All-Star shenanigans

Arizona Daily Wildcat Seth Doria

Bryant is one of the most athletic players the league has seen since Mr. Jordan left Chapel Hill, but is he really the best shooting guard in the West?

He's not even the best shooting guard on his own team. That distinction belongs to Eddie Jones, a reserve for Sunday's game.

Hardaway, while undoubtedly a great talent, had only played in a quarter(13) of his team's games when All-Star selections were made.

Tim Hardaway, an All-Star reserve, is averaging the same number of points and rebounds as Penny in addition to dishing out nearly six more assists a game.

So what? you may ask. Hardaway and Jones are still going to play, so what's the problem?

Well, the problem is that Stephon Marbury, Damon Stoudamire and Rod Strickland, all of whom have better stats than Bryant and Penny, will not get to play.

Currently, the starting lineups are determined by fan balloting and reserves are chosen by the All-Star coaches.

The problem with letting fans choose the starters is that a large percentage of them, particularly younger ones, don't know basketball beyond commercials and the nightly dunk highlights on ESPN's "SportsCenter."

Basically, what has happened is that the All-Star starter selection process has become a popularity contest.

Those players who become media icons in large television markets, like Bryant and Penny, have an advantage over players from smaller markets like Toronto and Minnesota.

Stoudamire is incredibly popular in Toronto and Arizona, but most people in cities like Charlotte and Orlando don't get to see too many Raptor games.

Letting coaches determine the reserves allows a situation where the coach (Larry Bird) chooses a player (Rik Smits, 17ppg 7rpg) from his own team over other more qualified players (Chris Webber, 22ppg, 9rpg). Webber even blocks more shots than the 7-foot-2 Flying Dutchman.

So what's the solution?

The NBA should split up the vote between the fans, league coaches and players. Give the fans 50 percent and the coaches and players 25 percent each.

The top two guards and forwards and top center from each conference start, while the next top seven vote getters - four guards and three post players - make up the reserves.

This way, players and coaches who have seen Marbury's or Stoudamire's clutch assists and three-pointers would be able to recognize them as the All-Stars they deserve to be.

If this system had been implemented last year, here is how Sunday's game might have changed.

For the West, Jones starts at shooting guard, Marbury and Isiah Rider become reserves and Bryant and Kidd get the boot.

The East would have Tim Hardaway and Chris Webber in the starting lineup with Stoudamire and Strickland, along with Dikembe Mutombo, joining the reserves. Penny and Glen Rice would have to miss the festivities.

No matter what the selection criteria is, some players with All-Star stats will get snubbed. In the above scenario, Rice, Glenn Robinson and Shareef Abdur-Rahim could have complaints, but with an adjusted system, at least more qualified players will have the distinction of playing in the All-Star game.