Rookies outlawed from Grown up game.

[Diesel]

I began watching the allstar game.

I wonder how it was that: Tony Parker was there and CP3 was not?

I wonder how it was that: Ben Wallace got a chance to go and Dwight Howard did not.

I think it's just the league stopping the Young guys from taking over the weekend.

Has there ever been a player to play in the schick game and the Allstar game?

[exodus]

Lebron didn't make it his rookie year either. Carmelo still hasn't made it. i think there is certainly a bias against young guys making the main event.

Plus they have the rookie game to showcase the young guys.

[chillzatl]

I think when it comes to the young guys, team results come into play more than individual play. I would take both Parker and Wallace over the younger guys. Simply because I know them to be better. young guys and especially rookies, have to be exceptional to make it. Probably more so than their vet counterparts. Lebron made it in his second year. But he was definitely exceptional.

[Weez]

if a player makes it to the 'big game' he cannot play in the shick game (I think this happened to LeBron last year; regardless, it's the rule).

[Diesel]

When their careers have wound down..

People are going to go back and say... Why didn't Chris Paul make the Allstar game his rookie year. Then somebody will say, he was snubbed for Tony Parker. Then all laughter will began. That's like putting Mark Price on the Allstar team and leaving Isiah off. You may have your reasons for putting price on the team, but he's no Isiah.

also, I think if any star really wants to make the allstar game, they should go to China with Yao and give a few exhibitions and become friendly with the country. I'm glad that somebody mentioned Vince Carter being on the Allstar team some years when he didn't deserve it. They should say the same about Grant Hill.

[Lascar78]

tony parker has been playing his ass off this year. He has been so much better than in the past, it's ridiculous. There was no doubt that he would make it. Paul was a borderline case.

He has carried that team on his shoulders as Ginobili has been out, and Duncan has been very average this whole year. And he has carried them to the best record in the west. There was no doubt that he would make it.

He's putting up 19/6/4 on 54% shooting, leading the spurs to the west's best record.

Chris Paul could have made it, but only over Ray Allen or Kevin Garnett

[PhillyDC]

not true...lebron played in the rook-soph game last year. he and dwade. they were setting up melo all night.

[AHF]

Melo hasn't made it because he can't play D and the West is loaded with great forwards.

[PhillyDC]

your D arguments makes no sense. Dirk cant play D either. Melo should have made it over Pau. point blank, period.

[AHF]

Quote:

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your D arguments makes no sense. Dirk cant play D either. Melo should have made it over Pau. point blank, period.

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Dirk can't play D but he is a hell of a lot better than Melo over the last few seasons, including this one.

Gasol this year is better than Melo, period.

Comparitively:

Carmelo averages 6 more points shooting a worse percentage. I give Melo the edge here but not by a ton.

Melo averages 4 fewer rebounds per game. Big edge Pau.

Gasol averages more assists and the same number of TOs. Edge Pau.

Gasol is better defensively (averages more blocks + steals than Melo for example). Edge Pau.

Gasol's team has won more games and lost fewer games than Melo. Edge Pau.

Pau Gasol was the right choice for the All-Star game this year.

[PhillyDC]

melo's team is in 1st place. edge melo. dont want to hear the gripe about his division either. agree to disagree. i think melo should have went.

[chillzatl]

Dirk beats him in nearly every catagory and is a flat out better player, AND he plays for a significantly better team. The line about Dirk not playing defense is BS too. He's not a stopper, not even close. But his teams defense is vastly improved this year and considering that he averages nearly 40mpg, his effort on that end of the court is a factor. The nuggets are only in first because they play in the worst division in the NBA, by a long shot.

Melo, on the other hand, is all about chucking up shots. He's bigdog Glenn Robinson all over again.

[AHF]

Quote:

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melo's team is in 1st place. edge melo. dont want to hear the gripe about his division either. agree to disagree. i think melo should have went.

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lol

I guess according to this perverse logic that Mehmet Okur

gets the edge as a scorer over Rashard Lewis?

Don't give me that Lewis scores more points. Ray Allen leads Seattle in scoring while Okur leads the Jazz. It doesn't matter who actually scores more points. It matters who leads their team in scoring.

Denver 28-26 52% > Memphis 29-23 56%

Okur 17.8 ppg > Lewis 21.3 ppg

I can agree to disagree because rating players is subjective but I am not letting that kind of a ridiculous statement about Denver being a better team as of the All-Star Game this year go unchallenged. Give me a break.

[PhillyDC]

you guys are testy today.

first rebuttal: the argument was/is about 'melo vs. Pau. not Dirk. I mentioned dirk as an example of a poor defender making the all-star game. I think Dirk should have been starting in the all-star game, I just think 'melo should have made it on the team over Pau.

2nd rebuttal: i was just saying 'melo's team is in 1st place as my next argument. never said that denver was better than memphis (although at full strength, which they havent been all season i think they are (including a healthy mighty mouse)). 'melo has led his team to the playoffs each year, has increased his scoring, and has cut down his TOs, and has kept his team above water without camby, nene, martin for good chunks of the season. i think that says something. and i'm really not understanding your okur/lewis analogy. maybe im missing something. being a team's leading scorer has nothing to do with this. I never brought that up.

to recap: dirk>melo>pau(>yao.) my opinion. didnt know this would set off such a debate. (if yao didnt have 2 billion people in his corner maybe my man 'melo would have made it.)

[PhillyDC]

oh yeah, and you cant really compare stats from players who play different positions on different teams. I mean you can, but it's really pointless. pau should avg more boards than 'melo b/c he is 7 ft and 'melo has kenyon and camby snatching up boards. pau is 7 ft so he should get more blocks. steals, ill give you that. ast. have you ever seen memphis play? pau has the ball on almost every possession on the wing or block and they play off of him. denver has a PG averaging 8 ast, boykins comes in and they run a lot of pick and rolls or isos for him, and kenyon gets a few isos a game. melo is the play finisher for denver whereas pau is the facilitator. he should have more ast.

[Lascar78]

pau has less talent around him, yet has led his team to a better record than melo, and has put up better stats than melo. This is really a no-brainer. melo

Plus melo is a complete douchebag who wined about not making the all-star game when he was an unproven rookie.

Every year there are a number of players who are all-star caliber but just don't make the cut. Every all-star was deserving this year

[AHF]

Quote:

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2nd rebuttal: i was just saying 'melo's team is in 1st place as my next argument. never said that denver was better than memphis (although at full strength, which they havent been all season i think they are (including a healthy mighty mouse)).

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I guess I don't understand your point. If you concede that Gasol plays on a better team then how does Melo get the "edge" under your analysis? I thought you were using their first place status as some sort of proxy for which team was better to date this year. I guess if you aren't using it for that purpose I don't understand why it was brought up at all.

[PhillyDC]

just stating facts. agree to disagree. i just want to see the best players play in the all-star game, and in my opinion 'melo should have been there. i see your points, dont agree, but whatever no big deal. next argument.