Isola: David Lee Will Not Be an All-Star

by Seth on Jan 28, 2010 12:46 PM EST in News

David Lee's best season apparently will not lead to an All-Star berth.

According to a source, Lee will not be one of the seven reserves named to the Eastern Conference All-Star Team. The official announcement of the All-Star reserves from both conferences will be broadcast live on TNT Thursday night.

Lee made a strong case for himself this season by significantly improving his offensive game. But the East coaches who vote for the seven players may have ultimately deemed that the Knicks 18-26 record doesn't merit an All-Star berth.

...

There is always a possibility that an injury to one of the 12 players on the team could give Lee another chance. Kevin Garnett was voted as a starter by the fans and he has only recently returned from a knee injury. Allen Iverson, who was also voted in by the fans, has been banged up this year.

Bummer, but with injuries, you never know. I think most of us would agree that Lee is deserving, but we're obviously biased. No matter what, he's number one in our hearts.

Also, I think we'll wait until the official release before we call this one dead.

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thats a shame

if we had kept the pace we set in december record-wise, he would have been a shoe in. that dallas massacre didn’t help either.

I hate to hope for injuries, but…

by Ray Smuckles on Jan 28, 2010 12:58 PM EST reply actions

Eh

It would only make it (slightly) harder to keep him here.

"Dishin' and swishin' in transition"

by Serious Garbage Time on Jan 28, 2010 1:08 PM EST reply actions

True

"But when he saw it, he just put his hands up and they couldn’t give it to him. It just fell to the ground, I-I don’t, you know … So, that showed me he had great experience..." - Jeff Van Gundy

by Anthony Bonner's Subpoena on Jan 28, 2010 1:39 PM EST up reply actions

who cares

miami dave might care. but seriously, what losing team needs an all star to feel like a winning team? none of them. losing teams need to feel like losers.

twitter.com/aighttho
http://aightthen.tumblr.com/

by stingy d on Jan 28, 2010 1:21 PM EST via mobile reply actions

Like that nickname

"Dishin' and swishin' in transition"

by Serious Garbage Time on Jan 28, 2010 3:02 PM EST up reply actions

are still spouting out the bullcrap that Lee benefits from D’antoni’s system. And maybe too many coaches think a team has to have a winning record. I think that’s bullshit. Yes, I wouldn’t vote Brook Lopez onto the All-star team because I think that if a guy is really good he should be able to lead the team to a few victories. But I feel there have been several games this year where Lee has just flat out won it for us, with teams totally keying on him.

So yeah, I think there’s a disrespect for him out there among opposing coaches, but whatevs. Just prove’em wrong, David.

Bright side – could make it easier for us to bring him back next year.

by fuhry on Jan 28, 2010 1:36 PM EST reply actions

NBA Racism at its finest.

An American born white player has not made the All-Star team since 2003. After leading the league in double-doubles last year (which I thought he got screwed last year in not making the All-Start team), Lee has improved his game to where he is averaging close to 20 ppg, 11 rpg and even over 3 apg. Add it the fact that Lee has hit game-winning shots and other players around the league (including Kobe) say he should be an All-Star; there is no other reason to believe its anything but racism.

The fact the Knicks have a losing record is an absolute piece of bull that biased coaches use as an excuse for Lee not making the All-Star team. Only 6 teams in the East actually have a winning record so that excuse becomes even worse. Lee and Knicks fans have been absolutely screwed by him not making the All-Star team and its a slap in the face to all up and coming American born white players.

I feel bad for Lee as he is absolutely 100% deserving of this spot showing that it takes more than playing great and working your butt off to being recognized in this game.

by DemGatorBoyzRHot on Jan 28, 2010 1:51 PM EST reply actions

uhh

Posting and Toasting: DWTDD.

by Seth on Jan 28, 2010 1:57 PM EST up reply actions

say hello to don "moose" lewis, everyone

also, david lee is albanian born and raised. check your facts, guy.

by inventor frank on Jan 28, 2010 2:25 PM EST up reply actions

yeah!

you tell em! yet another example of the white man getting fucked in the ass!

…….

by riise on Jan 28, 2010 2:47 PM EST up reply actions

seriously

the man is always keeping whitey down.

by gbaked on Jan 28, 2010 2:54 PM EST up reply actions

It's been even longer

since any Jewish players have made the All-Star team! Freaking anti-semites!

And I can’t even remember the last time a graduate of Cal Tech or MIT made the team. I, for one, am damn tired of the flagrant anti-intellectualism of NBA coaches.

"Dishin' and swishin' in transition"

by Serious Garbage Time on Jan 28, 2010 3:04 PM EST up reply actions

Not True. Lebron James is both Jewish and an MIT graduate.

I think the true travesty is against Canadian-born point guards. I can’t even remember the last time one made the all-star team.

"I'll probably go get lifted right now with Greg. Hey, and come back tomorrow and try to get another win."

