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Divining the all-stars

by Chad Ford

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Also Below: Joe All-Star | Clippers more screwed up than we imagined | Peep Show

The fans have spoken. The media have spoken and spoken. And sometime today, the coaches will speak as well.

The all-star selection process is one of the great unsolved mysteries left in the universe. There is no rhyme or reason. No pattern. No logic. Might as well sacrifice small animals, throw their innards on the ground and let a shaman or two divine the stars.

The fans would vote in Charles Barkley and Larry Bird if they could. They've played about as much as Vince Carter has this season. LeBron James would also be a shoo-in. So would Rafer Alston. The fans want to see the stars, the flash and the dunks. Period. There's nothing wrong with that.

The media love to rail on the fans for getting it wrong. Of course, they too, rarely get it right. They're great at hyping their buddies or making selections that bolster their preseason predictions. It gets them better access in the locker room, maybe an exclusive interview or two, and nice dinner for two with the SFX agent of their choice and a chance to say, "I told you so." (Aside: Bad Journalism 101 -- Tell the reader that you hate to say, "I told you so," and then proceed to do it on a weekly basis while conveniently leaving out everything you got wrong.)

The coaches have the best chance of getting things right. They do more than peruse box scores or breath heavily over the latest flavor of the month. They're less likely to be swayed by a good player putting up great stats on a horrible team. And they're more likely to give a guy who busts his butt every night (read Ron Artest) over an all-flash, no-substance scorer (read Antawn Jamison). They also have grudges. That's why you'll never see Rasheed Wallace or Latrell Sprewell get any love this time of year. Again, nothing wrong with that.

Of course, here's the part where I tell you to ignore all of that and listen to me. I don't, however, have all of the answers. My all-star ballot doesn't make much sense either. Is it OK to vote in a guy like Ricky Davis, whose team is terrible? I have no idea. What about a guy like Brad Miller? His numbers don't jump out at you, but he's a key player on the best team in the Eastern Conference. The Pacers would be lost without him.

Company policy forbids me from mutilating squirrels, so I went for the next best thing. I called up five successful GMs and asked for their perspective. I respect the GMs' opinions for a couple of reasons. One, they see the whole picture. Skill, work ethic, bang for the buck, marketability and character all play into it for them. Second, they see the whole league. GMs are constantly scouting other players, looking for a good fit, or that guy who will put them over the top. It's not an exact science. But to these five guys, all of whom wished to remain anonymous, it's as close to science as any of this gets.

While no one agreed on everything, here's a rough consensus of who should be flying first class to Atlanta in February.

Ron Artest

Guard-Forward

Indiana Pacers

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

40 15.7 5.6 2.8 .450 .749

Eastern Conference Starters

G- Jason Kidd (New Jersey)

G- Tracy McGrady (Orlando)

F- Ron Artest (Indiana)

F- Jermaine O'Neal (Indiana)

C- Ben Wallace (Detroit)

Comments: All five GMs agreed that Kidd, McGrady and Wallace were the best at their positions in the East. O'Neal garnered four votes, but the big surprise was Artest, who squeaked in with three. Said one GM, "He may be the only guy in the league that you can put on just about anyone and he'll go out there and shut them down. Ask any coach or GM if they wouldn't love to have a guy like that. He may be a little crazy, but that just adds to the mystique." It's no surprise that four of these players come from the three best teams in the East.

Michael Jordan

Shooting Guard

Washington Wizards

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

44 18.2 5.5 3.8 .435 .805

Eastern Conference Bench

G - Paul Pierce (Boston)

G - Ray Allen (Milwaukee)

G - Allen Iverson (Philadelphia)

F - Michael Jordan (Washington)

F - Antoine Walker (Boston)

F - Jamal Mashburn (New Orleans)

C - Brad Miller (Indiana)

Comments: A few interesting snubs here. No one was willing to give any love to Cleveland's two big scorers, Ricky Davis and Zydrunas Ilgauskas. They both went 0-5 among the GMs I talked to. Jerry Stackhouse also got the snub because of a direct comparison to Jordan. "Forget about the stat sheet, Jordan's the most valuable player on that team. The Wizards without Jordan would be counting pingpong balls. The Wizards without Stackhouse wouldn't be that far off the mark." Jalen Rose and Richard Hamilton also couldn't get much love. "Their both good scorers, but they don't do as much as the other guys do in the other categories. Anymore, versatility is the name of the game." Shareef Abdur-Rahim also had trouble getting any support. "He's a good, young talent," one GM said, "but I've lost faith. He should be carrying the Hawks right now. Instead, he's the first one heading for the lifeboats."

