Jared's NBA All-Stars

With the NBA All-Star teams being selected tonight, I thought I'd take time to select my All-Stars. Here are the starters according to the last voting update released to the public.

Eastern Conference

C - Dwight Howard

F - Amar'e Stoudemire

F - LeBron James

G - Dwyane Wade

G - Derrick Rose/Rajon Rondo

Western Conference

C - Yao Ming

F - Carmelo Anthony

F - Kevin Durant

G - Kobe Bryant

G - Chris Paul

And your reserves according to Jared:

Eastern Conference:

G - Derrick Rose, Bulls/Rajon Rondo, Celtics

- One will be voted in by the fans, the other one still blatantly deserves a roster spot. Rondo has surpassed his Big Three teammates and has proved to be the reason behind the Celtics success. He leads the league in assists per game and is second in the league in steals per game. Derrick Rose has become the unstoppable scorer the Bulls were hoping to use their number one overall pick on in 2008. Whether it's with his pull-up J, or his will to get to the rack and finish, D Rose sets the table for his teammates but can dominate the game with his scoring prowess.

C - Andrea Bargnani, Raptors

The Italian former first pick is averaging a career high 21.6 points per game and seems to be fond of taking Chris Bosh's role as "the man" in T-dot. He probably still isn't too fond of the losing though.

F - Kevin Garnett, Celtics

As a Knicks fan it doesn't please me to see Kevin Garnett returning to his old form this season, but as a basketball fan it's nice to see one of the better, more consistent players really start to play better after an injury late in his career.

F - Danny Granger, Pacers

He may be capable of more, but he's still averaging 21.2 points per game and over five boards, while being the best player on a playoff contending team.

G - Raymond Felton, Knicks

I know Amar'e gets the MVP chants at MSG, but Felton is close to if not as responsible as Stoudemire is for the Knicks resurgence (knock on wood). Felton's averaging career highs in points (17.5), assists (8.9), and steals (1.9), and has been the heart of his up-and-coming team.

F - Chris Bosh, Heat

I hate to say it but the guys averaging 18 points and eight rebounds for the best team in the conference. I don't know if playing for the Heat will work for or against Bosh's All-Star hopes, but there aren't many guys playing better at his position.

C - Andrew Bogut, Bucks

The Aussie's averaging a double-double and leads the league in blocked shots. He did miss some time at the beginning of the season, but with Brandon Jennings out, Bogut has stepped up and kept the meek Bucks in playoff contention in the weak lower East.

G- Joe Johnson, Hawks

I don't think Horford is more qualified than Bogut or Bargnani, and I don't think Josh Smith has played his best basketball, but Joe Johnson keeps doing what he does and is a nice representative for the Hawks. Johnson's near his capable 20 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists averages and is unquestionably one of the best, most diverse guards in the league.

I picked 13 guys in case someone gets injured or decides not to play in the game. A few other replacements I would consider are G John Wall, Wizards (he'll play in the rookie game and maybe even the Skills contest), F Paul Pierce, Celtics, F Wilson Chandler, Knicks, C Al Horford, Hawks, and C Brook Lopez, Nets.

Western Conference:

G - Deron Williams, Jazz

Smooth jumper, dirty handle, crazy athleticism...the guys unstoppable. Williams is averaging nearly 22 points and 10 assists a game, and the Jazz are right where they always are: in the mix for the playoffs.

F - Blake Griffin, Clippers

You can't deny that this guy is an All-Star, you just can't! He's averaging damn near 23 points and 13 rebounds a game...that's more like First Team than All-Star reserve. His game really speaks for itself, and he is the most phenomenal rookie since Tim Duncan. Yes, not LeBron, but Tim Duncan. He's having a historically great season. Griffin has the second most double-doubles in the league and is tied for the most dunks in the league...he's an All-Star.

F/C - Kevin Love, Timberwolves

Here's another one that seems to draw controversy, but I just don't see how a guy averaging over 20 points and 15 (!!!!!) rebounds a game isn't a sure-fire All-Star. The Timberwolves are worse than horrible but this guy is rebounding at an unheard of rate.

G - Monta Ellis, Warriors

There are a ton of great guards in the Western Conference, but Ellis is a scoring machine and has really had some stellar performances this season.

G - Russell Westbrook, Thunder

Kevin Durant is one of the best players in the league but the Thunder have the fourth best record in the West because Russell Westbrook is the best sidekick in the league (can we really consider Wade or LeBron sidekicks?). Westbrook seems to be getting better every game and helped carry the Thunder when Kevin Durant missed several games earlier this season with an injured knee.

F/C - Pau Gasol, Lakers

This isn't a reason to select him as a 2011 All-Star, but Pau Gasol is probably the most efficient big man in the NBA over the last three seasons. As great as Kobe is, Pau has been the difference maker in this Lakers dynasty. He's averaging nearly 19 points and 11 rebounds a game and is looking for a third ring this spring.

G - Manu Ginobili, Spurs

He's playing more minutes and what do you know? The Spurs are winning more. Not to say he's responsible for the Spurs success this season, but he's probably been their best/most clutch player this year and he's deserving of an All-Star spot. Besides, with the surplus of gaudy point guards and big men in the West this season, someone has to represent the leagues best team in the All-Star game and Ginobili is the most logical pick.

