10 NBA Players Who Deserve to Be All-Stars

10 NBA Players Who Deserve to Be All-Stars

NBA analysts and purists believe that the All-Star Game should be based on merit. The players who have played at the highest level through the first half of the season should be the ones that are in the game. That makes sense. That’s probably how it should be.

But it’s not really how it is these days. For the most part, the All-Star Game has turned into a popularity contest rather than a contest to vote for the best players.

The majority of the time, the way the voting has shifted doesn’t skew things too terribly because the most popular players in the league tend to be some of the best players. There are some cases though, when quality players get jobbed out of a spot on the roster in place for less deserving, but more popular, players.

Many times, this idea of the All-Star game being about popularity is proven by players who are injured and have been limited in their playing time, if they’ve played at all, getting voted into the game.

For instance, right now, Andrew Bynum has garnered 93,611 All-Star votes and hasn’t put on a uniform yet. That’s likely not going to get him into the game, but the fact that 90-thousand-plus people are voting for Bynum is indicative of what the voting process has become.

It also happened in 2011 with Yao Ming when he was voted to start the All-Star Game, despite the fact that he only played in five games for the entire season that year. It also happened in 2010 when Allen Iverson was elected to start in the game, even though he only played in 25 games that season and struggled to perform at an elite-level in those few games.

There are other instances of this, but the point is that these guys are taking the place of talented players that deserve to be honored by being a part of the All-Star Game.

Another problem that the game faces is that there are only 24 roster spots and there are way more than 24 guys in the Association that have a strong case for being named an All-Star.

It’s a tough decision to look at the value and production of players and decide who is worthy of being named an All-Star. However, based on the latest fan-vote tallies from Jan. 3 that will choose the starters (the reserves are voted upon by the coaches), there are a few guys that have earned the right to be in Houston in February for the All-Star game that aren’t getting nearly enough voting support.

For the record, it feels worth mentioning that Cleveland Cavaliers big-man Anderson Varejao would undoubtedly have made this list had he not recently had knee surgery that will sideline him for six-to-eight weeks. He’s been fantastic this season and it’s a shame he won’t have a chance to be honored for his contributions.

But even with Varejao injured, there are still 10 players that have been playing at an All-Star caliber. Not all of them are at that level for the same reason. But all of them do deserve to be in the mix to go to Houston for the 2013 NBA All-Star Game.

10. Damian Lillard

Rookies rarely make get the nod to play in the All-Star game. In the new millennium, Ming and Blake Griffin are the only rookies that have been selected as All-Stars. But just because he’s a rookie doesn’t mean that Portland Trailblazers rookie point guard Damian Lillard isn’t deserving of the honor.

Lillard has been nothing short of a superstar in his first 36 games with Portland. He’s averaging 18.5 points, 6.5 assists, 1.1 steals and 3.5 rebounds per game, which has earned him a Player Efficiency Rating of 17.01. But more than just his solid production is what he has meant to this Trailblazers team.

Coming into this year, the Blazers were expected to be mediocre after going 28-38 in the 2011-2012 season. But with Lillard as the floor-general, he has transformed them into a quality basketball team that is currently 20-16. He makes this team substantially better.

Lillard’s game is incredibly versatile. He can score, pass and move exceptionally well. His scoring ability makes opposing defenses pay attention to him, thus opening space for guys like LaMarcus Aldridge and Nicolas Batum to score. More importantly, he also has the creativity and skill to find those guys with a pass when they’re open.

That’s why he’s been so impressive this season. He has been the most important player for Portland. Without him, they wouldn’t be in the playoff-picture. But they are because Lillard has been so great, not just for a rookie, but in general.

In the latest voting count, Lillard wasn’t even mentioned in the Western Conference balloting. But given his stats and his impact, he definitely should be.

9. Joakim Noah

Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah is never going to be a guy that scores 30 points per game or terrifies opponents with his offense. That’s not his game. That’s not how he plays.

However, in the absence of Derrick Rose, Noah has been playing the best basketball of his career. He’s averaging 12.4 points, 10.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.1 blocks and 1.3 steals per game, all of which are career-highs. He’s also already notched 17 double-doubles and one triple-double in this young season.

Though those are great numbers, the reason Noah deserves to be an All-Star is because of how much he’s meant to this Bulls team while Rose is out.

As of the last vote count, Noah is seventh among Eastern Conference frontcourt players. However, he’s nearly 50 thousand votes behind the sixth-place player. But given what Noah has done this season statistically and as a team-leader, he should probably be much higher on that list.

The Rose-less Bulls are a much more defensive-minded team than they are with their superstar guard in the lineup. And Noah is the absolute anchor of that defense. He helps on the weak-side, shuts down his own man and cleans up the boards off of missed shots. He does it all.

