Is Shawn Marion An All-Star?

It doesn't look like we'll be seeing this in Vegas.

Shawn Marion made the All-Star team last year, when his point and rebound averages were at career highs of almost 22 and 12. He accomplished this mostly due to the absence of Amare Stoudemire, who has returned this season to cannibalize some of Marion's stats. Shawn would love to make the team this year more than ever, as it's being played in Vegas where he ran with the Rebels in his college days. The West ballot, however, is very crowded, so two questions come to mind: One, should Marion make the All-Star team, and two, will he?

As for whether or not he should make the squad, for me this is a yes. Marion is capable of bigger numbers than his season averages of 19 and 9 indicate, and has proven it recently. If you also take into account Marion's athleticism, his All-Star status would be a no-brainer considering the entertainment factor he brings to the game.

Now, will Marion make the team? All signs point to, um, maybe not. The starters in the West are pretty much locked in with KG and Tim Duncan leading the vote by a wide margin. After that, it looks like Dirk Nowitzki and Carlos Boozer are the favorites for two of the reserve spots. From there, we have Marion competing with Carmelo, Josh Howard, and even Zach Randolph for only two more spots.

It will come down to whether or not the coaches will want to (further) punish Carmelo Anthony for his role in the fight, or whether they will let his league-leading scoring average take him onto the roster. I'm not a big Carmelo fan personally, but he's paid for the fight with the 15-game suspension, and he should be on the team based on his play this season. Josh Howard is as responsible as anyone for Dallas' league-best record, so I think he will get his first All-Star spot, which would unfortunately leave Shawn Marion on the outside looking in.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

1-12-2007 @ 7:33PM

JFunk said...

"Josh Howard is as responsible as anyone for Dallas' league-best record"

Uh...no. Josh Howard is not as responsible as, say, Dirk or Avery Johnson. I know Josh is playing great (and I'm a Mavs nut, so I follow this team pretty closely), but let's be careful about what we're saying here.

And I think Marion should be in the All-Star game. I'm not so sure about Melo. Would we consider it a joke if someone got voted in by the fans after being, say, injured for 15 games? I mean, the guy will have missed 30% of his team's games (even if it was a bogus, over the top punishment). Is that really enough to justify an All-Star vote from the people who matter (coaches)? I've casually dismissed players as MVP contenders for less.

1-12-2007 @ 7:07PM

Matt said...

Great photo! I have Marion sixth best West forward (just ahead of Howard). It may depend on whether Iverson overtakes McGrady in voting and gets to start at guard, in which case the coaches will have to vote McGrady in as a reserve and there will be one less spot for a forward.

1-12-2007 @ 7:24PM

Brett said...

JFunk coming strong! Good stuff. What I meant about Howard was that his elevated level of play so far is what has taken the Mavs from one of the elite teams to THE elite team right now. Dirk is obviously still the man, and the team's championship aspirations ultimately rest on his shoulders.

As for Carmelo, I see what you're saying, I was probably trying too hard to mask my dislike for him. Leading the league in scoring though is no small feat, even through a limited number of games. It will definitely be interesting to see if he makes the team.

1-12-2007 @ 7:46PM

josh said...

Shawn Marion sucks anyone who grew up and has never developed a shot should not be on any all-star team intill he has a shoot that is not rediculous looking i say keep him off tv as much as possible

1-12-2007 @ 7:37PM

That's weird, my comment went up _after_ your reply...not sure why that happened...

1-12-2007 @ 7:57PM

Interesting spelling there Josh... or should I say, Mr.Howard?

1-13-2007 @ 1:51PM

basketball said...

That's an awesome photo.

The All-Star game is part stats and part reputation. A guy can have a mediocre year, but if he's popular, the fans can still get them on the roster. The coaches' picks are more about the quality of play.

1-14-2007 @ 4:13PM

andre said...

tell that josh guy to shut up shawn marion plays both ends of the court and more mintues he should be if he does go the rest of the suns players should boycott it ..

