NBA All-Stars Losing Their Glamour

This year's NBA All-Star Game is a bit different then those in years past. For beginners, the game is being played in Las Vegas, the first time the game has been played in a city without a NBA team. Also, it will be a game full of lack-luster, non-deserving players. In my mind, the All-Star Game should be for those players that have played like an All-Star during the year and are deserving of recognition. However, that is not the case because the starters are voted in by fans (making it the "American Idol" event of professional basketball). Let's look at the glaring problems with this year's All-Star game for the East and West. With the East, there is Shaquille O'Neal. Shaq is a dominant player, but has he been an All-Star this year? NO! Shaq has played in more All-Star games (14) than he has games this season (10). Dwight Howard should have gotten the nod to start. Then there is the new Kobe Bryant of the NBA, Gilbert Arenas. Gilbert scores points, but do I believe that he should be a starter? Once again, no. Arenas is shooting a pathetic 43% from the field and has hoisted up 984 shots this year. No wonder why he scores so much, it's a simple numbers game. "Now if I throw up at least 20 shots a game I'm bound to score about 30 a game and make the All-Star team." Not to mention, Arenas has taken 413 foul shots already this season, solidifying his status as a flopper that gets too much star treatment. Caron Butler, Arenas' teammate, is more deserving of the start. Anybody that watches the Wizards knows that as Butler goes, so does the team. With the West, every position is out of whack. The team features 3 centers and 2 "point forwards." First, Yao Ming is the starter when he has been gone since November with a broken foot. Because the NBA knows that Yao has the backing of millions in China and is a lock as the starter every year, they list Duncan and Garnett as forwards so they have chances to start as well. Here's a couple of homework assignments for all of you, go home and watch all the Spurs' and Timberwolves' games from this year and tell me how many games Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett played forward spots and not center. I'm telling you now, you can count them on one hand. Here' s your second homework assignment, go watch all the Jazz's games from this year and tell me how many games Mehmet Okur played center and not power forward. Center is not Okur's natural position, he's even 2 inches shorter than Duncan, but that's the position he plays. Why do I mention this? Well, because Okur was listed as a center on the All-Star ballot. Quite the conspiracy theory, no? The same goes for the point guard position on the West's squad...Kobe Bryant! Seriously, how many times does Kobe play the point? Steve Nash has won two straight MVPs, is averaging double the assists that Kobe does (which is really the purpose of the point guard, right?) and still gets snubbed out of a starting spot on the team because Kobe and T-Mac have to start. Then there is the story of the 2 Nuggets, Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony. Neither deserve an All-Star selection this year but they both got one. While 'Melo sat out 15 games for that sissy punch he threw, Iverson sat out for a month after demanding a trade. When together, they were supposed to be unstoppable, everybody thought it would be the start of a Nuggets dynasty. Yeah, with 'Melo and Iverson together, the Nuggets have a losing record and have allowed a Boozer-less Jazz to gain a 7 game lead on them in the division. The NBA needs to re-evaluate what the purpose of the All-Star Game is. Is it to earn money by showcasing it's most popular faces, or is it a way to recognize players that have stepped it up and played like an "All-Star"? As of right now it's the first, which is a shame.