Gary Payton

Point Guard

Seattle SuperSonics

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

42 21.1 4.9 9.2 .466 .680

Western Conference Starters

G- Kobe Bryant (L.A. Lakers)

G- Gary Payton (Seattle)

F- Kevin Garnett (Minnesota)

F- Tim Duncan (San Antonio)

C- Shaquille O'Neal (Los Angeles Lakers)

Comments: Shaq, Kobe, and Duncan were all unanimous selections. Garnett edged out Nowitzki, 3-2. Payton edged out Francis 4-1. Interestingly, the Western Conference vote broke ranks with the Eastern Conference pattern. Three starters play on teams that don't have winning records. What gives? "Shaq and Kobe are still the two most dominant players in the NBA. Their supporting cast is the problem." The KG-Nowitzki debate is an interesting one. Personally, I'd take Nowitzki because of his ability to play on the perimeter, but most of the GMs I polled felt that Garnett's athleticism, ferocity and durability set him apart. The Payton-Francis debate was more lackluster. "Franics' game has improved this season," one GM said. "But he still needs to work on getting his teammates involved. If he can do that, he'll be the best point guard in the league in a couple of years."

Shawn Marion

Small Forward

Phoenix Suns

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

44 21.5 9.6 2.0 .446 .863

Western Conference Bench

G- Steve Francis (Houston)

G- Steve Nash (Dallas)

F- Shawn Marion (Phoenix)

F - Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas)

F - Chris Webber (Sacramento)

F- Karl Malone (Utah)

C - Yao Ming (Houston)

Comments: Again, GMs definitely went the winning route with their bench. No one playing on a team with a losing record snuck onto the bench. Among the more interesting snubs? The Kings, largely considered the best team in the NBA, get just one player in C-Webb? Why? "If Mike Bibby had been healthy all season, he'd be in for sure. But his injury allows us to fudge a little." Stephon Marbury also was left off the list. "He's having a great year, but I think he's still a step behind Francis, Payton, Nash and Bibby as far as a playmaker goes. It seems to be that Marion is the glue on that team. He's got a more unique set of skills." And while we're mourning the guys left off the roster, why no love for Antawn Jamison and Michael Finley? "Give us another two guys and they'd be on the list," one GM said.

Spoken like a true shaman.

These Stars Deserve Leading Roles

Peter Vecsey / New York Post

Coach Wants Jordan to Be An All-Star

Steve Wyche / Washington Post

Can the Mavs' Big Three all get the All-Star nod?

Mike McAllister / Dallas Morning News

Joe All-Star

Now that we've got that out of the way, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention five guys who won't get much support for their all-star bid. Whether it's because their team is terrible, their play isn't highlight reel quality, or they've just appeared on the radar, here's my vote for five average Joes who are doing special things in the NBA this year.

Doug Christie, G, Kings

The Stats: 10.6 ppg, 4.7 apg, 2.8 spg

The Skinny: Ron Artest is getting all of the pub, but some teams feel that Christie is just a tick below Artest in the defensive department. His 2.8 spg lead the league and his assist numbers speak volumes about the important role he plays for the Kings. Chris Webber, Peja Stojakovic and Mike Bibby may get all of the love, but Christie is the glue that holds the Kings together.

Matt Harpring

Small Forward

Utah Jazz

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

43 18.6 7.2 1.6 .507 .830

Matt Harpring, F, Jazz

The Stats: 18.6 ppg, 7.2 rpg on 51 percent shooting

The Skinny: Just when you think the Jazz are about ready to slip into the crapper, along comes Harpring (?!?) to save the day. Karl Malone and John Stockton are still the unquestioned leaders on the Jazz, but ask anyone in Utah and they'll tell you that Harpring's the team's most valuable player. He's averaging career highs in just about everything. Points, rebounds, shooting percentage, three pointers, Harpring is doing it all for the Jazz this season.

Corey Maggette, F, Clippers

The Stats: 16.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg

The Skinny: He's on the verge of being very scary. Maggette developed a nice three-point shot over the summer and has quietly become the one bright spot in an otherwise dreadful season for the Clippers. Maggette has always been a bit of a stepchild on the Clips. Elton Brand, Lamar Odom, Michael Olowokandi, Andre Miller and even Quentin Richardson have gotten more press. But Maggette's combination of extreme athleticism and an emerging perimeter game make him a player to watch the rest of the season. Right now he's the only player on the team hustling for loose balls, crashing the boards for offensive rebounds and getting out ahead of the break. His play hasn't resulted in many Clipper wins, but it should earn him a big payday this summer.