Knowing that Rose was going to be out for such an extended period of time, people didn’t expect much from the Bulls coming into this year. But at 20-15 and Rose’s return looming, they look primed to be a force in the East. They can thank Noah for that.

8. Tony Parker

Excitement isn’t the first word that comes to mind when thinking about watching the San Antonio Spurs play. But the fact of the matter is that the Spurs are a consistently good team, as their 28-11 record proves, and point guard Tony Parker is the catalyst of their offense.

But because San Antonio isn’t exciting to watch, Parker doesn’t get near the All-Star consideration that he deserves. As of the latest tallies, he is seventh in the voting for Western Conference guards. In no world does that make sense.

Parker is 12th in the NBA in scoring at 19.5 points per game and eighth in the league in assists, averaging 7.1 per game. Those numbers are also team-highs for the Spurs this season. He also has the 13th highest PER in the league at 22.58.

He’s absolutely been a silent killer this season and it seems like virtually no one has taken notice to him. The Spurs obviously have other important pieces in Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili, but neither of them matter as much as Parker does to this team.

Everything that Duncan and Ginobili do is facilitated by the play of the Frenchman. And even with setting up his teammates, he still is able to get his own and average 19.5 points per game. That’s phenomenal.

He has been nothing short of terrific this season and deserves to be rewarded for it. It’s a shame that’s not the case, for now.

7. DeMarcus Cousins

Few players have raised more controversy than DeMarcus Cousins has this season. Between suspensions and immature behavior, the public perception of him is that of a troublemaker. But that doesn’t change the fact that the Sacramento Kings center has been dominant in his play this season.

In the 31 games that he’s played, Cousins is averaging 17.4 points per game, the same as projected All-Star starter Blake Griffin, and ranks 10th in the NBA in rebounding, averaging 10.1 per game. He also contributes 1.4 steals per game. He’s also 22nd in the NBA in PER with a 20.93 rating. Along with that, Cousins also has 14 double-doubles and one triple-double on his résumé this season.

The Kings are a bad basketball team at 13-24, but Cousins is the one player whose play is consistent and good. He leads the team in points, rebounds and steals, as well as being tied for third in assists at 2.7 per game.

When he’s on the floor, he’s a monster. He’s one of the few big-men in the NBA that have a combination of size, skill and athleticism and it shows when he plays. He’s a treat to watch play. You can’t fault him for having a hodge-podge roster with no purpose surrounding him. He shows up and does work.

Despite all of this though, Cousins wasn’t featured in the last voting tallies. The most likely reason is because of his behavioral troubles and suspensions. There are some issues with his maturity and he definitely needs to fix them as he moves further into his career.

Having said that, it doesn’t seem right for a guy playing as well as Cousins is, suspensions or no suspensions, to apparently not even be considered for a spot on the All-Star team. If the honor is truly based on merit, Cousins would have to be in the conversation.

6. Brook Lopez

If Brook Lopez hadn’t missed seven games with an ankle injury this season, he would probably be higher on this list. But the fact that he has a smaller sample-size for his numbers than most of the guys in All-Star consideration, this spot feels about right.

The Brooklyn Nets hadn’t truly planned to have Lopez on their team this season, as he was constantly involved in trade rumors for the Nets to acquire Dwight Howard. But given Lopez’s play this season, his team is probably glad that he’s still there and that he wasn’t overly sensitive about potentially being traded.

Lopez has exceeded expectations for the 21-15 Nets, averaging a team-high 18.5 points per game and a solid 7.2 rebounds per game, which isn’t bad considering Lopez is known as a poor rebounder for his size. He’s also scoring his 18.5 points each night incredibly effectively, shooting 51.7 percent from the field, the 19th best percentage in the NBA.

He’s doing his part defensively as well, averaging the seventh most blocks in the NBA at 2.1 per game. Everything about Lopez’s game this season has been well-rounded and impressive. That’s probably why he has the fifth highest PER in the NBA right now at 24.89. His PER is better than the likes of Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Dwyane Wade. Talk about some impressive people to be looking down on.

His stats alone warrant him consideration for All-Star votes. But the votes aren’t coming in, as he only has the 14th most votes for Eastern Conference frontcourt players.

It’s understandable if voters are wary to vote for Lopez because of the time he missed with an injury. That’s logical to think that a guy maybe shouldn’t be an All-Star because he hasn’t played the full season up to this point.

But with how awesome he has played this season, it feels like his play outweighs those seven missed games.

