[gcb3Participant]

Predictions:

East:

Dwyane Wade
Gilbert Arenas
Lebron James
Kevin Garnett
Dwight Howard

Reserves:

Rajon Rondo
Devin Harris
Danny Granger
Chris Bosh
Shaquille Oneal
Vince Carter
Josh Smith

The starters seem to be a lock for they are the fan favs of the bunch.
With Rondo, Harris, Bosh, Oneal, and Granger getting to the game because they are coach favorites.

The last two spots were really hard to predict. I chose Vince and Josh Smith because coaches reward winning teams and while Andre Igoudala or Caron Butler might have better individual seasons I don’t think the Sixers will work it out this season without a point guard; and two All-stars from the Wizards seems gratuitous.

People will see Vince’s true worth and leadership, similar to that of when he first went to Jersey. And Josh Smith could deserve an All-star appearance over his teammate Joe Johnson, who seems to never capitalize on the media’s ever longing anticipation for him to finally have an outstanding season.

And if the Hawks are good this season, coaches will look for someone to represent them at the all-star game.

Oh and sorry Paul Pierce and Ray Allen–Rondo is taking your spot (even though, in my opinion, Pierce is the most valuable component on that team)

And all you Derrick Rose lovers out there, the only way he makes the all-star game his second season is if the fans vote him in, or he turns out to be Chris Paul. Realistically, neither will happen.

Onto the West:

Chris Paul
Kobe Bryant
Carmelo Anthony
Kevin Durant
Dirk Nowitski

Reserves:

Deron Williams
Brandon Roy
Pau Gasol
Al Jefferson
Tim Duncan
Amare Stoudemire
*

And the last spot will come down to *Tony Parker/Chauncey Billups/Steve Nash or Aaron Brooks–who knows maybe he will make the Rockets relevant by himself–that would be enough to get the coaches vote.

The west All-star lineup is harder to predict because so much depends on whom in each PG/Bigman tandem leads each tandem. If Parker has a big year, 2009 might have been Timmy’s last All-star game. If Stoudemire dominates like he used to, but Phoenix is mediocre, then Nash will sit this All-star game out. And what happens if the Emeka Okafor experiment is a success and Okafor excels? Does Al Jefferson miss this years game?

Here’s how I look at the young but (possibly) deserving talent: Greg Oden, Andrew Bynum, Lamarcus Aldridge, Al Thornton, Kevin Martin, Monta Ellis, Rudy Gay, OJ Mayo, Aaron Brooks, Anthony Randolph maybe—you guys will play in all-star games, but not before the OLD guys have their last hoorays. Say by 2012 there probably wont be any Tony Parkers, Steve Nashes, Dirks, Timmys, Gasols, or Billups in the allstar game. Instead we will see Russell Westbrook, Rudy Gay, Andrew Bynum, Kevin Martin, Blake Griffin, and Greg Oden.

[llperez]

a few problems i have.

Josh Smith is not even close to sniffing an all-star game. I’m not sure he is a top 50 player in the nba right now.

Dirk can not be voted as the starting center. to be voted as a center, you have to play center.

[AirJuggernaut]

In all honesty if Josh Smith started off where he left off against the Cavaliers last year he could easily be a top 20 player in the league. There is nobody that athletic and strong outside of Lebron in the NBA and his ability to block shots makes him a consistent game changer. If Josh Smith were playing against smaller wings he would have a better time posting up.

It’s just that at the PF position you have to be the floor spacer (Dirk, Duncan, etc.)
he has to refine his inside-out game (ala last playoff game vs. Cleveland: 22 pts)

agree or disagree?

PS
here is a slam magazine article that lists him at #40.
http://www.slamonline.com/online/nba/slamonline-top-50/2009/09/top-50-josh-smith-no-40/

[llperez]

here are players i would put ahead of josh smith:

Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom, Ron, Artest, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, Baron Davis, Marcus Camby, Stephen Jackson, Maonta Ellis, Kevin Martin, Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire, Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, Andre Miller, Deron Williams, Carlos Boozer, Chauncey Billups, Carmelo Anthony, Nene, Al Jefferson, Kevin Love, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, im Duncan, Manu Ginobli, Tony Parker, Tracy McGrady, Aaron Brooks, Dirk Nowitzky, Josh Howard, Shawn Marion, OJ Mayo, Rudy Gay, Allen Iverson, Zach Randolph, Chris Paul, Emeka Okafor, David West, Derrick Rose, Danny Granger, Troy Murphy, Michael Redd, LeBron James, Saquille O’neal, Mo Williams, Rip Hamilton, Chris Bosh, Hedo Turkoglu, Jose Calderon, David Lee, Al Harrington, Devin Harris, Brook Lopez, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, Andre Iguodala, Elton Brand, Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler, Antawn Jamison, Joe Johnson, Dwyane Wade, Dwight Howard, Vince Carter, Jameer Nelson, Rashard Lewis…

[llperez]

it’s all good man, I see dallas using dirk at center this year quite a bit, so that is possible. And Josh is a very talented player, he just took a huge step back last year and he let me down. But he deffinitely has the potential to be an all-star.

