http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/9305393/lebron-james-kobe-bryant-voted-all-nba-first-team James Harden is the only 3rd team member who doesn't have a first name as a last name. If only Chris Paul hadn't had such a good year...
More than that, Lillard was arguably the best player on the team this year and two all-star caliber players weren't enough to make the playoffs, so that reflects poorly on LMA at year's end.
not a joke, just a reflection on team performance - the price you have to pay for a monumental tank job. hope it was worth it.
Lillard wasn't an All-Star caliber PG this year. No argument can be made for him to be an All-Star last year, IMO. Next year I expect him to be more efficient, though, and with that, the team will improve, as well as the addition of some veteran help off the bench and in the middle.
All-star caliber just means he played at that level, not that he was expected to make the all-star team. He held his own against the best in the league and put up stats worthy of all-star consideration, just not the best efficiency, which you would expect from a rookie.
This year there really were a lot of deserving candidates for the all nba third team. I think LMA makes it if we make the playoffs but since we didn't I don't think he belongs on that list with so many deserving candidates. Lee may be absolutely horrid on D but he was great on the offensive end and was a rebounding machine this year and helped lead a Warriors team that a lot of people think overachieved.
LMA more than held up his own against the best in the league, though, and Blake Griffin should have never been 2nd-team. It's an award voted on by writers, though, so media stuff comes into play.
James Harden deserved better then 3rd team. I think he was the most dominant guard in the league this past season. STOMP
I can't really argue with the 1st Team, but I'm surprised Parker finished fourth in guard voting. A lot of people have been making convincing cases for him being the best guard in the league this past season. I'd probably still take Kobe over him for the 1st Team, but it's pretty surprising to see him finishing under Westbrook, especially when Harden has a better case than Westbrook does to be on the 2nd Team. As far as the 2nd Team goes, I think Blake Griffin's nod is based more on his name and less on his play this season, and the same could be said for Dwight Howard on the 3rd Team. There's no way I'd ever take Lopez over Howard, but if we're giving out awards and recognition for the 2013 season, Brook Lopez deserved to be on the 3rd Team. I can see LaMarcus Aldridge's case for the 3rd Team, because of David Lee's defensive flaws, but you're really splitting hairs when it comes to LMA, Lee, Randolph, and Jefferson (that guy's really got to get out of Utah and get more exposure). I really would have been fine with any of them making the 3rd Team.
More importantly, did anyone notice that J.J. Hickson got a vote? Wtf... Other players receiving votes, with point totals: Brook Lopez, Brooklyn, 132 (7 First Team votes); Stephen Curry, Golden State, 72; LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland, 62; Chris Bosh, Miami, 59 (4); Joakim Noah, Chicago, 56 (3); Zach Randolph, Memphis, 45; Al Horford, Atlanta, 31 (2); Paul Pierce, Boston, 24; Al Jefferson, Utah, 20 (1); Tyson Chandler, New York, 19 (1); Roy Hibbert, Indiana, 9; Luol Deng, Chicago, 8; Kevin Garnett, Boston, 8; Ty Lawson, Denver, 8; Josh Smith, Atlanta, 7; Deron Williams, Brooklyn, 6; Pau Gasol, LA Lakers, 4; Serge Ibaka, Oklahoma City, 4; Omer Asik, Houston, 3; Kenneth Faried, Denver, 3; Raymond Felton, New York, 3; Kyrie Irving, Cleveland, 3; Carlos Boozer, Chicago, 2; Mike Conley, Memphis, 2; David West, Indiana, 2; Rudy Gay, Toronto, 1; J.J. Hickson, Portland, 1; Andre Iguodala, Denver, 1; Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas, 1; Nikola Pekovic, Minnesota, 1; Rajon Rondo, Boston, 1; Nikola Vucevic, Orlando, 1. ------------ If there were a 4th Team, here's how it'd look based on the All-NBA Team votes - F - LaMarcus Aldridge - 62 F - Zach Randolph - 45 C - Brook Lopez - 132 (7) G - Stephen Curry - 72 G - Ty Lawson - 8 Based on that, it seems like there was a huge drop-off in the perception of guards this year after Curry compared to the competitiveness of the F/C vote... Out of the 31 players in the "Others Receiving Votes" category, there were only seven guards (Curry, Lawson, D.Williams, Felton (?), Irving, Conley, and Rondo). ? = "What the hell northeastern media..." Felton had a good year, but how did three voters really put him over the likes of Harden, Westbrook, Curry, or Wade?
I think ZBO and LMA stand out over Lee and Jefferson simply because they are double-teamed quite often, while Jefferson and Lee get their points on individual coverage. You don't gameplan to shut down David Lee when you play GS, and Jefferson simply doesn't have the numbers this year to make a case. That said, I'd have Lee on the 2nd team, and LMA and/or ZBO on 3rd team over Griffin.
