Article:McGrady, Iverson: Do Not Belong on Court in Dallas

And so it continues... The Houston Rockets' forward Tracy McGrady and the Philadelphia 76ers' guard Allen Iverson, despite missing much of the season, are both on pace to star in this year's NBA All-Star game in Dallas, Texas. This just gives the NBA players, coaches and the media another reason to hate the fan voting process. Players, such as Boston's Ray Allen, have broken their silence on the subject. Here's what he had to say earlier this week on the matter (quote from ESPN.com's news services): "I like the fact that the fans get the opportunity to vote and pick who they'd like to see in the All-Star Game, but I don't think it should be 100 percent...Tracy, if he played, I'm sure he'd play well enough to be an All-Star player, because he's done that his career.  But again, that's taking away from another player in the Western Conference that's having a great year, that's been playing, that deserves to be in there." I understand and acknowledge the idea of some that think 'it's what the fans want,' but at the same time I just don't like the idea that there are guys out there getting all the votes without even being on a court. It's taking away from the players, like Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony, who are on the court doing great things for their respective teams. So, in many ways, I am in total agreement with Allen's above statement. Fans need to get a hold of themselves and do this right.



Obviously, everyone is entitled to their own opinions, and this happens to be mine. Allen Iverson, 15 games played this season, and Tracy McGrady, six games played this season, do not belong on the court in Dallas. If they haven't been on the court for their own team, what makes you think the team's executives would want them playing in a game as meaningless as the NBA All-Star game? It's about entertainment, I know. So why don't the fans vote in the fresh, up-and-coming players such as Danny Granger, Derrick Rose and Kevin Durant? The fan voting baffles more than a handful of people each year. This article may actually be just a waste of my time and effort because I have a feeling the system--including NFL's and MLB's fan voting--isn't going away any time soon.

Also posted here: http://talksportswithromdawgandbigben.blogspot.com/