This article is part of our NBA Blog series.
I'm not entirely sure why, but I care about the NBA All-Star rosters. I know it's just an exhibition game, but I just can't stop myself from over analyzing who should make the team, and who actually will make the team.
Lately, I've spent way too much of my time thinking about how the All-Star Game rosters should be constructed. Here is my plan, along with an example of how it would work this season:
1. Eliminate Eastern/Western Conference Teams: A single pool of All-Stars is chosen, from which the two teams are created.
2. The All-Star pool consists of 30 players: NBA rosters are made up of 15 players each, so the All-Star player pool should consistent of 30 players – enough for two teams.
3. Positions: Do away with the silly backcourt/frontcourt designations. The 30 players are made up of 6 point guards, 12 wing players, and 12 big men. These distinctions should be liberal to allow the best players into the game.
4. Tier System: Designate each All-Star a First-Team, Second-Team, or Third-Team All-Star. This would allow the All-Star game to be used in Hall-of-Fame discussions: "So and so was a four-time First-Team All-Star" carries much more weight than "So and so was a five-time Third-Team All-Star".
Only First and Second-Team players are allowed to play in the game. This will make the rotations easier on the coaches. If there is an injury, then a Third-Team All-Star can fill in, but no one is added to the All-Star Team.
5. Criteria: The First and Second-Team players are based entirely on first half of the season performance. The Third-Team players consists of a composite of deserving players as well as certain exceptions like MVP caliber players who missed a big chuck of games (KD this year), or legacy type players (Dirk).
In addition, at least one player from the host city is guaranteed a spot on the third team if they don't make the first or second team.
If these changes were made, here is how the rosters would potentially look:
Note the "Metric Rank" for each player is based on how they rank among other potential All-Stars at their made up Point, Wing, Post position. It is not a reflection of how they rank compared to the rest of the league.
Point Guards | Metric Rankings | |||||||
All-Star | Player | POS | ||||||
1st Team | Stephen Curry | PG | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
1st Team | Damian Lillard | PG | 3.5 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
2nd Team | Chris Paul | PG | 2 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
2nd Team | John Wall | PG | 14 | 1 | 7 | 10 | 6 | 1 |
3rd Team | Kyle Lowry | PG | 3.5 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 4.5 | 4 |
3rd Team | Russell Westbrook | PG | 5 | 9 | 1 | 5 | 4.5 | 20 |
Just Missed | ||||||||
Just Missed | Kyrie Irving | PG | 7 | 19 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 11 |
Just Missed | Mike Conley | PG | 10 | 17 | 9 | 8 | 10.5 | 9 |
Just Missed | Kemba Walker | PG | 13 | 18 | 14 | 17 | 7 | 12 |
Wings | Metric Rankings | |||||||
All-Star | Player | POS | ||||||
1st Team | James Harden | Wing | 1 | 26.5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
1st Team | LeBron James | Wing | 2 | 18 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 3 |
1st Team | Jimmy Butler | Wing | 5.5 | 34 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 2 |
1st Team | Klay Thompson | Wing | 4 | 19 | 4 | 3 | 5.5 | 15 |
2nd Team | Kyle Korver | Wing | 5.5 | 15 | 21 | 7 | 5.5 | 8 |
2nd Team | Wesley Matthews | Wing | 16 | 16 | 19 | 12 | 7 | 11 |
2nd Team | Jeff Teague | PG | 17 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 10.5 | 8 |
2nd Team | Eric Bledsoe | PG | 19 | 6 | 12 | 12 | 8 | 5 |
3rd Team | Gordon Hayward | Wing | 7 | 31 | 9 | 16.5 | 9 | 6 |
3rd Team | Kawhi Leonard | Wing | 19 | 2 | 8 | 6 | 15.5 | 33 |
3rd Team | Kevin Durant | Wing | 9 | 25 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 31 |
3rd Team | Carmelo Anthony | Wing | 3 | 43 | 6 | 29 | 27 | 22 |
Just Missed | ||||||||
Just Missed | Danny Green | Wing | 26 | 13 | 22 | 16.5 | 8 | 5 |
Just Missed | Dwyane Wade | Wing | 17 | 41 | 5 | 33 | 20.5 | 14 |
Just Missed | Rudy Gay | Wing | 10 | 39 | 10 | 19 | 10 | 17 |
Just Missed | Chandler Parsons | Wing | 12 | 24 | 18 | 22 | 13 | 20 |
Just Missed | Tyreke Evans | Wing | 15 | 30 | 16 | 40 | 20.5 | 13 |
Just Missed | Goran Dragic | Wing | 21 | 42 | 13 | 20 | 23.5 | 10 |
Just Missed | Monta Ellis | Wing | 22 | 29 | 12 | 34.5 | 25 | 4 |
Bigs | Metric Rankings | |||||||
All-Star | Player | POS | ||||||
1st Team | Anthony Davis | Big | 4.5 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
1st Team | Marc Gasol | Big | 15 | 21 | 6 | 8 | 2 | 2 |
1st Team | Blake Griffin | Big | 1 | 43 | 3 | 10 | 5 | 3 |
1st Team | Tim Duncan | Big | 30 | 1 | 10.5 | 9 | 7 | 5 |
2nd Team | DeMarcus Cousins | Big | 18 | 3 | 2 | 19.5 | 11 | 12 |
2nd Team | Paul Millsap | Big | 9 | 12 | 22 | 15 | 5 | 7 |
2nd Team | LaMarcus Aldridge | Big | 4.5 | 41 | 7 | 16 | 26 | 8 |
2nd Team | Pau Gasol | Big | 26 | 45 | 9 | 13 | 12 | 4 |
3rd Team | Draymond Green | Big | 24 | 4 | 34 | 21 | 2 | 14 |
3rd Team | Al Horford | Big | 21 | 33 | 15 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
3rd Team | Tyson Chandler | Big | 8 | 9 | 17 | 2 | 5 | 13 |
3rd Team | DeAndre Jordan | Big | 17 | 13 | 19 | 5 | 3 | 9 |
Just Missed | ||||||||
Just Missed | Zach Randolph | Big | 13.5 | 35 | 13 | 11 | 24 | 18 |
Just Missed | Markieff Morris | Big | 6 | 14 | 28 | 45 | 31 | 6 |
Just Missed | Derrick Favors | Big | 23 | 32 | 8 | 18 | 18 | 20 |
Just Missed | Dirk Nowitzki | Big | 13.5 | 48 | 14 | 12 | 28.5 | 14 |
Just Missed | Greg Monroe | Big | 28.5 | 19 | 18 | 26.5 | 21.5 | 26 |
Just Missed | Kevin Love | Big | 22 | 44 | 23 | 22 | 13 | 17 |
Just Missed | Nikola Vucevic | Big | 46 | 39 | 10.5 | 24.5 | 26 | 11 |
Just Missed | Serge Ibaka | Big | 31 | 7 | 38 | 38 | 26 | 27 |
Just Missed | Chris Bosh | Big | 24 | 49 | 16 | 35 | 39.5 | 19 |
Just Missed | Marcin Gortat | Big | 50 | 22.5 | 29 | 26.5 | 31 | 25 |
Just Missed | Andre Drummond | Big | 47 | 22.5 | 21 | 33.5 | 50 | 15 |
Let's talk about it. What's good, what's bad, and is there anything I missed the mark on? Hit me up on Twitter if you'd rather chat there.