NBA 2018-19: Why the early NBA All-Star voting results seem to be odd

The NBA All-Star Weekend is coming soon. The weekend of all-star events will begin February 15th-17th, 2019, a little less than a month and a half away. Every year there is a debate about who should be named an All-Star and who should not.

The 2003 NBA All-Star voting saw rookie Yao Ming get the starting nod as the Western Conference All-Star starting center. This meant Shaquille O’Neal, fresh off of three consecutive NBA Finals MVP awards would be a back up at that 2003 NBA All-Star game.

Not to pick on Yao Ming, but Ming was again voted the Western Conference’s starting center in 2011 after missing the previous season due to a hairline fracture in his left foot and having only played five games in the 2010-11 season.

Now, mostly determined by fan voting, the All-Star selections are not based on a set of criteria or guidelines but more so on the nostalgic feelings of the voters. Last week we got a look at the early All-Star voting results, which can change as we get closer to the All-Star event but here is a look at five odd rankings good or bad based on those voter tallies.

Vince Carter and Dwyane Wade

Vince Carter received 76,022 votes placing him 7th among frontcourt players in the Eastern Conference. Also in the East among guards, Dwyane Wade received 409,156 votes placing him 2nd in voting behind Kyrie Irving and ahead of Kemba Walker. This might seem odd but it is a good irregularity if these early voter results hold up.

Carter and Wade, while not starters or significant on-court contributors anymore, have nearly 37 years of NBA experience including this season and are near retirement. The votes they have both accumulated are in essence similar to a lifetime achievement award for their body of work.

Wade, of course, is a three-time NBA Champion and NBA Finals MVP in 2006, a 12 time NBA All-Star from 2005-2016 and an NBA scoring champion in 2009. Vince Carter was named the rookie of the year in 1999. Carter was crowned NBA slam dunk contest winner at the 2000 All-Star Weekend and he is a former 8 time all-star from 2000-2007.

Both of these players are well beyond their primes but are close to retirement as at least Dwyane Wade has said this is his last season. There is absolutely nothing wrong in honoring the game’s past and Wade and Carter have left us with many memorable moments over the course of their careers.

Luka Doncic

The NBA All-Star Weekend includes a Rising Stars Challenge game every year. The best Rookies play the best 2nd year or sophomore players. For this reason, it is odd that Luka Doncic has received 679,839 votes placing him second, ahead of Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis and Paul George for frontcourt players being considered for the All-Star Game from the Western Conference.

Doncic is a very good rookie player averaging 19.4 points per game and is the front runner for the 2019 rookie of the year award. However, Doncic will get his time to shine at the Rising Stars Challenge game this year as a rookie and next year as a sophomore. His vote tally is not odd because he is talented and the fix is because of whom his selection would supplant or might exclude from the big event on Sunday, February 17th, 2019.

Right now, based on early voting the starting frontcourt from the west would be LeBron James, Luka Doncic and Kevin Durant. Its hard to argue that Anthony Davis or Paul George don't deserve a starting role at the All-Star game. However, it is early and there is plenty of time for players to move up or down by gathering more votes.

DeMarcus Cousins

Golden State Warriors v Los Angeles Lakers

DeMarcus Cousins tore his Achilles heel tendon last season almost a year ago on January 26th, 2018 while playing for the New Orleans Pelicans. He has not played in a game since. Now with the Golden State Warriors, on a 1-year deal, Cousins began scrimmaging with his Warriors’ teammates on December 28th, 2018.

While Cousins did average 25 points and 12.9 rebounds per game through 48 games last season, Cousins may fall into that Yao Ming category and might not actually deserve consideration as a Western Conference frontcourt All-Star.

Cousins received 92,977 early votes and is ranked 10th by voting for Western Conference frontcourt players. DeMarcus Cousins has been an NBA All-Star four times, in his career, from 2015-2018.

He has also accumulated 21.5 points and 11 rebounds per game for his career, so far, but has not played at all this season. While his vote tally won’t affect the starting line up out west, it was just odd to see his name in all-star consideration after he hasn’t played an NBA game in almost 12 months.

Derrick Rose

Derrick Rose of the Minnesota Timberwolves received 698,086 thousand votes placing him second among Western Conference guards. It means he and Stephen Curry would start the All-Star game and players like James Harden and Russell Westbrook would come off of the bench.

Rose is perhaps a more interesting vote recipient than odd. It wasn’t that long ago everyone recognized Rose as an MVP candidate and perhaps the next man, after Michael Jordan, to lead the Chicago Bulls to a championship. Injuries killed that dream. The last three seasons have seen Rose bounce around the league playing for the Knicks, Cavaliers and now the Timberwolves.

A backup point guard for the Minnesota Timberwolves Rose, in 29.8 minutes per game, is averaging 18.9 points and 4.8 assists per game. He had that MVP flashback game, on Halloween of 2018, when he shot 61% from the field going 19/31 for 50 points and recorded 6 assists. Rose has scored 30 or more points in 2 games this season and 20 or more 9 times out of 32 games played. He has also scored 20 or more points in each of his last three games.

At the moment, Rose is out of the Timberwolves line up due to an ankle injury. Rose has proven he is still relevant and this all-star voting for him might be nostalgic as much as it is for Vince Carter And Dwyane Wade. However, it must be pointed out that he is not a starter and yet is getting huge all-star support based on early voting results.

Chris Paul

If its odd that a backup point guard like Derrick Rose is second in voting for all-star guards, it's extremely odd that a starting point guard like Chris Paul is ranked 10th in voting with just 101.104 votes.

Chris Paul alongside James Harden just eight months ago led the Houston Rockets in a 7 game Western Conference series and just failed by one game or one win to proceed to the NBA Finals. Currently unable to play for 2-3 weeks due to a hamstring pull, Paul is averaging 15.6 points, 8 assists and 2.1 steals per game. At age 33, he remains an elite point guard in the NBA.

Chris Paul is a former 9 time NBA all-star from 2008-2016. It would be expected that Chris Paul would rank higher than Lonzo Ball who was 8th in early all-star voting among guards. The guards in the Western Conference are actually very well such as Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Damian Lillard, and DeMar DeRozan. However, 10th is an odd ranking for a star like Chris Paul.

The coaches for each side in the all-star game will add players to the rosters who were forgotten and who deserve to be honored on February 17, 2019. There are always odd choices selected to the All-Star team and even odder selections omitted every single year.

The 2019 NBA All-Star game will have players included and excluded that raise more than a few eyebrows. As of today, there are still 37 days before the NBA All-Star Weekend so last week's voting results are not final. It will be interesting to see when more votes get tabulated over the next few weeks, which players will be in or excluded.

Edited by Abhinav Munshi