane Wade, Rajon Rondo and Derrick Rose stand out from the group. The voters will probably go with the more exciting Rose over Rondo, and he will join Wade in the starting lineup.
At the forward position it isn't clear if there are enough people supporting LeBron James to earn him a starting nod. In addition to James, there is Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Amare Stoudemire, and Gerald Wallace. It seems like James and Garnett will again get the votes, even if Garnett might not deserve a slot on the All-Star team this year. Going with those two means that four of the five All-Stars will be the same as in 2010, with just Rose replacing Allen Iverson.
Eastern Conference All Star Starting Five
F -- LeBron James
F -- Kevin Garnett
C -- Dwight Howard
G -- Dwyane Wade
G -- Derrick Rose."
#38
jcisco loboe'77
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Posted 27 January 2011 - 06:17 PM
http://www.associate...own.html?cat=14
NBA All Star Game Voting Coming Down to Wire in 2011; Kobe Bryant Leads in Votes. Ryan Christopher DeVault, Yahoo! Contributor Network.
"The 2011 NBA All Star Game voting is coming down to the wire. Kobe Bryant still leads all players in 2011 NBA All Star Game votes, meaning he is a shoe-in to start at one of the guard positions for the Western Conference. Things have started to shift a bit, though, as there are several new players leading in votes who could now become starters in the Feb. 20 game.
The latest voting results have Los Angeles Lakers guard Bryant up to 1,757,216 total votes, making him the vote leader overall. Bryant and New Orleans Hornet guard Chris Paul will be the starters at the guard positions, as they are now way out in front in the minds of fans.
They are definitely two of the most deserving guards in the Western Conference, but it is going to be very difficult to fill out that roster with so many good players. Who from Manu Ginobili (Spurs), Deron Williams (Jazz), Russell Westbrook (Thunder), Tony Parker (Spurs), and Steve Nash (Suns) should stay home this year?
The player with the most votes in the Eastern Conference is Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard right now, with the latest results revealing that he has 1,537,619 total votes. That puts him first at the center position, and just ahead of the duo from the Miami Heat. LeBron James leads at the forward position with 1,518,807 votes and Dwyane Wade leads at the guard position with 1,499,768 votes. They will both be starters in the game, but now it looks possible that if they receive enough support over the next two weeks, one of them (or both) could actually pass Howard in total votes.
Filling out the starting lineup in the Eastern Conference right now is New York Knicks forward Amare Stoudemire and Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose. They both moved into starting positions after passing players who had been ahead during the entire voting process. At the forward position, the Boston Celtics' Kevin Garnett slipped to third in voting; at the guard position, it was the Celtics' Rajon Rondo. They could both potentially catch up again before the starters are announced, but it is really starting to look like Stoudemire and Rose will indeed now be starters.
NBA All Star Game Voting Coming Down to Wire in 2011; Kobe Bryant Leads in Votes. Ryan Christopher DeVault, Yahoo! Contributor Network.
"The 2011 NBA All Star Game voting is coming down to the wire. Kobe Bryant still leads all players in 2011 NBA All Star Game votes, meaning he is a shoe-in to start at one of the guard positions for the Western Conference. Things have started to shift a bit, though, as there are several new players leading in votes who could now become starters in the Feb. 20 game.
The latest voting results have Los Angeles Lakers guard Bryant up to 1,757,216 total votes, making him the vote leader overall. Bryant and New Orleans Hornet guard Chris Paul will be the starters at the guard positions, as they are now way out in front in the minds of fans.
They are definitely two of the most deserving guards in the Western Conference, but it is going to be very difficult to fill out that roster with so many good players. Who from Manu Ginobili (Spurs), Deron Williams (Jazz), Russell Westbrook (Thunder), Tony Parker (Spurs), and Steve Nash (Suns) should stay home this year?
The player with the most votes in the Eastern Conference is Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard right now, with the latest results revealing that he has 1,537,619 total votes. That puts him first at the center position, and just ahead of the duo from the Miami Heat. LeBron James leads at the forward position with 1,518,807 votes and Dwyane Wade leads at the guard position with 1,499,768 votes. They will both be starters in the game, but now it looks possible that if they receive enough support over the next two weeks, one of them (or both) could actually pass Howard in total votes.