[AirJuggernaut]

I just want to see him to play the 3
so he can post up Paul Pierce and dunk on his head

[gcb3Participant]

llperez? that list is of ALL the nba…. east and west is divided in the all-star game…and Josh Smith is better than a lot of those guys.

But most importantly my list doesn’t represent who I believe is the top 12 players from each conference–its who i predict the coaches will value.

…and coaches value winning teams.

you can figure you the rest.

and did you hear about dirk possibly starting at center? cause its been publicized.

[llperez]

Josh should be a perennial all-star. He just irritates me so much. Go watch that second round series against the cavs where the Hawks got swept by the Cavs. Watch as Josh makes the worst defensive rotations possible. Watch as he lets Lebron and everyone walk right down the lane for a lay up. Watch as he luanches lazy 3 after lazy 3 after lazy3.

That dude should be an all-star every year, but he has less heart then half the wnba.

[gcb3Participant]

haha yea he would be better used as a 3. he could be Lebron-lite

[llperez]

gcb3, good stuff man. I’m just in bad mood right now. Don’t mind me.

[gcb3Participant]

alls good 🙂

[AirJuggernaut]

he was the only Hawk to guard Lebron and actually he blocked Lebron one time using his length
and then he went for a layup but Lebron fouled him from behind on a block attempt
but they didn’t call it
so he got a tech
that’s showing heart if ur going 1 on 1
with arguably the best player on the planet

plus in the playoffs he did go 2 for 15 from 3
but 15 3PA in 11 games only averages out to about 1 a game

J-Smoove will put it all 2gether this year!
i hope… 🙁

PS
Lebron-lite: I like Rashard Lewis lite (less range, more post ups)

[lalailaParticipant]

Joe Johnson over J.Smith and Rose over Rondo…for West Bynum or Parker i think could be 7th on the bench

[gregoden08Participant]

Will NOT be an all-star. He is way to inconsistent and like llperez22 said…All he does is jack up 3’s when he sucks at it. I don’t see Josh ever being an all-star.

[quincey hodges]

im sorry but dallas is not using dirk at center..not sure why ya’ll een think they will..there plan as they stateted is to use josh howard at the 2 rion at the 3 dirk at the four and dampier at the 5..in a video game yeah dirk would play center but in reality dalls only play him at pf and sometimes sf for a quarter or so….yeah they may try im at center a couple min here and there but he will be listed as a small foward…durant is a sf also and never plays pf wit ok and wont thi year so you can cratch that also…as far as all star team for the east..i dont think josh will be on it so im replacing him with brook lopez who will have a very very good year..also kevin garnett is better then josh by far and will have a better season..as well as joe johnson being better then josh..im not sure ive ever seen the second best player on a team get picked ahead of the first esspecially when the first is much better then the second option…and paul peirce not making the all star team???..riiiiiiiight..as far as the rest how in the world can you mention aron brooks in the same breath as tony parker and billups or even steve nash?….come on now getting a lil out of hand because of the good games he had against the lakers..yeah they were good games but those good game would have been average games for parker,billups or nash…the rest of the names look pretty soild except changing a couple poitions around and putting duncan in the starting line up

[AirJuggernaut]

Josh smith is too inconsistent in the half-court style the Hawks play
with Joe Johnson and Mike Bibby.
If josh smith wants to be an all-star he
has to play with an up-tempo PG
like Steve Nash (ala Shawn Marion)

[tli232]

Yo GBC, I think you’re over-valuing Josh Smith. Do you even CARE about defensive rotations and closeouts?

If you look at game tape, you can see that a disproportionate number of J-Smoove blocks are the result of late defensive rotations where the offensive player actually has a chance of drawing the foul. Also, his closeouts are HORRIBLE (for someone supposedly an amazing defensive player) How many times has he been late closing out and left good shooters wide open? People don’t realize this because he would get a huge block on a jump shot once every couple games, and people have a tendency to REMEMBER THE HOMERUNS, AND NOT THE STRIKEOUTS.

I can honestly say that over the last 2 or 3 years, I’ve watched around 40-50 full Hawks games. Yes, his on ball defense on the wing is great, yes, he is a great shotblocker. However, he’s such a poor post defender for beefy PFs that it’s almost comical that Mike Woodson plays him at PF on defense.

On top of all of that, Josh Smith is such a poor rebounder for his athletic abilities, which leaves more to be desired.

