Pivot Points: A.I. Proves All-Star Weekend Is All Flash, Little Substance

That does it for me. It's Bad enough the NBA had to add Horse, a game only fun if you're participating, to the All-Star schedule but now the fans in their infinite wisdom have decided to elect Allen Iverson as an All-Star starter?

I realized Iverson fans were delusional but this one is beyond me. What exactly has Iverson done to merit this award, or did I miss something special in the course of his consistently un-spectacular play?

I understand the voting process is done with the inclusion of the fanbase in mind, but there are just some things that would be better left to others, and voting for the All-Star starters is one of them.

Let the fans vote for the reserves if you must but leave the starters to the professionals, and then we might get a true representation of the real stars of the league, and possibly a better product to boot.

There are even people with the puzzling opinion Iverson will somehow vindicate himself if named the MVP of the All-Star game. Really? Being named MVP of a glorified scrimmage will erase the fact that Iverson's skills have diminished?

Iverson could save some pride if he simply rejected the invitation due to the lack of it's merits and the insanity of his loyal fanbase.

Iverson's choice as a starter is only a part of a bigger problem attached to an event that serves no other purpose than a league-mandated vacation for players, and a meaningless spectacle for fans.

The once proud Dunk Contest has regressed into something similar to the WWE with more emphasis being placed on the props participants use rather than the final product itself.

We've progressed from Micheael Jordan dazzling us with his free-throw line dunk, and Dominique Wilkins taking our breath away with his windmills, to Dwight Howard donning a Superman cape and persona, then boring us with dreadfully average dunks.

Not to be outdone, Nate Robinson of the New York Knicks came equipped with green Kryptonite shoes which made me long for the days a similar sized Spudd Webb was competing in the contest.

I can take solace in Charlotte Bobcats forward Gerald Wallace who said he would forgo the props in favor of a performance which was more complimentary of his athleticism, and creativity in the air.

That's a start but the NBA needs to realize all their efforts to resuscitate a dying product has gone for naught and a little self-reflection may be in order if the weekend is to survive.

It's hard to maintain the attention of fans when none of your competitions are comprised of the NBA's elite, and the others are simply school yard games with no measure of a real competitive event.

The reason the All-Star weekend previously blossomed was because the stars who participated were the best the league had to offer, and they had a burning passion to win their event.

No such passion now as, the brightest stars in the game would rather be photographed with their shades on indoors, rather than waste their time competing in an event which has passed them by.

Even the All-Star game, the signature event has lost it's appeal due to the playground nature of the game and some of the bizarre choices made by the fans, like Iverson, or Tim Duncan over Dirk Nowitzki.

Duncan is a phenomenal player, but really, does he deserve the nod over Nowitzki who has been having a better season both personally and through the strength of his team?

Odds are, the format is probably set in stone for the distant future and the only thing that will change will be the constant addition and subtraction of childish sideshows like the Horse competition.

The subtraction of the entire event would be appealing to me right now, as I am a product of a time when the All-Star weekend meant something and the players accepted invitations based on the merits of their games.