-Renaldo

by solanumbrella on Jan 28, 2010 3:37 PM EST up reply actions

? לברון ג 'יימס

"Dishin' and swishin' in transition"

by Serious Garbage Time on Jan 28, 2010 3:52 PM EST up reply actions

מילה

"I'll probably go get lifted right now with Greg. Hey, and come back tomorrow and try to get another win."

-Renaldo

by solanumbrella on Jan 28, 2010 3:57 PM EST up reply actions

Seriously though

reserves are voted in by coaches and I doubt that a majority of them have a special dislike for players based on the color of their skin.

A much more rational explanation is that a) opposing coaches think that his success is due to D’antoni, or b) opposing coaches just don’t understand why he is successful and so they don’t respect it, or c) a certain number of coaches will just not vote for a guy that’s on a team under .500.

I think a lot of people will look at the color of his skin and assume he is a certain type of player. But it seems that NBA coaches would have seen enough of Lee to know his game.

by fuhry on Jan 28, 2010 5:03 PM EST up reply actions

Look at all the forwards in the East

someone is always gonna get snubbed. In defense of the coaches who chose the reserves, its only been the commentators who have speculated that Win-Loss record was the reason here. It could also EASILY be that the coaches simply chose who they thought was best. I have no problem with that. Lee isnt the only snub.

I’m gonna assume the coaches made their own decision and it wasn’t based on W-L. If they come out and SAY that was the main reason, then I’ll be pissed, and rightfully so.

"you're the Rod Thorn in my Chris Bosh side."

by Chris Child's Fist on Jan 29, 2010 11:17 AM EST up reply actions

you dont make any sense

the league coaches and predominantly white. and they are the ones voting for reserves. how wud david lee be the victim of racism??

by karamjitm9090 on Jan 28, 2010 9:52 PM EST up reply actions

I like David Lee a lot..

But I dont think its all that crazy for him to be left off the all star squad. He’s definitely improved a whole lot and deserves a lot of love for developing that J so well, but his defense is still pretty shitty. He lets players get post position on him too easily and a lot of the time he kind of just concedes easy shots. He’s a pretty athletic guy and obviously has it in him to work very hard but for whatever reason all that doesnt translate on the defensive end. At this point I see him as a slightly less offensively gifted Z-Bo (can put up points and grab boards but won’t really be stopping anyone on the other end).

by ibnyc on Jan 28, 2010 2:00 PM EST reply actions

Heat fan here

I really wanted to see David Lee make the team. That fact that he got snubbed in favor of that scrub Horford shows how lame it is to pick by win-loss record. I Hope KG, who’s been averaging a mediocre 14-7, doesn’t play so Lee can sneak in.

by kazam92 on Jan 28, 2010 2:17 PM EST reply actions

you're gonna be so happy

when he sigbs with the heat this coming offseason

twitter.com/aighttho
http://aightthen.tumblr.com/

by stingy d on Jan 28, 2010 2:24 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

and when he siGns

same shpiel

twitter.com/aighttho
http://aightthen.tumblr.com/

by stingy d on Jan 28, 2010 2:25 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

nah I'm not counting on it

Great player but we dont need a PF. I dont see him as a center

by kazam92 on Jan 28, 2010 2:54 PM EST up reply actions

haslem gets left out in the cold.

everybody needs a center.

twitter.com/aighttho
http://aightthen.tumblr.com/

by stingy d on Jan 28, 2010 5:51 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

Yo, fuck David Lee not making it.

If realgm.com is right, Josh Smith getting snubbed is motherfucking psychotic.

He’s shooting 51% from the floor, cut down his three attempts, gets 2.2 blocks and 1.5 steals a game, 9 boards a game, career high in assists (4 per game), and is a DPOY candidate.

You want to talk about snubs, go to www.peachtreehoops.com

Holy SHIT.

"I'll probably go get lifted right now with Greg. Hey, and come back tomorrow and try to get another win."

-Renaldo

by solanumbrella on Jan 28, 2010 2:51 PM EST reply actions

Fuck Josh Smith

and everyone who looks like Josh Smith.

You've got to be very careful if you don't know where you are going, because you might not get there

by FreeBradshaw on Jan 28, 2010 3:23 PM EST up reply actions

yeah

people who look like josh smith are just worse version of josh smith

by enron4515 on Jan 28, 2010 7:51 PM EST up reply actions

I'm very disappointed...

in how stupid NBA coaches are for not voting him onto the team. How does Paul Pierce get onto the team? The guy hasn’t been that good this year. Clearly he’s a great player, but no way in hell he’s had a better season than Lee. Garnett and Rondo are the two best players on that team.

