Best and Worst Fan-Voting Choices from First NBA All-Star Ballot Returns

The NBA's All-Star fan vote is an inexact science.

In many ways, it functions as a lifetime achievement award for the league's most esteemed players. Unfortunately, that means deserving candidates in the midst of career years are often bypassed until coaches are able to select reserves who have rightfully played their way into the midseason exhibition.

With the first returns released Christmas morning, let's determine which of the top-25 vote-getters in each conference were fairly evaluated and which received unjust recognition from the fans.

From Kobe Bryant's esteemed ranking among Western Conference guards to fans nailing John Wall's spot in the Eastern Conference pecking order, here's a rundown of the most eye-popping All-Star vote distributions. 

All statistics courtesy of NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com unless noted otherwise.

Best: Marc Gasol as a Starter

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Let's give it up to the fans.

Remember, starting last season fans were asked to select two guards and three frontcourt players in each conference. And, as of the league's first returns, Marc Gasol ranks third in frontcourt voting (227,554 votes) behind only Anthony Davis (524,623) and Blake Griffin (307,908).

Perhaps it's because the Memphis Grizzlies are receiving more national attention or advanced stats have consumed our internal basketball processing systems, but having Gasol etched into the Western Conference's starting lineup is a major win.

Historically, small-market stars have been bypassed in the fan vote. But thankfully, Big Spain is receiving ample recognition in tandem with the Grizzlies' surge up the Western Conference standings.

Ranked second in player efficiency rating (23.23) among centers, per ESPN.com, Gasol is on track to become the first center to average at least 19 points, eight rebounds and three assists since Shaquille O'Neal in 2002-03, according to Basketball-Reference.com.

Worst: Kevin Garnett Ahead of Nikola Vucevic and Paul Millsap

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Fans, you did so well thrusting Marc Gasol up the Western Conference ballot. So what happened here with small-market double-double machine Nikola Vucevic?

Following the first round of returns, Vucevic ranks 12th among Eastern Conference frontcourt players with 33,296 votes. Kevin Garnett, the 38-year-old averaging 7.6 points and eight rebounds, clocks in at No. 9 overall (46,494).

To date, Garnett has tallied a grand total of three double-doubles this season, two of which came in losing efforts. Vucevic, on the other hand, has racked up a league-leading 17 double-doubles in the midst of a career year. 

Averaging 18.2 points, 11.8 boards and one block, Vucevic is on pace to join Kevin Love and Dwight Howard as the only bigs to post nightly totals of at least 18 and 11 this decade, per Basketball-Reference.com. 

Sure, Vucevic plays on an Orlando Magic team that's tied with the Charlotte Hornets in the Southeast Division cellar. But his individual accomplishments are worthy of a place among the East's top-five frontcourt vote-getters.

Best: John Wall Leading All East Guards

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Along with Nikola Vucevic, John Wall is tied for the league lead in double-doubles (17). Not only that, but he's the only point guard averaging at least 18 points and 10 assists so far this season.

An absolute matchup nightmare with the ball in his hands as he rockets down the hardwood, Wall has quickly transformed from an offensive liability into a versatile playmaker.

Entering the 2014-15 campaign, the one thing standing between Wall and the league's fabled point-guard crown was an improved mid-range jumper.

Lo and behold, Wall is scorching the net from mid-range. According to Basketball-Reference.com, Wall is converting a career-best 50.9 percent of his shots between 10-16 feet and an improved 37.3 percent between 16 feet and the three-point line (up from 36.7 percent last season).

And as Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley wrote following Wall's 24-point, 11-assist outing on Christmas Day, Wall has evolved into the centerpiece of Washington's highly touted attack:

"

When Wall takes a seat, so does Washington's effectiveness. In the 348 minutes Wall hasn't played, the Wizards have been outscored by 5.8 points per 100 possessions. That net rating would check in at 25th, nestled between the rebuilding Utah Jazz (minus-5.2) and the nine-win Los Angeles Lakers (minus-6.2). 

"

Operating as a devastating penetrator, distributor and pull-up artist while developing a post game with his 6'4'' frame, Wall is the no-brainer selection to lead all East guards in voting.

Worst: Kobe Bryant Ahead of James Harden and Chris Paul

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At first glance, it appears as though fans did a decent job with guard selection in the Western Conference. 

Stephen Curry (549,095 votes) is the runaway vote-getter at No. 1, while Kobe Bryant sits at No. 2 with James Harden and Chris Paul trailing behind at No. 3 and No. 4, respectively.

However, once you examine the vote tallies, it's quite clear the fans fell short.

Although Harden (336,998) slots in third, Bryant (521,542) is ahead of him by a total of 184,554 votes. In other words, Bryant leads Harden by almost as many votes as Kevin Durant has received (191,881). 

This is, and has been, Exhibit A when discussing the lifetime achievement portion of fan voting for years now. 

But why is this year's vote such an injustice, you ask?