Derek Anderson, G, Blazers

The Stats: 14.8 ppg, 4.5 apg

The Skinny: It's not easy being the stabilizing influence in an insane asylum, but that's what Anderson has done for the Blazers this season. His attitude, since the moment camp began, has given Maurice Cheeks at least one guy that he can count on. Anderson's unselfishness won him the starting point guard slot over three-career point guards early in the season and it's been his quiet leadership, when things get rocky, that has kept the Blazers from sinking. Here's hoping Anderson's example wears off on his teammates before it's too late.

Michael Redd

Shooting Guard

Milwaukee Bucks

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

42 14.9 4.4 1.5 .474 .763

Michael Redd, G, Bucks

The Stats: 14.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 46 percent shooting from three

The Skinny: After a lot of hand wringing this summer, the Bucks decided to bite the bullet and pay Redd a lot of money to be Ray Allen's permanent backup. They're glad they did. Not only has Redd stepped up his game a notch, George Karl has found a way to get him almost 30 minutes a night. How well has he played? There's talk around the league that he's quickly making Allen expendable. He's proved to be a better three-point shooter than Allen (go figure) and he makes much less cash. If the Bucks squeak into the playoffs this season, they'll have Redd to thank.

Honorable Mention: Pau Gasol, Grizzlies; Earl Boykins, Golden State; Kurt Thomas, Knicks; David Wesley, Hornets; Andrei Kirilenko, Jazz; Jazz

Clippers more screwed up than we imagined

The Clippers hit a new low Monday night when they dropped a close game to the Cavs, the NBA's bottom feeders.

Coach Alvin Gentry was quick to point out that the team was without Lamar Odom, who's suffering from a sore right ankle, but after watching the Clippers blow yet another fourth-quarter lead, you have to wonder how much longer the Clippers will let the excuses fly.

"It's the most frustrating year that I have ever had in coaching," Gentry told the LA. Times. "You think you're going to have a whole team and you don't. You miss a guy here, a guy there. We've spent 44 games trying to redefine roles and put guys in different roles and play different rotations."

Corey Maggette

Guard-Forward

Los Angeles Clippers

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

29 15.9 5.2 1.8 .451 .791

True. But when Odom's replacement, Corey Maggette, scores a career-high 34 points, can you pin the loss on Odom? Maggette has a different theory.

"I don't really think that it's our play but our attitude going into the second half," Maggette told the Orange.County Register. "I think we just took this for granted. We have to go back to the drawing board."

At this point in the season, most teams would have had enough. It's time to fire the coach, light a fire under the most underachieving team in the league, and try to resurrect the season before it's too late. On most teams. But we're talking about the Clippers here.

I talked to a Clippers team source late Monday night about Gentry's future with the team. He said simply, "Who knows? No one knows anything here. It's a huge giant mess. We have all of this talent and no real plan in place to do anything with it. Having the talent isn't enough. There has to be a plan that comes into play in situations like this. We have nothing."

Ouch. That's harsh, but there's an explanation behind all of this.

Now, before we go and blame owner Donald Sterling for this whole mess again, we should let him defend himself. The Boston Globe recently obtained a transcript Sterling's 90-minute, 94-page deposition he gave in the Clippers' lawsuit against former coach Bill Fitch.

In the deposition, Sterling denied having any input in basketball decisions for the team. Here's a few snippets of the deposition.

Q. Do you play a role in the final decision to sign a player, resign (sic) a player, draft a player, not sign a player, anything like that?

Sterling: No.

Q. You don't play any role in that?

Sterling: No.

Q. Let's say signing a player.

Sterling: The basketball people do that.

Q. OK. And the basketball people being?

Sterling: Well, there is a personnel director. There is the general manager. There's - I don't even know. There's some other people in that department.

Sterling wasn't even able to identify the team's personnel director. He also said he doesn't play any role in the hiring or firing of a coach.

Sterling: I rely on my people ... My business people and my basketball people.

Q. OK. Do you have any input whatsoever in the decision making, or is it just, they just let you know what they're doing.

Sterling: They let me know what they are doing ... I really don't have the experience.

Now here's where it gets really interesting. Sterling also claims that he hasn't instructed his basketball people to be tight wads.

