You brought up a good point, it touches on what I think the NBA’s biggest problem is…

It promotes individualism over teamwork. The all-star game shouldn’t be a group of the best individual players, it should be the best team players. How should individual merit come before group success in a TEAM sport?

I don’t care if a guy can dunk from the three-point line. If his team is losing, how valuable is he? Basketball consists of five players that all have specific roles. Ever since Jordan, the NBA has done nothing but promote the best individual players. Dwayne Wayde winning a title in the fashion he and the Heat did was one of the lowest points this league has seen. Problem is, most fans don’t really care to try to understand the finer points of the game and only cheer for individual athleticism.

While they may not garnish a lot of attention (Boston excluded), Detroit, San Antonio and Boston are the only teams keeping this league afloat right now for REAL basketball fans. For the last decade, I’ve seen the all-star game and what it represents as counter-productive to the evolution of the game.

Garrett: Vince Carter is insanely talented. I’m not sure there’s a more capable scorer from the entire floor in the NBA. When his J is on, and it usually is to at least some extent, it’s pure silk. That being said, as an NBA player, he’s not so great. He’s lazy in every way possible, he’s not a good teammate, doesn’t play defense, etc. He’s the perfect choice for an All-Star because the “fans” want to see displays of wildly dazzling offense, not substance. It makes the All-Star game a spectacle. I’ve resigned myself to understand that most “All-Stars” are just glorified showmen in a Slam Dunk-like sideshow performance. If this is what the fans want, let them have it. I think being named a reserve is more prestigious since it actually comes from NBA minds. Apparently we don’t represent the majority of NBA fans in what we view as an “All-Star”, and if we do, our inaction creates these results. I don’t know about you, but I’m most worried about how the Pistons are doing in their games, not in contests determined by the voting public.

Sometimes the winner of American Idol doesn’t sell as many records as one of the runner-ups. Would you rather The Pistons win Idol or would you rather the Pistons sell the most records?

I have to agree. I don’t really care about losing to a Western Conference team that we won’t see again until next year, but you’d think that after losing to a depleted Kings team earlier in the season, the Pistons would want to redeem themselves. Whatever though, this loss should motivate Detroit for their game in Chicago tonight.

The Bulls had to run up and down the court with Golden State last night in a game that they lost in the final minutes. This team is just itching for a whooping! Considering that they’ve already beat Detroit both times they’ve met so far, I really expect the Pistons to have a good game and win by at least 12 tonight.

Chicago has and will be one of those teams that I can’t stand seeing Detroit lose to. Let’s hope today’s game goes better than yesterdays’s!

***SIDENOTE***
During the Bulls game last night, Jeff Van Gundy stated that he felt no team under .500 should be allowed to send someone to the all-star game. I couldn’t agree more. I noticed that Tracy McGrady is one of the top vote getters even though he’s done nothing this year and his team is struggling. Once this core group of Pistons players is gone, I have a feeling I’ll be over the NBA for a while. Thanks Mr. Stern!

Early in the year, I posted a comment asking people to put bets on who the first player to take a swing at Noah would be. My guess was Ruben Patterson, but he’s no longer on a team.