F - Rudy Gay, Grizzlies

How do you snub a guy who's averaging 20 points and 13 rebounds a game? Sorry Zach Randolph, story of your life. As I mentioned in my Ginobili reasoning, there are too many great bigs in the West this year that I don't even have Dirk Nowitzki or Tim Duncan snagging spots, do you think Z-Bo will if those guys don't? Rudy Gay's having a nice season and fills both positional and representational obligations.

F - Dirk Nowitzki, Mavericks

Alright I had to. Yao Ming's clearly not going to play anyway so there will be a spot up for grabs. I think Randolph is more deserving, but here's where I'm going to agree with the masses and give Dirk what's rightfully his. He's scoring big, his team is winning big despite being very, very banged up, and he's a legitimate NBA Superstar. Guys like him don't miss All-Star games even if they miss near 10 games in the first half of the season.

There are my 13 Western Conference All-Stars (sorry Yao), here are my deserving alternates: F Zach Randolph, Grizzlies, G Tony Parker, Spurs, F Michael Beasley, Timberwolves, F Lamar Odom, Lakers, F Lamarcus Aldridge, Blazers, G Steve Nash, Suns.

Stay tuned to see how the league agrees with my picks, but in the meantime, let me know if there's anyone YOU think I snubbed...

Prelude to Super Bowl XLV and The Worst Team in the NBA

Super Bowl XLV

The Steelers were my preseason pick to win the AFC and the Packers were the most complete team in the NFC this season, this is a Super Bowl that makes sense. It's your typical ground-and-pound, hard-nosed team led by a tough as nails playmaking quarterback, against the new "it" quarterback and his stingy defense. There are so many big playmakers in this game aside from the quarterbacks that I can't even make a prediction right now.

Do Troy Polamalu and James Harrison win this one? Or is it fresh-legged James Starks? Will Rashard Mendenhall run wild on the Packers like he did against the Jets? Or is Clay Matthews going to further prove that he's the best linebacker in football? Each team has so many weapons on offense, but keep in mind that the two best defenses in the league will be going at it. I'll touch on the game a little more as we get closer, but man am I pumped for this one.

Even though the Jets Aren't in it

I've been open about my love for the Jets since I started this blog, and although its almost two full days later, I'm still pretty upset that the Steelers will be the team representing the AFC in the Super Bowl. Im sad that the Jets had so much potential this season and fell short, but I'm very realistic in the sense that I understand a team can't show up for one half of a conference championship game and expect to win. The Steelers absolutely dominated the Jets in the first half Sunday night, so much so that a rather incredible second half effort wasn't enough this time for the comeback kids.

The Jets found a way to make it look like they belonged in the AFC Championship, but timely stops and creative playcalling weren't the Jets strongpoints as Gang Green lost their second straight number one contender match. I have to say that I'm very happy the Jets were able to get as far as they did with a second year quarterback and a second year coach, but they're setting the bar awfully high for themselves (with their words and their work) and if a championship doesn't come soon this regime will be remembered the same way as the rest of the "same old Jets." But hey, at least they beat the Patriots in the Divisional, making up for the 45-3 embarrassment that can now be forgotten. Score one for the good guys.

Speaking of good guys...

Leave Jay Cutler Alone!

Alright, I understand that nobody really likes Jay Cutler (that's a very general statement but it holds much validity), but give the guy a break! I know his body language usually reads poorly, and he's said things that have made him look like a jerk in the past, but he was legitimately hurt on Sunday and he didn't give his team their best chance at winning their most important game of the season. If your issue is with my last statement, that Cutler didn't stand a chance of winning that game because he was hurt, that's fine, but to all of the people that think Cutler should have stayed in the game, stick to doing what you do and let Cutler live his life.

Understand that the tear in his knee prevented him from planting his foot and following his throwing motion, that's like wanting your basketball teams best shooter to stay in the game when he can't jump or get any lift on his shot. His injury prohibited him from physically performing, and his diabetes prevented him from receiving a cortisone shot to mask the pain he felt. Did he seem a bit more lively on the sidelines while his team was attempting to come back? Yeah, what should he have done? Sulked when thoughts of being able to rest and hopefully right the ship in the Super Bowl flashed through his head? Until you walk in a mans shoes you shouldn't criticize him, especially if its involving physical limitations.

I don't really care for Jay Cutler, but I do respect his abilities and I do think he's a gamer. He didn't pull a Phil Rivers and play the game of his life without his legs, but Phil Rivers' performance was truly unique and may never be emulated again. Cutler took his team to the NFC Championship in a season that many didn't even expect them to make the playoffs. He had an awful first half and taking the bench gave his team their best chance of winning, why does so much more have to be made of it?

"Karma is a B*tch"

Speaking of guys who have been targeted in a negative light of late. Whether LeBron James actually tweeted the above statement or not, how fit is this to say of the 2010-2011 Cleveland Cavaliers? I know I may have lost some of my readers just by mentioning the Cavs, but this is such an interesting story to me, and really just a proving point in my argument that LeBron has been the best player in the league the last couple of years. As I write this the Cavs are 8-37 (worst record in the NBA), at this point last season the Cavs were 34-11.

Cleveland has now lost 18 straight and 28 of their last 29 games! They had seven years to get LeBron even the slightest bit of help, they even could have traded for Amar'e Stoudemire last year! We all know at this point...Mo Williams, Antawn Jamison, Larry Hughes, a 60-year old Shaq, these guys just weren't even close to enough. You think Cavs fans finally get why LeBron left? I hope they do.