SB Nation All-Star Theme Day: Knicks at All-Star Weekend

Today is an SB Nation theme day. All the blogs are discussing the All-Star Game and making the case for some of their players being reserves. I'm not inclined to do such a thing because I really, really don't care about the All-Star Game. You could make a very good case for Tyson Chandler being a reserve "frontcourt player". You could also make a case for any number of Eastern big men and I wouldn't fight you. I wouldn't fight you because:

1. I don't watch the All-Star Game anymore because I find it tedious. It's a dream of a pick-up game diluted by the fact that nothing is at stake, nobody cares, and the talent level gets dragged down by the lack of effort. It's like if all the best chefs came to your house and poured you bowls of cereal. (Yes, like Honey Nut Cheerios, perhaps.)

2. The All-Star Game is an opportunity for players to hurt themselves and I am a big baby who wants to keep my Knicks swaddled in bubble wrap and free from danger as much as possible.

3. I just don't want to fight you. You seem cool. We shouldn't fight.

It just doesn't mater to me. Chandler will probably make it. If that makes him happy, then I'll be happy for him. J.R. Smith has a slim chance of getting selected only because the backcourts of the East are pretty weak. If he makes it, I'll probably tune in, but I think that's unlikely.

The stuff I do watch and care deeply about comes earlier in the weekend. The Rookie-Sophomore game can be fun, though I'd be surprised to see either of the Knicks' paleorookies make it (which is a shame, because Pablo Prigioni running point for a bunch of kids would be fun for everybody), and Iman Shumpert certainly hasn't had enough of a season to qualify as a sophomore. I'm sure several of the Knicks could thrive in the Skills Competition, but that's an undercard/mostly a "who is the least inebriated" contest (and, ya know...).

To me, the gems of the weekend are the Three-Point Shootout and Dunk Contest on Saturday night, and I'm gonna throw a huge tantrum if the Knicks aren't represented in both. Steve Novak is the most obvious inclusion. The man is and has been one of the deadliest shooters in the league (so reliable that J.R. Smith habitually defers to him!), possesses no other discernible skill, and is finally playing regular enough minutes before the All-Star Break to warrant inclusion. I think we'd all agree Novak's gone through some major slumps this season, yet he's still fourth among qualified players in three-point percentage. This is Steve's year. This is his championship. If Novak doesn't get selected, I'm gonna personally fly down to Houston with a broom and swat three-point contestants' shots out of the air. If Steve can't shoot, nobody can.

New York has a worthy entrant to the Dunk Contest, too, but I worry he'll get snubbed for the same reason Novak used to miss the three-point contest. James White is one of the best dunkers on the planet. He can fly. That's why they call him "Flight". (At least I think that's why. It might be because he crash-landed an airplane while drunk). White has played just 181 minutes for the Knicks this season, though, and I believe he's dunked...twice? So, a selection would be based on reputation, not production. This is a case in which I think reputation should outweigh production, but we'll see. Incidentally, James himself seems to think he'll get a selection. I hope he does, because unless he goes on to make more of an impact with the Knicks this year, the NBA might not have many more chances to include him.

These are my thoughts about All-Star Weekend. Saturday is the day for me, and that's the day when I want to see the Knicks involved. You?