Filling out the starting lineup in the Eastern Conference right now is New York Knicks forward Amare Stoudemire and Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose. They both moved into starting positions after passing players who had been ahead during the entire voting process. At the forward position, the Boston Celtics' Kevin Garnett slipped to third in voting; at the guard position, it was the Celtics' Rajon Rondo. They could both potentially catch up again before the starters are announced, but it is really starting to look like Stoudemire and Rose will indeed now be starters.
#39
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Posted 27 January 2011 - 06:44 PM
http://lakersblog.la...ce-starter.html
Should NBA Commissioner David Stern select Andrew Bynum as All-Star starter?
"With wide-eyed enthusiasm, Lakers center Andrew Bynum still maintains the boyish innocence that any 23-year-old should have.
He joyfully shares if asked what he learned from a recent book he read. He provides a detailed medical report on his latest injury or recovery effort, a protocol most athletes avoid. And his smile beams when he knows he's going to match up with an All-Star-caliber player because it gives him an adequate measure on where he stands among the league's elite.
Yet although he's still young, it was nearly six years ago when he was the Lakers' 10th pick in the 2005 NBA draft, becoming at 18 years old the youngest player ever to play in the NBA. Missing 147 regular-season games surely prolonged how long it's felt since Bynum has been with the Lakers. For those keeping score: 46 of those absences came in the 2007-08 season because of a left knee injury; 32 of the times Bynum remained on the sideline occurred in the 2008-09 season when he tore an MCL in his right knee; 13 missed games happened in the 2009-10 season when he strained his left Achilles' tendon; and sitting out 24 games took place this season as he rehabbed from off-season surgery on his right knee.
That's partially why the Lakers have yet to see the full benefits Bynum has brought, though there have been a few steps he's taken. He fought through a torn meniscus in his right knee during the 2010 NBA Finals. He's also bolstered the team's record since returning this season to the starting lineup in the past 15 games to 12-3, its defensive identity to the third-best in opponent's field-goal percentage, and with an average of 13.3 points on 59.3% shooting, 8.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocked shots in 27.2 minutes. Bynum's injuries are also partially why he's yet to achieve what he deems to be a significant goal in making the NBA All-Star team, though going through a 23-game stretch last season without a double-double didn't help his cause, either. With the league set to announce Thursday the All-Star starters for the game that takes place Feb. 20 at Staples Center, it's conceivable Bynum will have to wait another season to fulfill that position.
With yet another sign of globalization and that China's state-controlled media also discounts injury reports, Houston Rockets center Yao Ming is the West's leading vote-getter (928,928) at the position with 928,928 despite having season-ending surgery on a stress fracture on his left ankle. The position doesn't automatically go to Bynum, who's ranked second with (660,576 votes). Instead, NBA Commissioner David Stern will select Yao's replacement, making it possible that Bynum's fate will rest on when the coaches select the reserves, including a center, two forwards, two guards and two other players at any position. Forget for a moment that it's possible Bynum could appear in his first All-Star game as a reserve, though that is a unlikely scenario. Should Stern select Bynum as Yao's replacement?
Lakers Coach Phil Jackson immediately thought of Dallas center Tyson Chandler, whom Jackson has credited for providing a defensive presence for the Mavericks front line. Most of Sports Illustrated's writers believe Denver center Nene deserves the nod for his 15.2 points and 7.5 rebounds per game and his league-leading 64.6% field-goal percentage. And ESPN.com's John Hollinger contends that Bynum would be "horribly undeserving." And what say you? I'm sure this will spark debate within this corner of the blogosphere. No matter how much of a difference Bynum has played in the last month, however, he's simply missed too many games. But this latest debate reveals Bynum maturing in some respect, knowing his time will eventually come.
Though Bynum remarked to AOL Fanhouse recently, "I just got to get an opportunity to kind of be a focal point on this squad," those comments spoke more to what he needs to do in fulfilling his goal in becoming the NBA's best center than lamenting his current role. After all, the Lakers' 29-point victory Tuesday over the Jazz showed Bynum taking more pride in adopting a workmanlike attitude in filling the stat sheet. He collected more rebounds (11) than shot attempts (six of nine). He recorded more blocks (three) than personal fouls (two). And he's taken pride in disrupting passing lanes and shots more than making baskets.
"We have a lot of scorers on this team, so offensively, if you get a play run for you, you better be successful with it because we've got a lot of guys who are able to score," Bynum told The Times' Broderick Turner. "But defensively, I think I can be active and challenge a lot of shots, change a lot of shots."