Q. OK. Is (sic) there instructions you give that you want to be under the (salary) cap, over the cap, anything like that?

Sterling: No.

Q. OK. Is (sic) there any instructions you give that you want Mr. Roeser (Andy Roeser, the team's executive vice president) to run the club very leanly or meanly or words to that effect?

Sterling: No.

And if that isn't the new definition for passing the buck, listen to Sterling's response when asked whether he wants the Clippers to win.

"Yes, but it [the basketball operation] hasn't listened too much to me.''

That should explain just about everything.

Last gasp for Clippers

Art Thompson III / Orange County Register

Trip Ends Badly for Clippers

Elliott Teaford / Los Angeles Times

Clipped answers intriguing

Peter May / Boston Globe

Peep Show

Hornets: Baron Davis spent Monday night pondering today's arthroscopic surgical procedure that will repair damaged cartilage in his left knee. "I'm optimistic," Davis told the Times Picayune. "I'm looking at it as a blessing in disguise. It gives me an opportunity to continue to rehab my back as well as get the knee stronger. I probably needed the time off to get my back to 100 percent. So I feel when I come back, I'm really going to be at 100 percent. I've been through the worst with my ACL surgery [in college], not being able to play for eight months. When somebody tells me I'll be out for a month, three to four weeks, it doesn't really bother me. They gave me a big window, three to six weeks. The harder I work, the better the results, but I won't rush back." The Hornets signed journeyman Randy Livingston to replace Davis.

Sonics: Coach Nate McMillan has had enough. McMillan blew his stack in practice on Monday, prompting Gary Payton to call a team meeting. "I'm coaching," McMillan told the Tacoma Tribune. "I'm a coach. I'm going to stop doing as much counseling as I have to do. There are some things that are going on that we have to grow up and accept. I want to coach this team. I don't want to baby-sit or have to do all the one-on-one sessions that I'm having to do with this group. It's time for guys to grow up and mature."

Lakers: The Lakers are 4-15 away from Staples Center and play four of their final five games before the All-Star break on the road. "If we can't win road games, we're not going to win in the playoffs anyway, because we're going to be on the road in the playoffs," Jackson told the O.C. Register. Still, Jackson believes the Lakers will turn it around this season. "Have faith . . .We feel strong about who we are . . .We see a hope; we see our guys playing with more intelligence and teamwork."

Grizzlies: Coach Hubie Brown is slowly coming to the realization that his team really does stink. "How many times have you seen us favored this year with our 10 best guys healthy?" Brown told the Memphis Commercial Appeal. "Not many. When we have those 10 guys, we have to almost perfect to beat playoff teams here at home."

T-Wolves: Soon-to-be free agent Rasho Nesterovic, when asked the chances that he'll return to the Wolves next season, told the St. Paul Pioneer Press, "Big. I've been here for four years now."

Magic: Is Jeryl Sasser ready to break out. His 26-point performance in the absence of Tracy McGrady and Grant Hill has the Magic wondering. "In a sense, maybe I'm just a diamond in the rough," Sasser told the Orlando Sentinel. "Maybe it was my NBA breakout game. But it just shows that there's no substitute for playing time."

Hornets sign N.O. native Livingston

Jimmy Smith / New Orleans Times-Picayune

From here on out, no more Mr. Nice Coach

Frank Hughes / Tacoma News Tribune

Jackson sees reasons for hope

Kevin Ding / Orange County Register

Brown singing the blues

Ron Higgins / Memphis Commercial Appeal

Nesterovic not eager to leave Wolves

Charley Walters / St. Paul Pioneer Press

Reviews mixed on sneak preview

Tim Povtak / Orlando Sentinel

[beav]

"Derek Anderson, G, Blazers

The Stats: 14.8 ppg, 4.5 apg

The Skinny: It's not easy being the stabilizing influence in an insane asylum, but that's what Anderson has done for the Blazers this season. His attitude, since the moment camp began, has given Maurice Cheeks at least one guy that he can count on. Anderson's unselfishness won him the starting point guard slot over three-career point guards early in the season and it's been his quiet leadership, when things get rocky, that has kept the Blazers from sinking. Here's hoping Anderson's example wears off on his teammates before it's too late."

Yeah, the Blazers are sinking fast! they just finished up a 4-0 road trip without rasheed by beating dallas at home soundly... it really looks like they are on the skids!

LOL, What a moron... he's better off sticking to lame-ass jail blazers jokes if he isn't going to take the trouble to follow the team at all...