The other day I was thinking about the NBA All Star teams, and I noticed something interesting about the projected East lineup. I saw that 10 of the projected 12 players were from Miami, Orlando, Chicago, Boston, and Atlanta. There is only going to be two players from the other 10 teams combined. Now I realize that it is the All Star game and that only the best players should go, but it got me thinking about what the All Star team could look like if every team had a representative (sort of how the MLB does it). Here are the stipulations of the list and how those teams would turn out.
Stipulations
- One and only one player from each team. If there were multiple of each team, the lineups would be way too big.
- The roster consists of three of each position: PG, SG, SF, PF, and C.
- All stats listed are from 2/1/11 (before games played that evening).
- You will notice some snubs, and some people who don't deserve to make an All Star game, but we did what had to be done to meet all the team and positional requirements.
Atlanta Hawks: Joe Johnson, SG: 20.1 PPG, 5.4 APG, 4.3 RPG
The 9 year vet hasn't lost a step as he is putting up numbers right at his career average, and in doing so he should make his 5th consecutive All Star appearance. Al Horford is also a very deserving candidate, but JJ fit our positional requirements the best.
Boston Celtics: Rajon Rondo, PG: 10.4 PPG, 12.6 APG, 2.4 SPG
There are arguably four, maybe five, deserving candidates from the first place Celtics. And I know that Rondo doesn't have much of a shooting game, but his 12.6 APG would be 11th all time if the season ended now. Throw in those steals and the fact that he's first on the team with 1.4 offensive rebounds per game. Easy choice.
Charlotte Bobcats: Stephen Jackson, SG: 18.4 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 3.4 APG
Shooting guard was a position that is a little more difficult to fill in the East, but Stephen Jackson fit nicely as he does lead his team in scoring and second in assists. D.J Augustin is also a consideration.
Chicago Bulls: Derrick Rose, PG: 24.4 PPG, 8.1 APG, 3.6 RPG
This is probably the easiest choice, considering I believe this is your first half of the season NBA MVP. The Bulls are third in the East with a 33-14 record, despite missing Carlos Boozer for half the year and Joakim Noah the other half. You can thank Derrick Rose for that.
Cleveland Cavaliers: Antwan Jamison, PF: 17.1 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 1.6 APG
Jamison has surprisingly decent numbers for someone on such an awful team—by far the only person we could've chose.
Detroit Pistons: Tayshaun Prince, SF: 14.6 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 2.8 APG
I think that about sums up your 2010-11 Pistons team—not a whole lot to see for a team that has somehow won 17 games. Rodney Stuckey is in the talks for Pistons, but doesn't fit our team's positional needs as well as Prince.
Indiana Pacers: Danny Granger, SF: 21.0 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 2.8 APG
Granger is another fairly easy decision from a woeful team. Detroit looks almost like a college All Star team to me with some of these big college names, but Granger is the only one really producing numbers.
Miami Heat: LeBron James, SF: 26.0 PPG, 7.3 APG, 7.2 RPG
The LeBron-Dwyane Wade debate on this one was extremely tough. Their numbers are so close to each other, but the slight edge goes to LeBron. James is also leading the team in Win Shares, the estimated number of wins contributed by a player.
Milwaukee Bucks: Andrew Bogut, C: 13.4 PPG, 11.7 RPG, 2.8 BPG
Brandon Jennings is a good player and a consideration for this team, but I don't see how we can leave off a guy who is averaging a double-double (and leading the league in blocks with nearly three a game!). Bogut also leads his team in Win Shares, Defensive Rating, and PER (Player Efficiency Rating, a standardized measure of minute-to-minute production.)
New Jersey Nets: Devin Harris, PG: 15.4 PPG, 7.8 APG, 1.1 SPG
Statistically speaking Brook Lopez probably deserves the nod from the Nets, but in the confines of the system we're working with, Devin Harris fit better. That being said, Harris is no slouch. He is right behind Lopez in almost all advanced team stat categories.
New York Knicks: Amar'e Stoudemire, PF: 26.2 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 2.2 BPG
First off I know that Amar'e plays lot of Center, but he also spends some time at PF which qualifies him for this position on our list. Second he is a statistical monster this season. Aside from the gaudy numbers above, he also has a hefty lead on everyone else on his team in Usage Rate (an estimate percentage of team plays used by a player while he is on the floor), which is unusual for a big man. Also, Raymond Felton deserves an honorable mention, who is also having a heck of a year.
Orlando Magic: Dwight Howard, C: 22.4 PPG, 13.6 RPG, 2.2 BPG
Is there even a question of who's going from the Magic? He is the second person we filled on our list after Derrick Rose. He is beating his career average in almost every category and looking at finishing 2010-11 with a career year. Another no-brainer.
Philadelphia 76ers: Elton Brand, PF: 14.9 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 1.2 SPG
That's a name I didn't expect to put on this list, but he's leading his team in the following: Scoring, Rebounding, Blocks, PER, Win Shares, Offensive Rating, and Defensive Rating.
Toronto Raptors: Andrea Bargnani, C: 21.1 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 1.7 APG
The Raptors suck. With that out of the way, the big man from Italy is putting up some nice offensive numbers. When's the last time you saw a 7 footer lead his team in 3 Pointers?
Washington Wizards: Nick Young, SG: 17.0 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 1.3 APG
Who? Exactly. The Wizards are another team who just aren't good. That being said, John Wall and Andray Blatche are thoughts, but Young leads the team in scoring. And we need another SG to fit our puzzle of a lineup.