1-15-2007 @ 1:19PM

joseduarte@yahoo.com said...

shawn marion will make alstar team no matter what

1-15-2007 @ 1:35PM

Qtip said...

yea and the matrix guards guards, forwards, and centers and for the most part holds them in check josh howard is a loser and deserves to stay in dallas marions shooting style is amazin any1 who dissis is jus jealous dey rnt dat fly

1-24-2007 @ 12:25AM

Derrell Miller said...

I think Shawn Marion gets in and Josh Howard does too. Why they both get in will shock lots of people but take both of them off of Phoenix and Dallas and they won't have the best 2 records in the NBA. Marion is the heart and soul and engine that drives Phoenix, without him they are a average team at best. Josh Howard gets in because he really has elevated himself quietly into the list of top 5 small forwards in the game today and those reasons alone will get both of them in. Now I thnk Carmelo will get in, so that leaves out Carlos Boozer.

1-25-2007 @ 4:20PM

inmypjs said...

If Pistons got 4 All_Stars in last year then why would you get only one All-Star for the Mavs this year? There should be at least two from both Mavs and Suns. They've only lost 8 games so far after all just like the Pistons did before the ASG. By virtue of record, Randolph and Brand will not make it. Nash and Amare will make it so that takes out Marion only because they have to put two All_Star from the best team of the league which is the Mavs. Which means Howard should be in. Also, they have to put at least one from the Jazz, and so Boozer will make it for having a monster year. The success of the Suns relies solely on Nash who is currently having a better season than his previous 2 MVP seasons. He is getting better shots and better assists because of Amare who works in the middle to get him more open shots and who makes high percentage shots from his assists. The emergence of Diaw and Barbosa also helped their campaign and not just Marion's contributions.

West Guards: Kobe, Nash, AI, TMac
West Forwards: KG, Duncan, Nowitzki, Boozer
West Centers: Amare, Okur (Yao's replacement)
last 2 Spots: Melo, Howard

The question here is will they penalized Melo? I think he served his punishment like a man and he deserves to make his first all-star appearance. As for Okur, this will depend if Stern will pick another center to replace Yao. He usually picks one player from the top 8 teams. Last year he picked Arenas for the absence of JO in the East, so just maybe he will pick Marion. Tony Parker can also be selected for this spot.

1-26-2007 @ 9:40AM

a . rod said...

josh howard and marion both deserve the all star nod but any one who would compair the talent level of josh howard who's had a breakout year, with that of marion, who's been do'in for years whith the suns is crazy.

1-28-2007 @ 11:32AM

James said...

If anything, I think Marion gets in on the Yao injury. Otherwise, with how loaded the west in, no way does he get an all-star berth over Howard, Boozer, or Melo

2-01-2007 @ 1:03AM

paul said...

Shawn Marion MUST make the All-Star team because even though Steve Nash gets all the credit for the Suns' success, without Shawn Marion Steve Nash wouldn't be a 2-time MVP and the Suns would merely be an average team. Marion does everything for the Suns, he scores, rebounds, blocks, steals, and will play a crucial role in whether or not the Suns win the championship. Guys like Dirk, Boozer, and Melo have carried their teams thusfar and all deserve to make the All-Star team, but I believe that Josh Howard is not as responsible for the Mavericks success as Shawn Marion is for the Suns success. Shawn Marion doesn't get the credit he deserves as you can see by looking at how many votes he got for the All-Star game, but since it's up to the coaches now I'm sure that he'll make the team because it takes people with the knowledge of the game that coaches have to understand that Steve Nash hasn't brought the Suns to the level they're at by himself.

1-31-2007 @ 8:00PM

Well Boozer just got injured and will not make it in the All-Star Game. Which means an opening was just made for Marion. So this is no longer an issue.

2-12-2007 @ 5:32AM

emre said...

memo is the best shooting center in all nba............he is the last minute shooter.....is team 33-17 in nba ......he playede 274 games back tıo back ...and lastly i wanna say that despite he is reaaly ill on saturday he played against knicks and he scored 29 pont 6 rebonds 5 asits 2 block 2 steals......he is very super....and becouse of his threes center and pf try to cancel his shots and becouse of that in paint area boozer find comfort shoots ...and his statics increase