Why all-star starters are a joke!

Yao power: Center gets starting call for All-Star Game

So, we now know that Western All-Star starters are Kobe Bryant (LA Lakers), Kevin Garnett (Minnesota Timberwolves), Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs) and Steve Francis and Yao Ming (Houston Rockets). Not a single starter form the team with NBA's best record, the Dallas Mavericks. Not a single starter from the arguably the best team in NBA right now, the Sacramento Kings. What is the Lakers' record in the seasoon? 19 wins and 23 losses. What about the T-wolves? 26-18, the Spurs are 28-15 and the team with two All-Star starters, Rockets have a pathetic 23-19 record.

I am all for fan participation in the All-Star ballots and stuff, but then we should probably call the All-Stars by a different name, maybe All-Fan Favorite or All-Hype or All-the-time-on-the-TV-but-cannot-shoot-10-feet-from-the-hoop, or something like that. Kevin Garnett has failed to take his team out of the first round of playoffs for what 5 seasons so far? And this guy makes half the salary cap's worth of money this year, so his team cannot even sign anyone else. Kobe, he puts up his numbers, but has so far failed to inspire his team mates to ratchet up their play and play like the defending champions that they are. Steve Francis and Yao are the most hyped team in the NBA history, but they cannot deliver on it and their record proves it. Tim Duncan is the only guy I respect to be slogging away and carrying his team on his solitary shoulders without a single complaint (see, Kobe). He deserves all the accolades he gets. The rest, All-Flash-no-substance.

The reserves are the only ones that deserve respect of any kind, since they are picked by people who know what they are talking about, the coaches. This is why I think a much fairer system would make the fans vote for the reserves and let the coaches pick the starters. It will not only make sense to real basketball enthusiasts (not the kids who see the athletes in commercials and think that that proves their greatness), but it will be a true measure of someone being All-Star calibre. As an example, how fair is it for Vince Carter to be staring in the East, even though he played only 10 games in the season so far? Start campaiging, people - let's get the NBA to recognize true All-Stars, not loo-at-me-I-am-so-cool-I-am-dunking flashes that cannot win a game for their team by themselves.