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You beat me to it! Ha
Mike Monroe: Duncan is taken out by 'idiots'
Web Posted: 11/18/2007 12:09 AM CST
Mike Monroe
Express-News Staff Writer
NBA fans have voted Tim Duncan a starting forward for the Western Conference All-Star team each of the past nine seasons, but Duncan won't be a starting forward in the 2008 game in New Orleans.
This year he is one of 12 centers for whom fans can vote for on the official All-Star ballot, which is available at league games or online.
What band of idiots decided to change Duncan's All-Star position after 10 years as a forward?
Let's see ... that would be the media panel of USA Today's David Dupree, the Chicago Tribune's Sam Smith, TNT's Ernie Johnson, Sports Illustrated's Jack McCallum, the Charlotte Observer's Rick Bonnell (president of the Professional Basketball Writers Association), ESPN the Magazine's Ric Bucher and some guy from the San Antonio Express-News.
Yes, I was one of the idiots.
The decision to switch Duncan's position was not made out of malice.
It grew out of the NBA's mandate that the committee put 12 centers, 24 guards and 24 forwards per conference on the ballot. Some of us who have served on the committee numerous times know that deserving forwards always get left off the ballot, in part because we have to accommodate a league requirement that each team has at least two players on the ballot but mostly because there aren't 12 deserving centers in the entire league, let alone in each conference.
Thus, at the outset of the conference call on which these decisions were made, Smith made a plea that we exclude such centers as Primoz Brezec, Nazr Mohammed, Mark Blount and Francisco Elson, all of whom were on the ballot last year. Instead, he argued, two-way players like Amare Stoudemire, Emeka Okafor, Pau Gasol and Duncan should be on the ballot as centers, instead of forwards.
Duncan, after all, recently was named both the best power forward and the best center by the league's GMs.
This seemed like a good solution at the time. In retrospect, it was unfair, specifically to Duncan.
The problem is Internet voting. Yao Ming is so popular in China — population 1.3 billion — that he has been the leading vote-getter each season. Thus, it is presumed that Duncan won't be voted to the starting lineup this time around.
Duncan says he couldn't care less about the position shift. In truth, he always has been very proud of being voted a starter. He has a right to be plenty steamed at the seven idiots who changed his position, especially that guy from the Express-News.
The real solution is for the NBA to amend its ballot. Fewer centers; more forwards and guards. That would satisfy Duncan. The seven idiots would like it, too.
Source:
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/b...n.234ff6e.html
You beat me to it! Ha
Oh, cool. My other redundant thread got deleted.
If a forward can not find a place among 24 forwards, why do you try to accommodate him? Anyway he is not going to be selected by fans. The stupidest solution proposed by a stupid person and accepted by the stupidest persons (6 of them) in the panel.
If Mike Monroe really regrets, he should resign from the selection panel (my opinion).
at least he got one thing right... they are all idiots
Duncan really IS a center..
Then they should take out other undeserving forwards. And put on some centers.
Come to think of it, Yao was never exciting in the All-Star game. He doesn't even get minutes. Chinese are lame.
It's better to say that Duncan blends the line between center and power forward. Duncan guards both power forwards and centers from situation to situation. He's a freak, and he doesn't fit in either of the traditional definitions.
So they should just have an all-star event where Tim just plays one on one with himself.
Well, then they should simply rely on the definition he's been listed as since he entered the NBA 11 years ago and the one that he's still listed with today.
And Dirk really is a shooting guard... but hes been listed as a Forward his entire career because of his height and he grabs a couple more rebounds than a shooting guard normally does.
Not many C's can step out to 18 feet and shoot the J
Dirk shouldn't be a forward. All of his shots are outside, he should be listed as a guard.
Eh, beat me to it.
Damn Mike "no balls" Monroe, you just made me go Buck "lame ass" Harvey on you!
Duncan certainly plays some center for stretches (sometimes long ones).
But if he's a center, what does that make Oberto/Elson? They're certainly not PFs.
The NBA should simply do away with its arbitrary mandate to have so many candidates per position.. quality should override quan y.. if there are only 3 centers to select from, so be it.. no need to put up 12 names w/c is a joke.
As stupid as Mike Monroe is, at least he provided an explanation!
Why is there a rule that two players from each team be named? There are plenty of teams out there that have no player who deserves to make the team. That's why Duncan got bumped. Because of that rule, there are too many forwards involved.
Oh well, who really cares? If Timmy doesn't give a , I don't give a .
I think he's already made his mark in the hall of fame.
the selection was already a joke to begin with
with garnett in the east, that open up many chances for the young forward in the west to make the roster
now if they cant even get selected into the team then the selection is fail, yes.
Since there are really not that many true centers in the NBA anymore, I think logical idea is to change the categories. Big Men (2) Wing Men (2) and Point Guard (1)
The Center and Power Forward positions are almost interchangable as well as shooting guard and small forward postions so this idea really makes the most sense.
Last edited by WALDO; 11-18-2007 at 10:07 AM.
http://www.82games.com/0708/07SAS12C.HTM
Enough said.
Idiotic decision by a collection of men who should know better. The explanation does not satisfy the decison.
How did they determine this?
I CANT BELIEVE SAM SMITH OF THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE IS ON THAT PANEL!!!
That guy has about as much credibility as anyone from Hoopsworld. If you've ever a heard an NBA rumor, chances are its bull started by either Sam Smith or Peter Vecsey.
Owned. Nice job.
I smell a conspiracy!
But really, were they trying to get Duncan off the starting lineup because of the "boring" label they like to slap on him?
Honestly, I don't even know why this bothers me. I've never even watched an entire All-Star game.
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