They're Playing Basketball (and complaining)

Allen takes issue with fans' voting role
ESPN.com news services

Celtics guard Ray Allen thinks it's time to limit fans' influence in All-Star voting, with Allen Iverson and Tracy McGrady, despite having little to no impact this season, both headed into the final hours of voting in position to start.

Unwanted by their teams, Iverson and McGrady are still adored by their fans, who still consider them stars even though their stats say otherwise.

The Memphis Grizzlies quickly parted ways with Iverson. The Houston Rockets are trying to trade McGrady.

Maybe the players can swap stories of their rocky roads while covering each other at the All-Star Game.

"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," Allen said this week.

The nine-time All-Star said the fan voting has made the game "watered down" and called for a change in the process.

Allen said fans should have 50 percent of the vote, with the other 50 percent being divided evenly between the media and the players. He said players know who is playing the best, and believes with his idea, "you'd look at five guys starting the All-Star team regardless of hype or highlight."

The NBA likes things the way they are.

"We look at it as a great way to engage the fans," NBA spokesman Brian McIntyre said. "We think it's a good system."

McGrady has played sparingly in only six games this season since coming back from knee surgery, and Allen thinks commissioner David Stern should consider a rule mandating that a player appear in a minimum number of games to be eligible.

"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," Allen said. "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."

Well I certainly don't like having to agree with one of the Celtics but I have to say that Allen has a point with McGrady and Iverson. Hell, if Yao Ming weren't too hurt to play I'm sure he'd be starting too. Every year there are undeserving guys in the All Star game but having McGrady and Iverson on the squad this year is by far the worst its ever been. So the NBA should step in and mandate some restrictions.

At the same time I understand why the NBA is so in favor of fan voting. It's a star driven league and the fans want to see the stars. So the NBA should probably keep fan voting at 100% and just put up some ground rules. Not a perfect system but about as good as it can get.