Snubbing always becomes an argument among fans that feel that their player deserves to be represented in the All-Star game. We saw a conflict of interest during the MLB All-Star game when San Francisco Giants fans flocked to their computers to vote in Giants’ players. It inevitably led to Pablo Sandoval getting voted to start at 3rd base instead of the MVP worthy David Wright. The outcry wasn’t vehement but did cause some stirring, which led to many questioning the All-Star system and its merit in deciding who the best players were. New York is getting robbed of another player who should be starting in the All-Star game: Tyson Chandler.
Many non-New Yorkers will point to the fan voting system and claim that the Knicks should NEVER complain about having one of their players not getting enough recognition for a starting spot. I’m not here to tell you whether fans should be allowed to vote or not, but I can tell you that they got it wrong. The starting lineup for the Eastern Conference is Rajon Rondo, Dwayne Wade, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Garnett. All of the choices can be claimed to be worthy of starting on the team, except Garnett.
Garnett’s defensive intensity and ability to defend the paint is still an immeasurable difference for the Celtics. The Celtics defense plays far better when he is on the court. They allow an offensive rating of 108.6 off the court while they measures at 100.3 while he’s on the court. His defensive play hasn’t completely opened up the reasoning for him to start. His player efficiency rating (PER) has him pegged at 18.5. The mark would be his lowest rating since his 1996-1997 season. He has struggled to rebound the ball offensively with his lowest offensive rebounding percentage ever (3.6). One of the biggest critiques of Garnett has been his lack of minutes. Coach Doc Rivers has limited Garnett to 29.8 minutes. If you expand his numbers Per 36 minutes his numbers skyrocket and show a player that is worthy of starting in the all-star game, but he isn’t logging those minutes because of age and injury concerns.
Tyson Chandler is doing the inverse of what Garnett is doing. He is enjoying his highest mark for PER this season with 21.4. His is leading the league in field goal percentage at .674 while the next highest is Kosta Koufos at .601. He has become one of the best finishers in the league at the pick-and-roll and has done so while playing part of the season without his number one point guard. His impact to suck in defenders allowed for the Knicks to space the floor for some open 3-point shots.
Even with the addition of a few big men during the off-season, the Knicks still lose a lot of offensive firepower and rebounding when Chandler is off the court. They have a total rebounding percentage that is nearly 5% higher when he is on the court and over 10% higher on the offensive boards. This rebounding difference shows his value on offense, as he is able to give the Knicks extra possessions. We haven’t even mentioned his impact on defense where he is a great rim protector. Coach Mike Woodson centers his defense around Chandler, which has given him one of the highest degrees of defensive responsibility among players in the league.
So my imaginary vote has been lately casted and I have backing behind my choice. I hope that fans have more of a basis behind their choice beyond the fact that they may enjoy watching Garnett’s need to start beef with Carmelo Anthony boil over to the All-Star game. While you butter your popcorn, awaiting the announcement of Garnett’s name and number for the All-Star game, remember who should really be starting.
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