It’s not just his stats, but what he’s meant to this team. He wasn’t supposed to be the leading scorer for this team in the grand-plan for this season. That load was supposed to fall more on Deron Williams and Joe Johnson. But with both of them struggling to shoot the ball efficiently this season, Lopez has taken the burden and helped to lead Brooklyn to their good position.

It wouldn’t be a shock if he weren’t on the Eastern Conference All-Star roster when all is said and done because of that injury. However, it’s pretty clear from his impact on the Nets and his statistical output that he belongs on the team.

5. Zach Randolph

In his 12 years as an NBA player, Zach Randolph, or Z-Bo as he’s also known, has never dazzled anybody with his athleticism. He rarely leaves the ground, shooting or rebounding. That doesn’t matter, though. Through his incredible basketball IQ and efficiency, Randolph has been a powerhouse for the Memphis Grizzlies this year.

The 24-11 Grizzlies rely heavily on their frontcourt duo of Z-Bo and Marc Gasol to carry the workload and be leaders on the floor. Both guys do their job well, but Randolph carries a little more of the burden and puts up better stats.

Randolph is averaging 16.6 points and 11.7 rebounds per game and has a PER of 20.13. His rebounding average is the second-highest in the league and he leads Memphis in all three of those statistical categories. The forward has also already notched a league-leading 24 double-doubles this season, meaning he puts up a double-double at a pace slightly higher than every other game. That’s phenomenal.

With those numbers, his significance to the Grizzlies and his quirky popularity, it’d make sense for Randolph to be reeling in the All-Star votes. But he’s not. He’s currently only has the 12th most votes for the Western Conference frontcourt, behind even Gasol, who’s averaging worse numbers for the same team as Z-Bo.

It’s really a mystery as to why Z-Bo isn’t getting any love from voters. He had problems with his image and behavior early in his career, but has been a model-citizen since his arrival in Memphis. And it’s obviously not a lack of quality statistics holding him back.

Whatever it is keeping Randolph from getting votes, it’s unfair to him. With the way he’s been playing and excelling, he’s earned the right to be an All-Star.

4. Jrue Holiday

The Philadelphia 76ers took a risk when they traded away Andre Iguodala in a three-team deal that landed them Andrew Bynum. Unfortunately, Bynum may have been damaged goods, as he’s yet to play a game for Philadelphia yet this season. Luckily, the 76ers still have Jrue Holiday on their team.

Philadelphia isn’t a great team this year, sitting at 16-22. But without the play of Holiday, they could potentially be at the bottom of the NBA. That’s how great and important the fourth-year point guard has been this season.

Holiday is averaging 18.7 points per game, 14th in the NBA, and 8.8 assists per game, fourth in the league, this season, which are team-highs for Philadelphia. He also is averaging 4.3 boards per game and leads the Sixers in PER with a 18.53 rating. All of these marks are also career-bests for the guard.

Philadelphia need him to raise his level of play if they wanted to have a shot of being just mediocre. He answered the call, which is why he’s so valuable and why what he’s done is so impressive. Holiday has had to carry this team with his performance. When no one else has it going, it’s up to him to be the reliable one and the leader.

He’s already notched nine double-doubles, the sixth most among guards, and is one of only 15 players to have a triple-double this year. That’s because his team needs him to do those things to be remotely successful.

The Sixers are 27th in the NBA in scoring, averaging only 92.6 points per game. That means that, on average, Holiday accounts for 20.2 percent of their scoring. That’s a pretty impressive number. It’s even more impressive for a guy who is also averaging over eight assists per game.

When it comes to All-Star votes though, it seems like the lack of team success might be hurting Holiday. In the voting for the Eastern Conference backcourt, he has only the eighth most votes. For someone that has been as fantastic as Holiday has been this season, there’s no way it makes any kind of sense to not have him on an All-Star team.

He’s produced. He’s elevated his play. He’s risen-up to big moments. He’s dragged Philadelphia along on his back the entire season. That seems like an All-Star.

3. David Lee

The newfound success of the Golden State Warriors hit most of the league by surprise. Part of it is due to the stellar play of Stephen Curry (he’d probably be number 11 on this list), but an even larger part of it is the tremendous success of David Lee this season. He has thrived individually and, being in his eighth NBA season on a young team, as a veteran anchor for his squad.

Lee is averaging 19.8 points and 10.8 rebounds per game, which rank 10th and tied for sixth in the NBA respectively. He’s also the only player in the league to be in the top 10 in both points and rebounds per game. For good measure, he’s also dishing out 3.6 assists per game as well.

Given his averages, it’s also not surprising that Lee is second in the NBA in double-doubles with 22 so far this year. He also has a triple-double to his credit and has the highest PER on the Warriors squad with a 20.45 rating.

