The Real NBA All-Stars

Politics and fan-bias aside, here's who I think should have been picked for the 2000 All-Star teams. Players with (*) next to their names actually made the real rosters.

EAST

STARTERS

•  Sam Cassell, Bucks 18.4 ppg., 9.3 apg. : No one was more unjustly overlooked.
•  *Eddie Jones, Hornets 20.6 ppg., 3.0 spg. : Charlotte seems to be suiting this former Laker nicely.
•  *Grant Hill, Pistons 27.2 ppg., 6.4 rpg., 5.5 apg. : The MVP of the Eastern Conference.
•  *Vince Carter, Raptors 24.5 ppg. : Forget Jason Williams, Carter is the most exciting player in the NBA.
•  *Alonzo Mourning, Heat 22.7 ppg., 9.6 rpg., 54.3% from field, 4.0 bpg. : More dedicated than ever to bringing a championship to Miami.

RESERVES

•  Stephon Marbury, Nets 22.2 ppg, 8.5 apg. : If attitude keeps you from being an All-Star ...
•  *Allen Iverson, 76ers 31.3 ppg. : ... then how did "The Answer" make it?
•  *Ray Allen, Bucks 21.9 ppg., 102 3 pointers: All-Star? Yes. Dream Teamer? No.
•  Paul Pierce, Celtics 19.9 ppg., 2.2 spg. : Overlooked because he plays for a bad team.
•  Toni Kukoc, Bulls 18.2 ppg. : See the comment for Paul Pierce, but multiply it by a factor of two.
•  *Jerry Stackhouse, Pistons 23.2 ppg. : Finally reaching his potential.
•  *Dikembe Mutombo, Hawks 12.2 ppg, 14.4 rpg., 55.6% from the field, 3.2 bpg. : No other non-scorer is more valuable to his team.

(Players who made it and should not have are Dale Davis, Allan Houston, Reggie Miller and Glenn Robinson)

WEST

STARTERS

•  *Gary Payton, Sonics 23.1 ppg., 8.6 apg., 6.4 rpg. : 99.9% of the reason Seattle is still competitive.
•  *Jason Kidd, Suns 15.8 ppg., 9.9 apg., 7.1 rpg., 2.0 spg. : Glad to see the fans were smart enough to vote for him over fan favorite Jason Williams.
•  *Kevin Garnett, TWolves 23.2 ppg., 12.0 rpg. : "The Kid" is growing into "The Man."
•  *Tim Duncan, Spurs 24.6 ppg., 13.0 rpg., 2.2 bpg. : 20+ points and 10+ rebounds EVERY night.
•  *Shaqulle O'Neal, Lakers 28.0 ppg., 14.2 rpg., 57.4% from the field, 3.4 bpg. : The best player in the league; no one else is even close.

RESERVES

•  Terrel Brandon, TWolves 16.8 ppg., 8.8 apg. : The one mistake West coach Phil Jackson made was leaving Brandon off the team.
•  *John Stockton, Jazz 12.0 ppg., 8.6 apg. 50.8% from the field: Ignore the critics, he still deserves a spot.
•  *Kobe Bryant, Lakers 22.6 ppg. : Shaq may be the man in L.A., but Kobe's not too shabby.
•  *Chris Webber, Kings 24.8 ppg., 10.7 rpg. : His inspired play has made Sacremento a contender.
•  *Karl Malone, Jazz 25.5 ppg., 9.5 rpg. : See the comment for his teammate Stockton.
•  *Michael Finley, Mavs 22.8, 7.1 rpg., 6.0 apg.: Would be a superstar if he was anywhere besides Dallas.
•  *David Robinson, Spurs 15.7 ppg., 9.8 rpg., 2.3 bpg. : Duncan keeps him from putting up MVP type numbers, but he did get him a championship ring, so who's complaining?

(The only player whose selection I question is Rasheed Wallace)

Submitted 2/14/00 by Notre Dame law student Brad Sobolewski.

Down By the Schoolyard