NBA All-Star Game: Submit Your All-Slighted Ballot Now!

The problem that happens every year is that people wait until the All-Star results come out and then complain about who didn't get in instead of casting votes while they still can and doing something about it. 

The time is now!

I encourage everyone to fill out an All-Slight ballot and put in the candidates you know are most likely to get slighted. Then they won't get slighted. 

Here are my suggestions for such a ballot. None of these guys have ever been to an All-Star Game and are in at least their fifth year. Make sure it doesn't happen again!

Western Conference Guard: Kyle Lowry

Kyle Lowry has been a developing product, and he's really come around. He's averaging 10.0 dimes a game (which you have to give symmetry credits for doing!), and he's also averaging 15 points. 

Lowry is in a league dominated by point guards, and with Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook, it's not likely he'll get in. That doesn't mean you can't send a little love his way and click a box with his name on it, though. 

Western Conference Guard: Monta Ellis

It's actually very surprising to me that Monta Elllis hasn't been to an All-Star Game yet. The only five players who have scored more than he has over the last three years—LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade—are there every year. 

It's not at all hard to make the case that Ellis is the best scorer in the game today who has never made the All-Star Game. For those who will point to his lack of defense, see Carmelo Anthony. 

Western Conference Forward: Gerald Wallace

Gerald Wallace is one of those players who's victimized by being a good offensive player that plays fantastic defense. It's easier to get on the All-Star game playing outstanding offense and not playing defense at all. 

Right now Wallace is giving up just .56 points per play on defense. His opponents average a PER of 7.3. 

Wallace is a defensive stud. Put him on your ballot. 

Western Conference: LaMarcus Aldridge

LaMarcus Aldridge was on the third All-NBA team last year. He didn't make the All-Star game, though. How does someone make All-NBA but not All-Star?

By people voting wrong! That's how! Put Aldridge on a ballot people!

Western Conference Center: Andrew Bynum

Andrew Bynum has been a beast since returning from his suspension. He's averaging 22.3 points and 15.8 boards a game. Statistically, he's actually even better than Howard, although he's not on the same level as Howard defensively. 

He is the best center in the Western Conference, though, and he's never been to an All-Star game. It's time to change that. 

Eastern Conference Gaurd: Jose Calderon

There's a good chance that if you are (a) not Canadian and (b) not playing fantasy basketball, you might not even know who Jose Calderon is, or, if you do, that he's second in the Eastern Conference in assists per game. 

Calderon is averaging 13.1 points a game and 10.0 assists while giving up just 1.4 turnovers per game. His numbers are very close to Rondo's, a no-brainer for the game. Don't say, "No way!" to Jose.

Put him on a ballot!

Eastern Conference Guard: Louis Williams

Louis Williams is so under the radar he's not even on the ballot!

He's averaging 17.6 points per game in just 26.0 minutes.

Williams is not likely to get much love at all, but he deserves to be on some ballots. His PER is the highest of all Eastern Conference guards.

That's got to be worth something. 

Eastern Conference Forward: Luol Deng

He plays heavy minutes. He plays defense. He plays offense. He sets picks. He cuts. He passes. He does literally everything, and he does it a lot. 

Deng makes the Bulls a better team, and he's one of the best two-way players in the league. Only two small forwards in the NBA have an offensive rating over 110 and a defensive rating under 100—LeBron James and Luol Deng. 

There might be some small forwards who are better offensively like Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Durant. There might be a couple better defensively. LeBron James, for sure, and maybe Gerald Wallace. 

However, on both ends of the court, the only one who beats him is James. That's enough to merit an All-Star ballot.  

Eastern Conference Forward; Andrea Bargnani

I know it's strange to see Toronto Raptors on this list. Part of the reason they are on here, though, is that they are in Toronto. The Raptors, for various reasons—including they haven't been relevant—are one of the least publicized teams in the NBA. 

As a result, when they have players playing well, we don't notice. The only Easter Conference forwards scoring more than Bargnani's 23.0 per game are LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony.

That should be worth a ballot or two. 

Eastern Conference Center: Tyson Chandler

Don't blame the Knicks' struggles on Tyson Chandler. He's practically the entire New York defense. He's playing to prove he's worth his contract. He was also pivotal in helping the Dallas Mavericks to win a ring last year. 

He's arguably the second best defensive center in the game (though Joakim Noah makes a good argument as well). He's never been to an All-Star game, though.

Chandler gets the nod here over Noah because of the ring.