Fansided

The Whiteboard: NBA All-Star fan voting is still terrible

By Ti Windisch

PORTLAND, OR - JANUARY 5: James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets looks on during the game against the Portland Trail Blazers on January 5 , 2019 at the Moda Center Arena in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OR - JANUARY 5: James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets looks on during the game against the Portland Trail Blazers on January 5 , 2019 at the Moda Center Arena in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Fan voting for the NBA All-Star game might need to be re-examined, based on early returns this season.

The way the players involved with the NBA All-Star game are picked needs to change. Having fans vote in an NBA popularity contest isn’t a terrible idea. Popularity contests are vapid, but they can be fun, and seeing the results is interesting. However, having fans vote in a popularity contest that helps determine which players are All-Stars is problematic.

Fan votes are 50 percent of what determines which 10 NBA players are All-Star starters, with media and players making up the other two quarters. The benches for the teams are picked by the NBA’s head coaches. Letting fan votes matter so much is an odd way to choose which 10 players get this high honor.

Even if the All-Star game itself has become less than competitive, the accolade of being an All-Star is important. Those nods are used as notches in a player’s legacy, and that stuff matters. Even if only one undeserving All-Star gets in due to fan voting, that’s one deserving player who will be left out. Usually the ones on the fringes are the least likely to get a nod later, meaning they could be deprived of a meaningful accomplishment.

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By the looks of the latest round of fan voting, some really great players have a chance at getting snubbed from starting. James Harden, who is near the top of any logical MVP leaderboard, is third in the Western Conference among guards. Ahead of him are Stephen Curry (okay, makes sense) and Derrick Rose (sigh).

Over in the East, Dwyane Wade is second in guards, ahead of players like Kemba Walker (third), Ben Simmons (fourth), and Bradley Beal (tenth). Wade is awesome and has had a great career, but there’s no case to be made that he’s been better than any of those players this season.

The Western Conference frontcourt results are tough too. LeBron James is first despite not playing since Christmas Day, and Luka Doncic is currently in second. LeBron and Luka are great, the former much more so than the latter, but they’re both way ahead of Paul George, Kevin Durant and Anthony Davis in fan votes. George and Durant are playing out of their minds, and both of them anchor contenders on both ends of the floor. One of them not starting would be a travesty.

Let the fans vote on something less meaningful, like the Rising Stars game or the skills challenge. As long as NBA All-Star appearances matter in a player’s legacy, they really shouldn’t come down to what internet fanbase can spam the most votes.

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