There is always talk after NBA All Stars have been selected about which deserving failed to make to make the cut, and this year is no exception. Most of the controversy comes from the high-powered Western Conference, where the point-guard position is as loaded as it has been in recent years. Bet on the 2008 NBA All Star Game at BetOnline.com.
New Jersey's Jason Kidd and Miami's Dwayne Wade were chosen by the fans to start for the Eastern Conference, while Detroit duo Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton are joined by Atlanta's Joe Johnson at the guard spot.
The biggest omission from the team would have to be Toronto's Jose Calderon, who has taken advantage of an unfortunate injury to T.J. Ford to boost his profile. Calderon is running away with the title of assists-to-turnover ratio, putting up an outlandish 5.62 assists for every single turnover he commits.
A case for be made for Calderon to take Johnson's spot, especially because his team has a much better record than Johnson's does. New Jersey's Richard Jefferson also has a legitimate claim to an All-Star spot, and he could still snatch one if Boston's Kevin Garnett, who was selected as one of the two starting forwards along with Cleveland's LeBron James, misses the game with an abdominal injury. Jefferson is sixth in the NBA in scoring, and he has done so in a tumultuous season for the Nets.
The West is loaded with players who would make the team any other time, but the quality in the West is simply outstanding. Denver's Allen Iverson and Kobe Bryant of the Lakers will start at guard, with Phoenix's Steve Nash, New Orleans' Chris Paul and Portland's Brandon Roy named as reserves. All of these players are deserving, leaving the likes of Golden State's Baron Davis and Utah's Deron Williams on the sideline.
Davis is the conductor of the league's most exciting team to watch, while Williams combines solid fundamentals with spectacular play as one of the most well-rounded players in the NBA. New Orleans' David West was a surprise to some when the list of reserves came out, and a more worthy selection may have been Minnesota's Al Jefferson, who came to Minnesota from Boston in the Garnett trade. The only knock on Jefferson is that he plays for the lowly Timberwolves.
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