Usually Bynum's refrain in previous seasons entailed that early touches would be the only way that led to him having successful performances, a strategy that spoke to his single-mindedness on scoring and unrealistic approach considering Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol are on the team. No longer is Bynum saying much about needing to be an All-Star, either. Most of his talk instead has surrounded how he still remains dissatisfied with his physical health. In previous seasons, Jackson may have needed to remind the young Bynum that patience is a virtue. This year? "I don't think specifically it's a conversation that's necessary," Jackson said. "This is a team that knows their roles."
Bynum's role with the Lakers so far has been this: lowering minutes for Gasol, allowing Odom to lead the bench and, of course, staying healthy. Those ingredients may not be enough for an All-Star run, but they'll surely be enough in helping the Lakers secure a third championship. Eventually, that role will be suffice in accomplishing his goal in becoming an All-Star, something that will happen soon enough for Bynum to remain boyishly wide-eyed."
-- Mark Medina.
Should NBA Commissioner David Stern select Andrew Bynum as All-Star starter?
"With wide-eyed enthusiasm, Lakers center Andrew Bynum still maintains the boyish innocence that any 23-year-old should have.
He joyfully shares if asked what he learned from a recent book he read. He provides a detailed medical report on his latest injury or recovery effort, a protocol most athletes avoid. And his smile beams when he knows he's going to match up with an All-Star-caliber player because it gives him an adequate measure on where he stands among the league's elite.
Yet although he's still young, it was nearly six years ago when he was the Lakers' 10th pick in the 2005 NBA draft, becoming at 18 years old the youngest player ever to play in the NBA. Missing 147 regular-season games surely prolonged how long it's felt since Bynum has been with the Lakers. For those keeping score: 46 of those absences came in the 2007-08 season because of a left knee injury; 32 of the times Bynum remained on the sideline occurred in the 2008-09 season when he tore an MCL in his right knee; 13 missed games happened in the 2009-10 season when he strained his left Achilles' tendon; and sitting out 24 games took place this season as he rehabbed from off-season surgery on his right knee.
That's partially why the Lakers have yet to see the full benefits Bynum has brought, though there have been a few steps he's taken. He fought through a torn meniscus in his right knee during the 2010 NBA Finals. He's also bolstered the team's record since returning this season to the starting lineup in the past 15 games to 12-3, its defensive identity to the third-best in opponent's field-goal percentage, and with an average of 13.3 points on 59.3% shooting, 8.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocked shots in 27.2 minutes. Bynum's injuries are also partially why he's yet to achieve what he deems to be a significant goal in making the NBA All-Star team, though going through a 23-game stretch last season without a double-double didn't help his cause, either. With the league set to announce Thursday the All-Star starters for the game that takes place Feb. 20 at Staples Center, it's conceivable Bynum will have to wait another season to fulfill that position.
With yet another sign of globalization and that China's state-controlled media also discounts injury reports, Houston Rockets center Yao Ming is the West's leading vote-getter (928,928) at the position with 928,928 despite having season-ending surgery on a stress fracture on his left ankle. The position doesn't automatically go to Bynum, who's ranked second with (660,576 votes). Instead, NBA Commissioner David Stern will select Yao's replacement, making it possible that Bynum's fate will rest on when the coaches select the reserves, including a center, two forwards, two guards and two other players at any position. Forget for a moment that it's possible Bynum could appear in his first All-Star game as a reserve, though that is a unlikely scenario. Should Stern select Bynum as Yao's replacement?
Lakers Coach Phil Jackson immediately thought of Dallas center Tyson Chandler, whom Jackson has credited for providing a defensive presence for the Mavericks front line. Most of Sports Illustrated's writers believe Denver center Nene deserves the nod for his 15.2 points and 7.5 rebounds per game and his league-leading 64.6% field-goal percentage. And ESPN.com's John Hollinger contends that Bynum would be "horribly undeserving." And what say you? I'm sure this will spark debate within this corner of the blogosphere. No matter how much of a difference Bynum has played in the last month, however, he's simply missed too many games. But this latest debate reveals Bynum maturing in some respect, knowing his time will eventually come.
