My Issues With The All NBA Teams

So the All-NBA Teams were released yesterday and the Portland Trail Blazers’ own LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard were selections to the 3rd team. So before I say anything more, here’s the full lineup:

1st Team: Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Joakim Noah, James Harden, Chris Paul

2nd Team: Blake Griffin, Kevin Love, Dwight Howard, Stephen Curry, Tony Parker

3rd Team: Paul George, LaMarcus Aldridge, Al Jefferson, Goran Dragic, Damian Lillard

My first reaction is, “James Harden! Are you kidding me?” But I’ll acknowledge the Portland players before tangenting to the rest of the board.

There was no power forward taken in the 1st Team. In each All-NBA Team, there are two guards, two forwards and a center.  LeBron James was selected as the second forward after Durant and that’s fine.

So that’s why LaMarcus Aldridge fell to the 3rd Team. But are Kevin Love and Blake Griffin really any better than Aldridge? If you had to pick between the three of these players, who would it be? Aldridge averaged 23.2 points, 11.1 rebounds and one block per game this year. Griffin averaged 24.1 points, 9.5 rebounds and 0.6 blocks while Kevin Love averaged 26.1 points, 12.5 rebounds and 0.5 blocks per game.

So when it comes down to it, Aldridge, Griffin and Love are pretty equal in stats but there have to be points taken from Love for never making the playoffs. The Timberwolves have been a pretty solid team recently, with Ricky Rubio and Corey Brewer. Love was a potential MVP candidate a couple years ago. He’s got to be able to make the playoffs.

So the pick for me is between Griffin and Aldridge. I love Griffin. I love his flash and his ability to change the game from an emotional stance. But he’s not as reliable as Aldridge is. Griffin sometimes has trouble against bigger players who keep him out of the paint. Aldridge was able to drop 40 points per game over Dwight Howard. His game is both in the paint and from deep. Aldridge is much more of a complete power forward than Love and Griffin, and because of that I think he should have made the 2nd Team over Love.

Now, I’m very glad Lillard made the lineup. In the beginning of the season, Lillard said that his goals for the year were to make the playoffs, compete in the All-Star Game, and make an All-NBA Team. Now we all know Lillard is a star, but before this season started many thought that Lillard’s list of goals was a little much.

But is Lillard really better than John Wall, Kyle Lowry and Kyrie Irving? I might get hosed for saying this, but I would sooner take Irving over Lillard. And I’d have to think long and hard about taking Lillard over Wall. Lillard’s series clinching shot over the Rockets had to have a big impact on his selection there.

Now, because this is Oregon Sports News I will not go too long on the other players in the All-NBA Teams. But I do have several things to say about the voting.

Firstly, LeBron James was not a unanimous 1st Team selection. Chris Sheridan, former ESPN NBA Analyst and 18 year veteran of the Associated Press, did not vote LeBron James to the NBA 1st Team. Instead, he voted for Griffin. James is the best basketball player in the world and it’s egregious that he was not a unanimous pick for the 1st Team.

Okay back to my starting point … James Harden is the half of the best backcourt in the NBA? On YouTube, there is an 11-minute long video of Harden playing defense like a potted plant. He gives up on screens, does not pay attention to his man when he’s off the ball and does not fight for rebounds. His offense relies completely on defenders giving him open three looks and diving recklessly into defenders to draw fouls. It really gets unwatchable now that he’s a franchise player. I’d sooner see Stephen Curry or Kyrie Irving (who should have been somewhere here) as the second guard in the 1st team.

And if Kevin Love made the second team, Carmelo Anthony should be here somewhere. Sure, he’s getting older and the Knicks were awful. But if the dumpster fire Timberwolves’ forward made the list, then Anthony should be here. His 27.4 points per game were about average for Anthony, but his defense was better than ever. Anthony set career highs of 8.1 rebounds and 0.7 blocks per game.