Rollin' on Snubs

Tonight on TNT, the NBA All-star Reserve Squads were announced. The teams are now officially set for the All-Star Game in N'awlins on Sunday, February 17. Let's take a look at both sides before delving into the meaty part of the discussion.

EAST
Starters
Guard-Jason Kidd
Guard-Dwyane Wade
Forward-Lebron James
Forward-Kevin Garnett
Center-Dwight Howard
Reserves
Chauncey Billups
Chris Bosh
Caron Butler
Rip "City" Hamilton
Antawn Jamison
Joe Johnson
Paul Pierce

WEST
Starters
Guard-Allen Iverson
Guard-Kobe Bryant
Forward-Carmelo Anthony
Forward-Timmy Duncan
Center- Yao Ming
Reserves

Carlos Boozer

Steve Nash

Dirk Nowitzki

Brandon Roy

Chris Paul
Amare Stoudamire
David West

Now, I'm not going to tackle the "Who should be a starter vs. reserve" debate, because all of these guys are going to get PT. The most important thing to consider is who should be going to the Big Easy and who should be eating at the Buffett on Gameday (like Marwan).

East Snubs
Guard- Jose Caulderon...A month ago, I would have still labeled him as a fluke, but there's no denying anymore how talented this young Spaniard is. He is the Rafael Nadal of Basketball because of his lightning quick reflexes. He has an excellent Assist to turnover ratio, and has stepped up admirably in TJ Ford's absence. You could make a strong argument that he's better than Ford when healthy at his best. Without Caulderon, the Raptors would be somewhere in Knick-land.

Guard- Jason Richardson...When the Bobcats made the trade during the draft where they sent the 8th overall pick to the Warriors for J Rich, most people (including myself) questioned owner MJ's sanity. At least at the present time, we may have been wrong. While Branden Wright (the pick that Charlotte traded) is accumulating splinters in his ass on the bench, J Rich has been ballin' on a budget for the Bob's. He leads the NBA in 3's and has more points than any other Guard in the East.

Forward- Gerald Wallace...I realize the Bobcats aren't that good, but the Heat have won half as many games as them and D Wade still got a roster spot. Wallace has turned into a great all-around player and leads the East (and all forwards) in steals. Defensive stats just get overlooked in the voting process. It's too bad, because he's a great offensive player too and he definitely deserves a reserve spot.

Forward- Hedo Turkoglu...I was going back and forth on which Magic Forward to give this to, but in the end I think that Mr. Glu edges 'Shard, because he contributes more points, rebounds, and assists. Turkoglu is a huge reason for Orlando's success this year and has been arguably the best Fantasy value so far this year. Not that fantasy matters in all-star voting, but you gotta give Hedo some love. He's having a career year and is playing outstanding basketball.

Center- Rasheed Wallace...For argument's sake, we are going to call Sheed a Center, even though he is more of a PF. Still, the other Wallace is putting up his usual sick numbers. Is that good enough to get him an all-star nod...maybe not, but he's the only worthy snub candidate at Center in the East.

West Snubs
Guard- Baron Davis...In my opinion, this is the biggest snub of the them all. BD has been sick this year. When healthy, Baron has always been a top 5 guard, but this year, he's been a top 5 player. It's ludicrous that a guy that's leading the league in steals, not to mention top 10 in triples, points, and assists is not an all-star. Without him, the Warriors would have no shot at a playoff spot in the West. There's no way he shouldn't be going to the big game.

Guard- Deron Williams...This is a tough call. Manu Ginobili is also very deserving, but I only have one guard spot and I had to give the edge to Deron based on his sick 9.5 assists a game (I understand Manu is a SG, but there isn't another stat that he has that separates him from Williams enough). He hasn't been as baller as he was earlier in the season, but there's no denying that this is one of the best PG in the game today. Substitute a mediocre PG on the Jazz and they would be floundering. Without Deron feeding Boozer the ball, Booze Cruise wouldn't be an all-star. Not to mention he has one of the best FG % among all guards at nearly 52 percent.

Forward- Shawn Marion...How come the Matrix never gets any love from voters. This is one of the best all-around players in the game today. There's a reason he's always on top of the fantasy leaderboards. He produces in every category. There a select few who hustle as hard as he does on both sides of the floor. Sadly, it seems that his trade demands during the off-season might have cost him some popularity points with voters.

Forward- Stephen Jackson...What a thug. This baller missed the first 7 games of the season because of a suspension, and he is still putting up numbers with the best of 'em. Not only is a mean son of a bitch (he'll steal the ball away from you and your lunch money), but he's an excellent 3 point assassin. The Warriors couldn't survive without him.

Center- Marcus Camby...You could make an easy argument that this is the biggest bust of them all too. Camby has been a Monster on the defensive side. He's averaging 4!!! blocks a game and a steal as well. This doesn't even take into account the shadow he casts over anyone who's driving the lane and all of the defensive rebounds he snags. He doesn't have the flashy offensive stats that Yao and Amare do, but neither of those guys can hold a candle to the Defensive Numbers that he's lighting up the scoreboard with.

All-Star Snobs
These are the guys who I feel don't deserve to be going to New Orleans. This isn't to say that they aren't ballers, it's just that some of the snubs are having better seasons.

Rip Hamilton- I love my Pistons and Rip is having a great year, but he's basically just a great scorer, he doesn't bring enough else to the table to make him worthy of a spot.

Joe Johnson- Pretty much the same thing goes for Young Jeezy. He's been scoring at a high clip as usual, but he offers little else and plays no D (even though he may lay the D on the Hotlanta Betty's).

David West- This bid baffles me. Sure, West was one of the most underrated players in the league, but now it appears he's being overrated. I don't see how he's any better than his teammate Tyson Chandler. It appears they wanted to give another Hornet some love because they are doing so great and it's in their hometown. He'd definitely make it if he were playing in the East, but the West is too stacked at Forward for Young West to make it.

Carmelo Anthony- Everyone seems to love Melo. I don't really understand why. Remember when he got that 15 game suspension last year for that fight in the Knick's game. In my book he's as big of a ho bag as Ronny Artest. He is a great scorer like Rip and Joe, but he turns the ball over hella and is a puss on the Defensive end. He also is a fairly weak 3 point shooter.