Without Lee, the Knicks would be giving the Nets a run for their money in a race for the worst record of all-time. He’s had a greater individual impact on his team than many of the guys on the team and to me that’s what should have made him an All-Star.

by aramnath on Jan 28, 2010 3:35 PM EST reply actions

Lebron James was my roommate at MIT.

by momser on Jan 28, 2010 3:44 PM EST reply actions

The bullshit is thick

I have no problem with David Lee NOT being chosen to the All-Star reserves. Really, i don’t. But at least make the reason a legitimate one. The first I heard of this complete nonsense that you have to be on a winning team to deserve an All-Star bid was from Jeff Van Gundy. And I instantly thought it was a bullshit comment. Save the MVP award for players on a winning team. The All-Star game is about best players..

There are only so many spots on the team for Forwards and Centers. Lee should be considered among the best of the PF bunch. Guys like Bosh, Horford, Gerald Wallace, do deserve All-Star nods. So do guys like Andrew Bogut, Joakim Noah, Brook Lopez, Antawn Jamison, and Josh Smith. So, if Lee isn’t gonna make it, at least use your reasoning as you thought ____ played better and is more deserving. There are always gonna be snubs unfortunately.

Just don’t hide behind this bullshit politcal excuse that this players team should be better. FYI, Chris Bosh’s Raptors are TWO games over .500 (24-22)(Thanks to a current 3 game win streak). Chicago and Charlotte are BOTH .500 (22-22).

Hey, if a losing team shouldn’t have an All-Star, maybe we should replace Dwyane Wade. No, he JUST made the cut. Miami is 23-22. ONE game over .500.

This is aggravating

"you're the Rod Thorn in my Chris Bosh side."

by Chris Child's Fist on Jan 28, 2010 4:12 PM EST reply actions

Truer words have never been typed.

Like a man being born to poor parents and then getting reprimanded for being broke, you cant chastise david lee for being on a sub .500 squad. If anything he should be commended for coming out and working his ass off knowing that winning is not always going to be the result.

by Turbofire on Jan 28, 2010 10:23 PM EST up reply actions

DAVID LEE should have been a All Star

he is averaging 3 assists a game. for a player his size that is amazing. and scoring 19 points and pulling down 11 rebounds a game. if the Knicks had about 5 more wins i think he would have been in…

by naterob on Jan 28, 2010 4:37 PM EST reply actions

Just one more note

On the ‘should be on a winning team’ garbage. That sucks on so many levels and Stern should put the kibosh on that because it’s bad for the fans.

For the fans of a mediocre to bad team with one really good player, an all-star selection is really a highlight of a season. It’s nice to see your player, who usually plays with mediocre or scrubby guys, to get to play with the best.

Also, as a fan, it’s fun to see the all-star game to watch guys that usually don’t play together get on the same court. That’s exciting. I don’t really want to see 3 Celtics, 3 Cavs, and 3 Lakers. Really, I want to see a representative from as many teams as possible. And I think that would be good for ratings, too.

by fuhry on Jan 28, 2010 5:14 PM EST reply actions 1 recs

i agree with everything

but i don’t believe Stern has said anything about the process. Its been speculation on the commentators and analysts, etc.

"you're the Rod Thorn in my Chris Bosh side."

by Chris Child's Fist on Jan 29, 2010 11:21 AM EST up reply actions

hey babies

stop being babies. ok its so sad that lee is not an all star. get over it. that shit is a million percent worthless. we need a winning basketball team. not an all star.

mad dudes got snubbed. every year dudesget snubbed. but its no thing. show some resolve. jelly fishes.

twitter.com/aighttho
http://aightthen.tumblr.com/

by stingy d on Jan 28, 2010 5:55 PM EST via mobile reply actions

you're a jellyfish

"you're the Rod Thorn in my Chris Bosh side."

by Chris Child's Fist on Jan 29, 2010 11:21 AM EST up reply actions

The winning team argument

I agree to a certain extent that people overplay this line of reasoning but I still think there’s merit to it only in so far as winning is a metric of how good a player is. Lebron isnt a great player just because he puts up amazing stats (he does), but because his team wins so many games with a supporting cast that’s mediocre at best. They win because of him, they win because his stats and presence very directly lead to success. It still feels like Lee hasn’t gotten to the point where his statistical contributions and general court presence very directly lead to wins.

by ibnyc on Jan 28, 2010 5:58 PM EST reply actions

i get what you're saying

but the case you make seems more fitting of an MVP. The All-Star game is different to me than that.

"you're the Rod Thorn in my Chris Bosh side."

by Chris Child's Fist on Jan 29, 2010 11:24 AM EST up reply actions

Granger made it last year and the Pacers were not a good team. but at least David Lee is having a great year and his jumper is much better now. they need to keep him over the summer

by naterob on Jan 28, 2010 6:04 PM EST reply actions

It just pains me to see a guy David Lee get snubbed. All Star selections make players money. Validate careers. From an “I like D Lee as a person” perspective I would have like to have seen him receive his accolades, and then get paid accordingly.

by Turbofire on Jan 28, 2010 10:30 PM EST reply actions