Don’t even get me started on how much he’s an offensive liability for someone who’s supposedly an all star caliber player

All in all, I pretty much completely agree with LlPerez’s list of players who are better than Josh Smith

[quincey hodges]

i wonder why more fans dont realize that til232..im guessing because they see the blks and think wow hes such a great defender or because he jumps so high..and the rebounding thing always got to me because he should easily be getting a double double..then when i watch more i notice he doesnt box out much…hes has all the athletic ability in the world and potenal but his game screams ” i need to work on fundamentals”

[AirJuggernaut]

amar’e doesn’t average a double double and he’s 28

JOSH SMITH IS 23 YEARS OLD.
Chances R one day he’ll make the all-star team
if anything he has age and potential on his side

agree or disagree?

PS (just not this year)

[gregoden08Participant]

Josh Smith to Amare? Do you know how much better Amare was when he was 23 years old? Come on man…Amare is, and always will be an absolute freak.

[quincey hodges]

nope..i dont think he will..hasnt hasnt made the leaps like amare has as far as getting better..as a matter of fact you cant even mention them in the same breath..josh is wildly incosistant.and int a number one option no matter what team yu put him on.i dont know if he doesnt work on his game or what but he gets slightly better. as a matter of fact he actually regressed last year compared to the year before

[gcb3Participant]

Right, if Dampier starts then Dirk is a powerforward. But there is talk that Dirk will start as center as I am sure you are aware of.

I hear what you mean about Smith–he was sort of my charity pick. I had to pick someone from the Hawks with their expected 4th seed season because i know the coaches look at winning teams first. And Joe Johnson has underachieved in my mind. I always expected him to be McGrady like–atleast that’s what the media kept endorsing him as. He is good, dont get me wrong, I just think Josh will surprise people this year.

And he will get more exposure on how he defends bigger guys like Lebron, Granger, and Durant throughout the season.

[AirJuggernaut]

saying to be an all star PF
10 rebounds is not a requirement
no matter how freakishly athletic u r

i am not comparing their scoring abilities/skill level

most PFs that average a double double are either really tall (KG/Duncan)
or really strong (Boozer, Elton Brand)

skinny guys like Amare(245) and Smith(230) TYPICALLy don’t get it done

agree or disagree?

[quincey hodges]

when you are that athletic you should be getting more boards because 1 you jump higher then everyone else but just as important it takes as much effort to just box out. ..any basketball player and knowledgeably fan knows you dont have to be really tall or really strong you just got do the fundamental thing and box out and be aggressive the other stuff helps of course but if you do those things you can be a good rebounder//and those are the things josh doesnt do..as a matter of fact amare doesnt do those things either but hes clearly better then josh..you got to stop adding words to peopes mouth also..no one said he had to average 10 rebounds to be a allstar..all anyone said is he should be averaging more rebounds and that hes such a poor rebounder for his athletic ability

[AirJuggernaut]

what do u mean he’s peaked?!
he was hurt vs the cavaliers just in case
u didn’t know.

[quincey hodges]

you do make the all star team because you are DUE you make it because you have earned it and josh hasnt and joe is better then he is..josh is a better help side shot blocker and more athletic but that where it ends as far a who is better and more skilled..josh is jut not better then joe

[AirJuggernaut]

any basketball player and knowledgeably fan knows
you dont have to be really tall or really strong

R u kidding me?

8 rpg is pretty good in my opinion
for a 6’9 PF

quit hating

[gcb3Participant]

look guys Josh Smith probably wont be an all-star next year. He was sort of my dark horse and I had no idea so many people thought so poorly of him.

I just figured if the Hawks were playing well before All-star voting was finalized, the coaches would most likely select at least one Hawk to represent them. And i feel like Josh Smith is due and Joe Johnson has peaked.

And I totally get why most think Josh Smith isn’t an allstar. Personally I like Josh Smith, he is young and has potential.

Regarding his defense: It’s tough to really understand D coming right from high school. College helps so much in developing that. Honestly, how many Kevin Garnetts have there been? I mean even Kobe wasn’t even a great defender until his mid to late 20s. Most high schoolers need to develop and Josh might just be late adjusting his game and next year would be a great year to prove himself.

[gcb3Participant]

I don’t see Joe Johnson raising his game any higher, but I also feel that he is a great player. And if Joe Johnson remains as solid as he has been, with Josh playing more consistently (he has amazing flashes of talent!), then coaches would see Josh as being the difference. I will say this, if Josh Smith averages 18+ ppg and 8+rpg with 2.5 blocks per game then i dont see why the coaches wouldn’t vote him in as the hawks all-star. But thats a lot of ifs and I can also see that Josh could maintain being inconsistent and just above average.