Well, take a look at the per-game and efficiency disparities between Bryant, Harden and Paul: 

• Kobe Bryant: 24.6 PTS, 5.1 REB, 4.9 AST, 37.2 FG%, 27.4 3P%, 17.66 PER (No. 9 among SG)
• James Harden: 27.0 PTS, 6.2 REB, 7.0 AST, 42.1 FG%, 33.2 3P%, 26.04 PER (No. 1 among SG)
• Chris Paul: 18.3 PTS, 4.6 REB, 9.5 AST, 48.7 FG%, 39.5 3P%, 25.56 PER (No. 3 among PG) 

Unfortunately, with a chasm separating Kobe from Harden and Paul in the fan vote, coaches will need to etch the bearded scorer and top-notch floor general into their reserve ballots.

Best: Pau Gasol in Starting Position

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Four players this season are averaging at least 18 points and 11 rebounds: Nikola Vucevic, Dwight Howard, DeMarcus Cousins and Pau Gasol. 

That's already an exclusive list to begin with. However, we can narrow it down even further by adding one more qualifying criteria. Gasol is also swatting two shots per game, his highest total since 2006-07 with the Memphis Grizzlies. Only Howard is doing the same.

Although the Eastern Conference isn't stacked with a seemingly unquantifiable number of bigs like the West, it's nice to see Gasol earning recognition ahead of streakier personalities like Chris Bosh and Kevin Love.

As things stand, Gasol (247,953) is listed as the East's No. 3 vote-getter behind only LeBron James (552,967) and Carmelo Anthony (265,170). In fact, there's a chance Gasol passes Anthony, with approximately 18,000 votes separating the two.

Should Anthony dip to third, it would open the door for Chris Bosh (208,549) to potentially surpass the New York Knicks' volume-scoring wonder.

Worst: Rajon Rondo Ahead of Damian Lillard

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This one comes with a caveat.

According to the league's voting totals, the Dallas Mavericks' Rajon Rondo ranks fifth in voting among guards (107,366) while Damian Lillard (82,884) sits at No. 8.

When digesting those figures, it's important to remember Rondo racked up the majority of those votes when he was in the Eastern Conference, which possesses a shallower pool of guard talent.

Nonetheless, Rondo hasn't performed well enough to receive 25,000 more votes than the Portland Trail Blazers superstar.

Sure, Rondo leads the league in triple-doubles (3), but Lillard has been significantly better as a scorer.

To date, Lillard is averaging a career-best 21.9 points while shooting 46.2 percent from the field and 40.2 percent from three. In fact, Lillard is shooting a higher percentage from beyond the arc than Rondo is from the free-throw line (33.3).

Additionally, Rondo's player efficiency rating (14.8) has yet to crack the league average, while Lillard's (23.33) sits at No. 5 among point guards.

Best: Jimmy Butler Receiving Proper Recognition

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It'd be greedy to wish fans would come out in droves and thrust Jimmy Butler into the starting conversation. While he's undoubtedly earned a top-five spot in the Eastern Conference, it's simply not going to happen based on historical trends and voting tendencies.

But at least Butler is in the mix—roughly 5,000 votes behind teammate Derrick Rose and approximately 82,000 behind Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry.

At No. 6 among Eastern conference guards behind John Wall, Dwyane Wade, Kyrie Irving, Lowry and Rose, Butler is sharing some elite company. And that's appropriate, because he'll soon be getting paid like a star talent.

After betting on his own game and reportedly declining a four-year, $40 million offer from the Chicago Bulls, Butler has entered max-contract territory behind averages of 21.6 points and 6.2 rebounds while shooting 48.3 percent from the field and 34.2 percent from three.

A starting spot is essentially out of the question, but you can bet coaches will carve out a spot for Butler to receive his first All-Star nod come February.

Worst: Kyle Korver Not Among the Top-10 Eastern Conference Guards

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This is the most egregious fan misstep—and it might not be close. 

Kyle Korver, unconscious three-point marksman of the Atlanta Hawks, hasn't received enough fan votes to rank among the top-10 guards in the Eastern Conference.

But you know who has? The injured DeMar DeRozan (51,946), Giannis Antetokounmpo (17,512) and Lou Williams (15,329).

That's just silly.

Through Christmas, Korver leads the league with a 53.9 percent conversion rate from beyond the arc on 5.5 three-point attempts per game.

That's hardly all, though.

Korver is also shooting 51.6 percent from the field and a career-best 95.3 percent from the free-throw line. As a result, he's on pace to join Steve Kerr (1995-96) as the only players in league history to post 50-50-90 shooting splits, according to Basketball-Reference.com.

Bonus Worst: Mike Conley Not Among the Top-10 West Guards

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Yes, the guard position is absolutely stacked in the West, but there's no excuse for having Jeremy Lin (77,276) at No. 9 overall with Mike Conley on the outside looking in.

Again, this process can be viewed as a borderline popularity contest, so it's not all that surprising to see Lin ahead of Conley.

And yet, it's thoroughly disappointing.

Conley ranks eighth among point guards in player efficiency rating (20.50) while Lin sits at No. 39 overall with a lowly PER of 13.32.

The Memphis Grizzlies point guard is also averaging a career-high 17.9 points while shooting 45.9 percent from the field and 40.4 percent from three. Among guards, Conley is one of nine qualified players averaging at least 15 points and shooting better than 40 percent from beyond the arc, per Basketball-Reference.com. 

Conley's game lacks a certain flair that fans salivate over, but his pick-and-roll mastery and distributive competency make him one of the league's most well-rounded ball-handlers.