Iverson Is an All-Star...Like It or Hate It! The Fans Got It Right

When it comes to voting for the athletes we the fans love to see in an exhibition game.  The fans always get it right.

We pay for all those overpriced tickets in the arenas, spend endless hours on the couch watching the games and breaking down endless stats for fantasy leagues.

The Iverson selection as an All-Star starter for the 10th time is another example of the fans knowing exactly what they want to see in an exhibition game. Age or no age, Iverson is still one of the most entertaining players in the game today and that’s what the All-Star Game is all about:  entertainment.

Members of the media and some players are threatening to jump off a building unless the voting format for the All-Stars is changed. Ok, I suggest they choose a building with fifty floors or higher to guarantee swift and immediate death.

The league said it best:

The NBA responded that the event is staged for fans, so they should be able to see the players they want.

"Without the fans, there wouldn't be no us," Iverson told NBA.com earlier this week. "For them to want to see me, regardless of what's been going on, that says a lot about how they feel about me. I just thank ‘em for that."

And we thank Iverson for all the great times.

Back to those know-it-all media geniuses; these are the same guys who think they are gods because they have a voting power. Take the Baseball Hall of Fame induction. Voters claim no one deserves to go into the hall on a first time ballot. (Really? How about Derek Jeter, Albert Pujols, and even Barry Bonds?)

Members of the media are known to hold grudges against players, and if the NBA elects to allow members of the press to vote for all-stars, then guys like Iverson, Rasheed Wallace, Steven Jackson, Ron Artest (just to mention a few) will never be all-stars.

Only the media darlings would make it year in, year out.

Read more: Allen Iverson is still one of the most Entertaining players in the League! The fans got it Right

In 2003, the hottest player in the basketball world was Vince Carter and the fans overwhelmingly voted him as an All-Star starter, but the media went on a propaganda blitz forcing him to give up his starting spot to the great Michael Jordan.

I hear guys like Charles Barkley saying the All-Star is not a lifetime achievement award (in the case of Iverson), that’s exactly why the fans didn’t vote for Jordan in 2003 as a starter.  The fans got it right then and they got it right now.  Iverson is still one of the most entertaining players in the league and Jordan wasn’t at that time.

But unfortunately, the All-Star Game is a lifetime achievement award, just take a look at the guys that make the All-Star teams year in, year out.  You’ll find out that they are exactly the same players:  Wade, Duncan, Garnet, Kobe, Lebron, Nash, Iverson, Anthony, Howard (just to mention a few).  These guys will be all-stars regardless of injuries or off years.

With Iverson and McGrady among the top vote-getters, Celtics guard Ray Allen called for a change to the voting system. He suggested this week that fan voting should count for half the total, with media and player balloting counting for the rest.

"I like the fact that the fans get the opportunity to vote and pick who they'd like to see in the All-Star Game, but I don't think it should be 100 percent," Allen said.

Mr. Allen might have a good idea here, but I still believe the press should never take part in any kind of voting when it comes to players they cover.

Peer voting might have taken care of some of the issues All-Star voting has faced so far this year, as fans have voted for Garnett over Chris Bosh and Tim Duncan over Dirk Nowitzki.

But these players seem to agree with me about the fans voting format.

Toronto forward Chris Bosh, who could make a case to be named a starter over Garnett, agreed that fans should have the final say.

The NBA avoided another voting controversy when Suns guard Steve Nash edged Rockets guard/forward Tracy McGrady to earn a starting spot. McGrady has played only six games for the Rockets, who are looking to trade him while he’s away from the team, but he was second among West guards in the previous voting update.

Iverson, who received 1,269,568 votes from fans, is joined in the East starting lineup by Heat guard Dwyane Wade, Cavaliers forward LeBron James, Celtics forward Kevin Garnett, and Magic center Dwight Howard. Those are the same starters as last season in Phoenix. (Life Achievement Award anyone?)

Steve Nash is joined in the West starting lineup by Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, Spurs forward Tim Duncan, Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony, and Suns center Amare Stoudemire.

For those of you out there still angry at the Iverson’s pick, ask yourself this question: If you have to pay the $1500 and above ticket for this game, are these guys above not the guys you would absolutely pay to see?

Read more: Allen Iverson is still one of the most Entertaining players in the League! The fans got it Right