Like I said at the START of my post, Vince and Josh were tough decisions and I could easily see someone else making the All-star team.

btw. “due” means its about time he starts performing.

jeeeeeeeeez tough crowd on this website…

[AirJuggernaut]

Josh Smith only attempts
11 shots per game in his career
realistically
he ain’t averagin 18 points on 10 shots

[quincey hodges]

no one is hating..and you of all people should never tell someone to stop hating../..also his career nor past season he didnt average 8 rebounds..and im really starting to doubt youve really played basketball thinking you HAVE to be real tall or real strong to get rebounds…..oscar robertson,shawn marion,dennis rodman, rondo,david lee…on the college and hs level ive seen many guys shorter and weaker then big men get more rebounds. while playing in europe i see guys 6’4 get more rebounds then big men on a nightly bases….if you played ball i dont think you listened to youre coaches because they will tell you that rebounder get board by boxing out and effort..if you box out properly and make a effort they only way a bigger man will get the rebound over you is if they tip it over you(over youre back ) or a long rebound which it would have to be very long because you are suppossed to back up once you have youre man on youre butt..these are things learned in hs….anyone on here will tell you that the coach does thi drill ome layers laugh cuz youre lil coach says he can out rebound you, he tells a player to shoot they shoot, then he bozes you out puts his butt on you and drives you back then he has the players do that drill…of coure being strong and tall helps but he dont have to be very tall or very strong to be a good rebounder

[gcb3Participant]

Jugg, thats like saying no one increases their shot attempts when in fact that is just not true. here’s one way a player can reach that total easily. increase his free throw percentage and watch some tape of Richard Jefferson, Devin Harris, Dwyane Wade, Dwight Howard, etc— ALL players who learned to use their bodies more and more season to season to get to the free throw line for easy points.

Oh, and all these players “shot attempts” increased from their first three seasons too… but thats not possible right…?

[AirJuggernaut]

if he does all those things then J-Smoove
deserves to be in the All-star game.

[quincey hodges]

heres some links for others who dont understand what it takes to be a good rebounder

http://www.ultimate-youth-basketball-guide.com/basketball-rebounding.html

http://www.powerbasketball.com/050317a.html

[quincey hodges]

if he boxes out and works on his fundamentals as well as get more consistant then its posibly..but over what pf?..not over garnett or bosh..and people are forgetting that ant jamison is better then he is right now and in the past.. also you can say that about alot of player…”if they get better at this this and this they can be allstars”

[AirJuggernaut]

r winning more than Josh Smith’s team in the East?

BOS
ORL
CLE
ATL

3 teams that’s it

WAS? Jamison ehh maybe…
but do u think WAS going to win that many games?

[quincey hodges]

washingon has a chance and a very good one to be better then atl just like they were before gilbert was injuried..lets think..a fully healthy gilbert plus 2 other all stars in butler and jamesion( both have been all stars recently and continue to play like ones) plus mcgee gets better haywood is healthy they add foyle and miller nick young has gotten better…yeah with gilbert fully healed then i take washington…not sure why peopel forget this is the team that took clevaland to the wire

[AirJuggernaut]

i think antwan jamison deserves at
least one last hurrah game if WAS is doing well
but what about Caron i don’t know about him bcuz
really follow
the wizards that much

[quincey hodges]

they are my home team( raised in dc) but ive never really been a fan after benard king retired..butler had a career year last year if im not mistaken and he made the all star team..very very good player..can score rebound d up shoot..

[AirJuggernaut]

miami i think they traded him

[quincey hodges]

not really cuz without that trade they doont get shaq and they dont get that title..they would have just been a lil better then they are now…but stuck in limbo..not good enought to challenge for a title not bad enough to get in the lotto..which would have made there future kinda bleek with no real good young draft pick to develop

[llperez]

I’m about to bump the “Shaq trade do over thread”, I still say the heat should not have made that deal.

[AirJuggernaut]

to lose wade IMPO even if they do bring
Boozer there THIS season

there is no guarantee Boozer won’t spring for the money elsewhere
just ask Dan Gilbert

[quincey hodges]

they dont make that deal and they dont have a ring..teams play to win the title..they wouldnt have won it with lamar odom wade and butler..they might have gotten to 4th place in the east maybe..but with the contract butler would have gotten and odom plus wade comming up in free agency they wouldnt have been able to afford all of them or if they did though would have been able to afford any other players..plus butlers growth would have been stunt a lil playing with wade..he still would have been good though..its like boston decideding to keep jefferson and there draft pick instead of getting allen and garnett. yeah they would have had a good young building team but chances are they wouldnt have won a title..instead they made the deal and won a title and made more money

[AirJuggernaut]

championship team usually makes a blockbuster trade somewhere along the line.

Oscar Robertson said that when talking about why hisCincinatti team never won in the playoffs.

[Author]

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