Here's what your East lineup would look like under our rules:
Starters
Derrick Rose
Joe Johnson
LeBron James
Amar'e Stoudemire
Dwight Howard
Reserves
Rajon Rondo
Devin Harris
Stephen Jackson
Nick Young
Danny Granger
Tayshaun Prince
Antwan Jamison
Elton Brand
Andrea Bargnani
Andrew Bogut
Dallas Mavericks: Dirk Nowitzki, PF: 23.1 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 2.5 APG
This is another fairly easy one to start off the West. Not only are his numbers the best on the team, but the Mavs saw how important his presence alone on the court is when they went on a losing skid while he was injured.
Denver Nuggets: Carmelo Anthony, SF: 23.9 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 3.0 APG
Even amidst all of the trade talk this season Carmelo has still put up solid numbers. He leads his team in scoring and, more impressively, rebounding from the Small Forward position.
Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry, PG: 19.1 PPG, 5.9 APG, 1.9 SPG
I'm a big Monta Ellis fan and was about to write his name down as an automatic for Golden State until I took a closer look at the numbers. Monta may have better looking box scores, but Curry is leading the team in PER, Win Shares, and in Offensive Rating.
Houston Rockets: Luis Scola, C: 19.3 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 2.4 APG
Scola at Center might be a little bit of stretch, but the West is weak at Center and Luis is more than capable of handling it. Kevin Martin is also having a good season, but Shooting Guard is stacked in the West.
Los Angeles Clippers: Blake Griffin, PF: 22.8 PPG, 12.7 RPG, 3.6 APG
Props to Eric Gordon for having a heck of a season, but this is hands down Blake's team. No one deserves it more than him from the Clippers. Plus, I can only imagine what he could do in the All Star game with barely any defensive resistance.
Los Angeles Lakers: Kobe Bryant, SG: 25.5 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 4.8 APG
Pau Gasol averaging 18-10 is impressive, but the player from the Lakers has to be Kobe. He's averaging a 25-5-5 with a steal a game, and he's the NBA leader in Usage Percentage. This is still Kobe's Lakers.
Memphis Grizzlies: Rudy Gay, SF: 20.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 1.7 SPG
My deepest apologies to Zach Randolph who undoubtedly deserves it with his monster 20-13 season, but Power Forward is a tough position in the West. Rudy is a great player and fits the best with our team. He rounds out a stud group of Small Forwards on our West team.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Kevin Love, C: 21.6 PPG, 15.6 RPG, 2.5 APG
I could go on and on about the ridiculous numbers, consecutive double-doubles, or the insane box scores he's put up this year. Instead, I'll just say that the best stat I've read is this: according to the Win Share rate, he has accounted for 7.8 of his team's measly 11 wins. Thats nuts. And yes I know he also is a Power Forward, but he sees significant time at Center.
New Orleans Hornets: Chris Paul, PG: 16.7 PPG, 9.7 APG, 2.6 SPG
CP3 is another easy decision considering he does this stuff every year. He is your NBA leader in Steals and in Win Shares.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Kevin Durant, SF: 28.9 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 2.8 APG
Kevin Durant is a specimen. A 6'10” Small Forward who leads the NBA in scoring and his team in rebounds. Quite impressive. On a side note, I hate not being able to take Russell Westbrook. He is having a heck of a season as well.
Phoenix Suns: Steve Nash, PG: 17.0 PPG, 11.0 APG, 3.6 RPG
The two-time MVP may not be doing enough to make the actual All Star team, but he is absolutely making ours. There is no one even close to as valuable to Phoenix as Nash is.
Portland TrailBlazers: LaMarcus Aldridge, PF: 21.0 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 2.0 APG
LaMarcus is contributing every way possible for Portland. He is averaging a block and a steal a game, and he leads the team in Usage Percentage, PER, and Win Shares as well.
Sacramento Kings: Tyreke Evans, SG: 17.8 PPG, 5.5 APG, 4.8 RPG
Tyreke starts at Shooting Guard but runs a lot of the offense. He is extremely valuable to the Kings offense, but his 1.8 steals a game prove he's no slouch on defense either.
San Antonio Spurs: Manu Ginobli, SG: 18.8 PPG, 4.9 APG, 3.8 RPG
The best team in the NBA is arguably one of the more boring teams to watch. They definitely aren't flashy, but Manu can be very fun to watch as he takes over games. He leads the team in a handful of categories and very much deserves an All Star nod.
Utah Jazz: Al Jefferson, C: 16.6 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 1.9 BPG
Anyone who watches the NBA knows that Deron Williams is the best player on the Jazz. That being said, PG is heavy and C is weak in the West, so Big Al fits best on our team. He's quietly having a pretty good season and has been a nice addition for Utah.
So your West team looks like this:
Starters
Chris Paul
Kobe Bryant
Kevin Durant
Blake Griffin
Kevin Love
Reserves
Steve Nash
Stephen Curry
Manu Ginobli
Tyreke Evans
Carmelo Anthony
Rudy Gay
Dirk Nowitzki
LaMarcus Aldridge
Al Jefferson
Luis Scola
Alright, there it is. Will this system ever happen? No. Should it ever happen? Probably not. Did the idea intrigue me? Yes. Did I enjoy the heck out of writing and researching it? Absolutely. Hopefully you will enjoy reading as much as I did putting it together. I'm interested in your thoughts, agreements or disagreements. Maybe even your own list.
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