Though Bynum remarked to AOL Fanhouse recently, "I just got to get an opportunity to kind of be a focal point on this squad," those comments spoke more to what he needs to do in fulfilling his goal in becoming the NBA's best center than lamenting his current role. After all, the Lakers' 29-point victory Tuesday over the Jazz showed Bynum taking more pride in adopting a workmanlike attitude in filling the stat sheet. He collected more rebounds (11) than shot attempts (six of nine). He recorded more blocks (three) than personal fouls (two). And he's taken pride in disrupting passing lanes and shots more than making baskets.
"We have a lot of scorers on this team, so offensively, if you get a play run for you, you better be successful with it because we've got a lot of guys who are able to score," Bynum told The Times' Broderick Turner. "But defensively, I think I can be active and challenge a lot of shots, change a lot of shots."
Usually Bynum's refrain in previous seasons entailed that early touches would be the only way that led to him having successful performances, a strategy that spoke to his single-mindedness on scoring and unrealistic approach considering Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol are on the team. No longer is Bynum saying much about needing to be an All-Star, either. Most of his talk instead has surrounded how he still remains dissatisfied with his physical health. In previous seasons, Jackson may have needed to remind the young Bynum that patience is a virtue. This year? "I don't think specifically it's a conversation that's necessary," Jackson said. "This is a team that knows their roles."
Bynum's role with the Lakers so far has been this: lowering minutes for Gasol, allowing Odom to lead the bench and, of course, staying healthy. Those ingredients may not be enough for an All-Star run, but they'll surely be enough in helping the Lakers secure a third championship. Eventually, that role will be suffice in accomplishing his goal in becoming an All-Star, something that will happen soon enough for Bynum to remain boyishly wide-eyed."
-- Mark Medina.
#40
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Posted 27 January 2011 - 06:44 PM
http://www.nola.com/...ms_pushing.html
Monty Williams pushing David West, Emeka Okafor for All-Star team.
By Jimmy Smith, The Times-Picayune.
OAKLAND, CALIF.—"The starters for the NBA’s All-Star Game will be announced Thursday night, and if the vote holds true from the first three announced tabulations, New Orleans Hornets guard Chris Paul should earn his fourth consecutive appearance, third as a starter.
However, Coach Monty Williams was lamenting the fact Wednesday night, as New Orleans prepared to play the Golden State Warriors with a nine-game winning streak on the line, that two other players on his roster were equally deserving. And, that he likely didn’t have enough sway to earn them a spot.
Forward David West and center Emeka Okafor are putting up statistics worthy of notoriety, but neither will make the team without the support of Western Conference coaches when they vote for All-Star reserves. League rules mandate Williams cannot vote for either player.
“I feel bad, because I feel like if they played for a coach who had some sort of impact in the coaching world, or basketball world, people might be talking about them,” Williams said. “But I don’t think my words carry that much weight. If you look at the numbers and what they’ve done over the course of the season, not in bunches, they’ve done it all season. People aren’t talking about them the way they should.”
West is the Hornets’ leading scorer at 19 points per game and averages 7.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists. Okafor is averaging 11 points, 10.4 rebounds and just less than two blocks per game.
“David plays every night, hits game-winning shots, draws a double-team every night,” Williams said. “He’s maybe the best pick-and-pop forward in the game, but because he doesn’t beat his chest, or pop his collar and dance after every shot, he doesn’t get the acclaim that he should. It’s hard to combat that when you play in a small market.
“We’re not going to complain. We’d much rather win big in the end than the All-Star Game. But I just think those guys, they should get more recognition.”
Williams isn’t sure how he’ll seek support from other coaches for West and Okafor.
“This is my first time going through it,” Williams said, “and I’m not much of a politician. I’ve talked to coaches about it. And the coaches I’ve talked to agree with me that they should get more acclaim. So they could tell me one thing and do another. You can’t rely on that stuff. I know the guys I’m going to vote for.
“But I just think it’s something that will take care of itself. I don’t think it’s something David worries about, for sure. He’s done it before and knows how important he is to us, and I think he should get some recognition for it. And Emeka is playing the best basketball of his career. Why not be recognized for that?”
All-Star reserves will be announced Feb. 3.
NO LIMITATIONS ON PAUL: Paul, who tweaked an already tender left ankle in the closing seconds of Monday night’s win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, went through the Hornets’ practice session/shootaround Wednesday morning in preparation for the game against the Warriors and was deemed ready to play.
“We talked, and he went through practice and was fine,” Williams said. “If he says something to me, or I see something, then we’ll re-evaluate. But I haven’t seen anything.”
