As I'm sure you've all heard by now the Warriors will be continuing their unfathomable steak of 11 straight NBA All-Star weekends without a player in the Sunday spotlight. [NBA.com: All-Star Index | Reserves]
via: Yahoo! Sports NBA
Before everyone makes the jump can I get a moment of silence for Mr. Latrell Fontaine Sprewell?
Before the annual All-Star outrage boils (actually, I'm pretty sure it already has) I want to congratulate the fans for not voting in Tracy McGrady (I love watching him play, but even he's admitted he doesn't deserve the honors). The coaches also get props for not selecting Tony Parker (even Eva and Tony himself know he's a flopper), Manu Ginobili (wonder if he and his girl know he's a flopper too), Al Jefferson (stellar numbers, but you have wonder how meaningful they really are if he's been one of the worst teams in the league two years running), Tracy McGrady (all name and very little game this year), LaMarcus Aldridge (nice young player, but it's absurd that people were tossing his name around when he's putting up 17 and 7), Craig Smith (just seeing if you're still paying attention), and Deron Williams (not in CP3 and BD's league, but will probably be someday). So before everyone bashes the fans and the coaches for the All-Star roster let's give them their due for being right on the money about those decisions.
But make no mistake Baron Davis deserved to be on the 2007-2008 Western Conference All-Star team. Plain and simple, he was snubbed. Everyone knows it.
It has to be fairly insulting to him, his people, his teammates, the Warriors organization and their fans, and hoops junkies paying the least bit of attention all know that Blazer guard Brandon Roy shouldn't have got in ahead of Boom Dizzle. Don't get it twisted- Roy's a very good player and the Blazers have had a phenomenal season thus far (even if they end up missing the playoffs in the loaded West too), but he's not an elite player and simply isn't in BD's class. He probably never will be either.
Take a look at the numbers:
Baron Davis: 22.3 ppg, 8.1 apg, 4.8 rpg, 2.5 steals, 0.6 blocks
Brandon Roy: 19.3 ppg, 5.6 apg, 4.5 rpg, 0.9 steals, 0.2 blocks
The Warriors (28-19) have a better record than the Blazers (26-19), so the team success argument (which by the way is a curious way to justify an individual honor) really has no merit.
Feel free to quote me on these anytime:
- If the Suns swapped Steve Nash with Baron Davis they would win it hands down. You lose some shooting ability, but you gain stellar defense (actually someone who actually plays defense), more athleticism, even more scoring, and loose nothing in terms of passing (BD would average double digit dimes if he had Amare and Marion too) and hoops IQ.
- Baron Davis is not only having a better season thus far than Brandon Roy (no question), he's having a better one than Steve Nash (BD's got more points, rebounds, steals, plays with a much lesser talented team and actually plays defense as alluded to above).
- An NBA All-Star game with Baron Davis is much more fun to watch for the fans and better for the league ratings than a game with Dirk Nowitzki, Brandon Roy, Carlos Boozer, and David West (great to see West get in by the way- most underrated player in the league). Boom Dizzle's got game, style, flash, charisma, intelligence, and is a quality guy.
- Had to sneak this last one in- during last night's incredibly impressive Warrior win over the Hornets, the New Orleans crowd acted like fools by booing Baron Davis. It's funny how they finally show up to a game and decide to make the place slightly louder than a library- and they boo a guy who showed that community so much love. Don't forget Baron pitched in $50,000 for Hurricane Katrina relief efforts and helped organize a fundraiser with orange "Call For Help" Bracelets. He rolled the wheel at Wheel of Fortune and donated an additional $22,000 as well. Have some class New Orleans Hornets fans (yes, all two of you!).
It's funny how everyone holds BD fully responsible for all the drama back in 2004-2005 with Byron Scott and the Hornets. People seem to have this revisionist history that everyone's always gotten along with Scott and Baron's just a cancer. I sincerely beg to differ and I'm sure Jason Kidd and the 2003-2004 Nets do too.
But you know what? I LOVE THIS SNUB. It just makes us all that much hungrier. I'm talking about Baron Davis, his teammates, head coach Don Nelson, and the Warriors fans who put the Roaracle in Oracle.
You don't think all of the above are fuming right now? You don't think all of the above are hungrier than ever? You don't think all of the above want nothing more than to run game on the entire league right now?
If there's anyone who thrives in the role of the underdog it's the Warriors and their fans. Just ask the Dallas Mavericks. This is what we're all about around these parts. Shocking the world and being "Unstoppable Baby!"
Look at the key players on this roster:
- Baron Davis (C): All Star snub and supposed "cancer"
- Stephen Jackson (C): Untradeable and vilified "thug"
- Matt Barnes (C): Walk-on and NBA journeyman
- Monta Ellis: 2nd round draft pick
- Al Harrington: Very little interest on the free agent market 2 summers ago
- Chris Webber: Completely written off and labeled a "choke artist"
- Kelenna Azubuike: Sambuca?
- CJ Watson: Who?
Even Don Nelson is wrongly labeled as just a coach who can't win a championship despite his many innovations and impressive coaching resume. Even the best fans in the NBA are continually degraded as just "thugs from Oaktown supporting thugs".
But that just makes us that much more golden. We turn that disrespect into something unBELIEVABLE. This is in our DNA.
WE BELIEVE the rest of the league will really regret this. WE BELIEVE we're going to love how this plays out.
Ya'll don't want none of this.
1 Dub. 1 Bay. 1 Luv.