All-Star Game or Popularity Contest?

With the NBA All-Star weekend coming up, many of us are reminded why we are so disappointed with the NBA.

The All-Star game has turned into nothing more than a popularity contest, which is demonstrated by the fact that Allen Iverson is starting for the Eastern Conference All-Stars. Iverson is arguably having the worst year of his career, with career lows in point, assist and rebounds, while only appearing in 25 games, but somehow remains a fan favorite, receiving over 1.2 million votes.

This embarrassment begs for the NBA to change the way they do things. The starting 5 for each conference are currently chosen by fan voting, while the reserves on each roster are determined by coaches. This is why we will have to watch the washed up A.I. play, instead of a more deserving player such as David Lee, Josh Smith, or Joakim Noah (all of whom will be watching from home).

At least the NBA avoided the catastrophe that is Tracy McGrady, who was slated for a starting bid on the Western Conference roster going into the last few days of voting… until people realized that he has only played in 6 game this season (because of injuries and lack of production), which resulted in him finally getting thrown out of a starting spot.

I understand that people vote for their favorite players, and want to see them in the All-Star game, but it isn’t fair to the more deserving players that they stay home  because they weren’t “popular” enough.

All-Star Rosters: http://www.nba.com/allstar2010/players/