THORNTON “SWINGING” WELL: Williams has used a baseball analogy recently when talking about second-year shooting guard Marcus Thornton, who, according to Williams, has occasionally hit a grand slam in a pinch-hit role off the bench.
Williams was asked if Thornton, who has four consecutive double-figure scoring games, including 10 in Monday’s win over Oklahoma City, has put together any multi-hit performances.
“He did,” said Williams, “then last game he was 3-for-12. His shots were point-blank shots, and I thought the length from the basket messed with him a little bit. But he defended. And he tried to fight over screens on defense. I’m not asking Marcus to go 10-for-12 or have 18-point quarters every night.
“I just want him to be solid. The more solid his mindset is, he’s going to have games where he scores eight to 10 points, but he gets five rebounds and is solid on defense.”
Monty Williams pushing David West, Emeka Okafor for All-Star team.
By Jimmy Smith, The Times-Picayune.
OAKLAND, CALIF.—"The starters for the NBA’s All-Star Game will be announced Thursday night, and if the vote holds true from the first three announced tabulations, New Orleans Hornets guard Chris Paul should earn his fourth consecutive appearance, third as a starter.
However, Coach Monty Williams was lamenting the fact Wednesday night, as New Orleans prepared to play the Golden State Warriors with a nine-game winning streak on the line, that two other players on his roster were equally deserving. And, that he likely didn’t have enough sway to earn them a spot.
Forward David West and center Emeka Okafor are putting up statistics worthy of notoriety, but neither will make the team without the support of Western Conference coaches when they vote for All-Star reserves. League rules mandate Williams cannot vote for either player.
“I feel bad, because I feel like if they played for a coach who had some sort of impact in the coaching world, or basketball world, people might be talking about them,” Williams said. “But I don’t think my words carry that much weight. If you look at the numbers and what they’ve done over the course of the season, not in bunches, they’ve done it all season. People aren’t talking about them the way they should.”
West is the Hornets’ leading scorer at 19 points per game and averages 7.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists. Okafor is averaging 11 points, 10.4 rebounds and just less than two blocks per game.
“David plays every night, hits game-winning shots, draws a double-team every night,” Williams said. “He’s maybe the best pick-and-pop forward in the game, but because he doesn’t beat his chest, or pop his collar and dance after every shot, he doesn’t get the acclaim that he should. It’s hard to combat that when you play in a small market.
“We’re not going to complain. We’d much rather win big in the end than the All-Star Game. But I just think those guys, they should get more recognition.”
Williams isn’t sure how he’ll seek support from other coaches for West and Okafor.
“This is my first time going through it,” Williams said, “and I’m not much of a politician. I’ve talked to coaches about it. And the coaches I’ve talked to agree with me that they should get more acclaim. So they could tell me one thing and do another. You can’t rely on that stuff. I know the guys I’m going to vote for.
“But I just think it’s something that will take care of itself. I don’t think it’s something David worries about, for sure. He’s done it before and knows how important he is to us, and I think he should get some recognition for it. And Emeka is playing the best basketball of his career. Why not be recognized for that?”
All-Star reserves will be announced Feb. 3.
NO LIMITATIONS ON PAUL: Paul, who tweaked an already tender left ankle in the closing seconds of Monday night’s win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, went through the Hornets’ practice session/shootaround Wednesday morning in preparation for the game against the Warriors and was deemed ready to play.
“We talked, and he went through practice and was fine,” Williams said. “If he says something to me, or I see something, then we’ll re-evaluate. But I haven’t seen anything.”
THORNTON “SWINGING” WELL: Williams has used a baseball analogy recently when talking about second-year shooting guard Marcus Thornton, who, according to Williams, has occasionally hit a grand slam in a pinch-hit role off the bench.
Williams was asked if Thornton, who has four consecutive double-figure scoring games, including 10 in Monday’s win over Oklahoma City, has put together any multi-hit performances.
“He did,” said Williams, “then last game he was 3-for-12. His shots were point-blank shots, and I thought the length from the basket messed with him a little bit. But he defended. And he tried to fight over screens on defense. I’m not asking Marcus to go 10-for-12 or have 18-point quarters every night.
“I just want him to be solid. The more solid his mindset is, he’s going to have games where he scores eight to 10 points, but he gets five rebounds and is solid on defense.”
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