He’s been a force in the Association this season with remarkable consistency. In the first and third games of the season for Golden State, Lee had six and eight points respectively. Lee has scored in double figures in all 32 games since that eight-point affair. That’s what a team is looking for out of their veteran leader and that’s what he has delivered. It's also a major factor in catapulting the Warriors to a 23-12 record.

The crazy part is that Lee didn’t even make the top 15 in Western Conference frontcourt voting. How is that even possible? Does he do anything flashy? No. Does he need to? No. He’s been a beast this season for the Warriors. And the fact that no one seems to notice is absurd.

2. Kyrie Irving

Though having missed games with an injury dropped Lopez a little on this list, the same can’t be said for Cavs guard Kyrie Irving. Yes, he missed more games, 11, than Lopez did. Yes, he plays on a worse team than Lopez's. It doesn’t matter. Irving simply has to be an All-Star.

To begin with, there are his stats. The second-year guard is averaging 23.6 points per game, the sixth most in the NBA if he qualified for the stat by being on pace to play 70 games this year. If he stays healthy, he’ll play 71. He’s also averaging team-highs of 5.6 assists and 1.6 steals per game, as well as bringing down 3.8 rebounds per game. Those stats all lead to him having a PER of 22.38, the highest on Cleveland.

But then, when you consider how vital Irving is to this Cavaliers team, he impresses even more. The 9-29 Cavs average the 25th fewest points per game a 94.5. That means that Irving is responsible for 24.9 percent of Cleveland’s points per game. That’s almost unheard of. But it’s also amazing.

Irving is a budding superstar in this league and rightfully so. His team isn’t bad because of him. His team wins the few games they do because of him. He just has little-to-no help on his team. Honestly, the fact that he averages 5.6 assists per night is astonishing, especially with Varejao missing a considerable amount of games.

This also isn’t a case where Irving is getting shunned by All-Star voters because of his injury. He currently has the fourth-most votes among Eastern Conference guards. But he’s also trailing Deron Williams, Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade in votes.

The interesting thing there is that he has a higher PER than Williams and Rondo by a fair margin, and only a 0.4 less PER than Wade. However, Irving is averaging more points than everyone in that trio, averaging more assists than Wade and averaging more rebounds than Williams.

Above all of those things, none of those guys mean as much to their team as Irving does to Cleveland. The Cavaliers literally might not win a game if Irving wasn’t on the floor right now.

Irving’s most likely going to be an All-Star, but with everything that he’s done this season and considering the three guys ahead of him, he deserves to start.

1. James Harden

Remember when people worried how James Harden would fare without Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka? They no longer have a reason to worry. Harden has been a juggernaut for the Houston Rockets this season, leading them to a solid 21-17 record alongside Jeremy Lin.

Everyone knew that Harden was talented when he was coming off of the bench for the Oklahoma City Thunder in his first three seasons. But it's doubtful that anyone expected him to be as great as he has been since being unleashed in Houston.

He’s fourth in the NBA in scoring, averaging 26.5 points per contest, and is also averaging 4.3 rebounds per game. In addition, Harden is averaging 5.3 assists per game, which is the second-highest average for a non-point guard. If you like defense, he’s sixth in the NBA (first among shooting guards) in steals per game at 1.9. And don’t forget that he also has the ninth highest PER in the league at 23.38.

Harden has proven that he is meant to be in the top-tier of NBA players. He’s performed exceptionally and done it consistently. He has played in 37 games this season and has only scored single-digit points once out of those contests. He knows he’s the guy for Houston and he does his job, which is to deliver the goods night after night.

But even with him solidifying his place as a legitimate superstar in this league hasn’t garnered him as many votes for the All-Star Game as it should. He’s currently fourth in Western Conference guards voting behind Kobe, Chris Paul and Lin.

It’s hard to see him supplanting Paul or Bryant, two of the league’s best and most well-known superstars, for a starting position. However, he should be closer to those top-two than the 300 thousand-plus votes that separate Harden and the second-placed Paul.

But the real travesty is that Lin is flirting with surpassing Paul, trailing him only by around 50 thousand votes, and that he’s over 250 thousand votes ahead of his teammate Harden.

This isn’t a knock on Lin saying that he’s not a good basketball player, but this is why voting for All-Stars like it’s a popularity contest is a problem. A guard averaging 12.1 points, 6.3 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game with a PER of 14.1 has no business threatening to take the place of Paul, who has a PER of 26.58 and better stats, or a guy with the stats that Harden has put up this year.

Harden may not deserve to start for the Western Conference at guard with Bryant and Paul at the top, but he undoubtedly deserves to be the one threatening to take Paul’s place, not his inferior teammate. He’s the one who’s played the best basketball of his career. He’s the one who’s earned it.

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