<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Stephen Jackson says it will be "politics" if Baron Davis does not make the All-Star team. Al Harrington opted for "conspiracy" and coach Don Nelson said he'll stump for his point guard to beef up his case. So what did Davis say, 12 hours after looking every bit the superstar in dispatching the defending NBA champion Spurs? "Respect from my peers is more important than anything," said Davis, a two-time All-Star. "When guys like Steve Nash and Tony Parker and other guards give me that respect - that's all that matters to me. People like Allen Iverson telling me they love my game and how much they respect me as a player. "At the end of the day, that's what I want to be known as: The player who maximized his potential and was one of the top players in the league. That's what I'm shooting for ... because that's what my team needs me to be." The better Davis is, the better the Warriors are. And, fittingly enough, Golden State's two-week trial against the best in the West ends tonight the same way it began: with Davis coming face-to-face with yet another elite guard. Portland's Brandon Roy has led his team to the West's seventh-best record at 21-13 and an enviable home mark of 16-3. The third-year wonder is averaging 19 points, 5.6 assists and 4.5 rebounds, firmly planting himself on a crowded list of All-Star candidates. With Kobe Bryant and the injured Tracy McGrady likely to be voted in as starters by fans, Roy and Davis are competing against the likes of Nash, Iverson, Chris Paul, Parker and Manu Ginobili for the remaining two or three reserve slots on the 12-man roster. Each conference's coaches will pick the subs, and Paul is considered a sentimental favorite with the game in New Orleans. But Davis says he also would welcome a return to the city he called home for 2 1/2 years and is still involved with through local charities. Nelson said he is planning to lobby for Davis. "Why not? I have a lot of friends in the league. I'll give them a call if necessary. ... I'm not going to ask them to do a favor or anything, but just realize what the guy's done and consider him." The disdain that Hornets coach Byron Scott and Davis have for each other is no secret, nor is the ill done to Davis' reputation from his stint on the 2002 World Championship team led by Nuggets coach George Karl. "Everybody got their own opinions," Davis said. "Bottom line is, you prove who you are out there on that floor. If somebody can look me in my eye and tell me that I'm not as good as they think I am, so be it. Or if they don't think I'm as good as any other point guard or any other player in this league, so be it. "But I know my job is to go out there and prove everybody wrong. That's just who I've been. I've been a warrior all my career, being able to battle back from injuries, being traded, and still be able to maintain a high level of performance and continue to get better. And a lot of credit for that goes to coach Nellie."</div> Source: SF Gate
The fact that McGrady gets in this year is exactly why the fan's vote should not be considered. The only time that it ever worked out right was the year that Magic was voted in after the HIV announcement. If Baron misses the game because more fans know McGrady's name, is a travesty. The starting guards this year should be Kobe and either Baron or Paul, Nash took a step back, and Ginobli and Parker aren't in Baron's league, Period!
At least Yi Jian Lian wasn't on the ballot or else he'd start over Kevin Garnett, Chris Bosh, Jermaine O'neal or whoever. The crazy voting in China is exactly what happens over here. The larger group just outnumbers the honest fans who do leave their favorite players off the ballots and instead vote for the players that deserve to get in. Now we've had one or two reserves get in the all-star team that didn't really deserve to get in, but that was the coach's doing, not the fans. I'm sure Baron Davis is versatile enough to get in and if the coach is dastardly, he'll pick Baron Davis in an effort to risk his health in a meaningless game. Well not meaningless, but it doesn't help the Warriors any, but give them bragging rights for having an all-star representative.
If not Baron, at least Monta Ellis. That guy is so pro. In tonight's pacer's game he just finishes like only a few in this league. He may even be the best inside/in transition finisher for his size and position. It gets better: he plays some really nice defense, he rebounds, and he is a decent passer now.
