The NBA has decided to address the concerns raised over the years about having players like Tim Duncan, Chris Bosh, Kevin Garnett, etc. choose between being listed as a forward or center for all-star balloting purposes. This hurt lots of deserving power forwards who were not selected for the game because guys playing the majority of their minutes at center were being listed as power forwards for the purposes of the ballot.
The NBA is finally doing something about the Duncan Dilemma.
The league will announce Wednesday a change to its All-Star ballot that will, for the first time, allow fans to vote for three undefined “frontcourt” players instead of having to vote for two forwards and a center. With more and more teams playing smaller than in the past, the definition of “center” was becoming increasingly difficult — not to mention finding enough quality big men for whom to vote.
For years, for example, the Spurs have listed Tim Duncan as a power forward, even though everyone on earth knew he was their starting center. And so when it came to All-Star balloting, Duncan would take up a forward spot in a very crowded field of Western Conference stars instead of his logical spot in the middle. This was good for Duncan, who surely would have made his 13 All-Star teams anyway, but it often cost another forward a shot. (via NBA.com)
Personally I think it’s a good move for the NBA, recognizing the fact that the league has gone small ball. Now it’s official, the true center position is virtually dead. But that all said, if the ballot hadn’t had been the way it was with a center position, guys like Jamaal Magloire “The Big Cat” never would have had a chance to experience the all-star game either. Ugh.
