Missing in Action

Don’t judge this blog by its title, it’s not Chuck Norris related. This happens every season, so it comes as no surprise: certain players will not be in the All-Star game in a few weeks. And I agree what the guys on Inside the NBA said: everybody on the team deserves to be there, whether they’ve been voted in by the fans, or by the coaches. But that doesn’t mean we don’t miss some players who are probably the MVP of their own team. And yes, I am a boring man, stating the obvious, so these names won’t surprise anybody. Regardless, so things need to be said, even if it has been said already by every writer out there. Attention everyone, mr. Boring gets to work.

Marcus Camby: how in the world is this guy not an All-Star? I might be crazy, but I even voted him in as a starter. Over Yao? Yeah, over Yao. I love Carmelo Anthony, and Allen Iverson is still one of the toughest players in the League, but defense isn’t the strongest point with this Nuggets team, so without Camby they wouldn’t be in the seventh spot for the playoff race. Camby is just behind Dwight Howard in rebounds per game, leads the League in shot blocking (almost 4 blocks per game!), and at this moment he is without a doubt again the Defensive Player of the Year, and arguably the second best center in the West. You can make a case that three Nuggets players on the Western squad are too much, but you can’t dismiss Camby for all that he’s done this season.

Hedo Turkoglu: I just mentioned Dwight Howard, but his Magic(al) teammate Turk is having a career year. In fact, it’s he, not Rashard Lewis, who is the second best player on the Orlando Magic. Granted, the arrival of Lewis sure helped things open up for Turkoglu, and Lewis is playing out of position at the 4-spot, but Hedo is showing that he has the guts to take (and make) the final shot of the game. And he’s a pretty good defender too.

Ray Allen: If the Pistons had four players in the All-Star Game at one time, the new-look Celtics should definitely have three in there this season. Only Pierce and Garnett made it, so it might be childish to say: it’s just unfair to Ray Allen. Can’t say anything else about that, except that all three of them make each other, and the rest of the Celtics players, look better.

Baron Davis: If Baron will sit out the next ten Warriors game, they won’t even win five of them. I’m pretty sure about that. He and Stephen Jackson carry this team as far as they can take them. In fact, we saw what happened in the beginning of the season when Captain Jack was out: they were losing. I have to give Baron some extra credit though, because he is one of the few players in the NBA who you absolutely want to have the ball in his hands when the game is on the line. Some guys on the Warriors already said that they didn’t like it at all that no one made the All-Star team, but it will only make them more dangerous. I’m looking forward to that.

Honorable mentions: Shaquille O’Neal (although he said he doesn’t want to be there, even if he wasn’t injured, but because he wasn’t playing well enough), Josh Howard (playing the best ball of his career, but it’s tough being a small forward in the West to make it as an All-Star), Richard Jefferson (scoring like a mad man, but his team is disappointing, to say the least), Deron Williams (quietly puts up another great season, and the fourth best point guard in the League), and let’s not forget DJ Mbenga (he’s no KG, but he’s getting there).

But still, I’m excited for the game, for the whole weekend, and for the players who are there. I’m pretty sure it will be a good one, and the guys who didn’t make it can always take the Warriors as an example: use it as a motivation for the rest of the season.