Can Mo Williams catch a break? Not only did he not make the all star team over the Magic’s Jameer Nelson the first time around, but now with Nelson down, Commissioner David Stern has overlooked the Cavaliers Point Guard yet again; this time, for a third Celtic. Straight from the NBA offices in New York:
BOSTON’S RAY ALLEN TO REPLACE
ORLANDO’S JAMEER NELSON IN 2009 NBA ALL-STAR GAME
NEW YORK, Feb. 5, 2009 – Boston Celtics guard Ray Allen has been named by NBA Commissioner David Stern to replace injured East All-Star guard Jameer Nelson (torn labrum, right shoulder) of the Orlando Magic in the 2009 NBA All-Star Game in Phoenix. Allen will be making his ninth All-Star appearance.
Isn’t it getting blatantly obvious that David Stern wants to bury the Cavaliers? He wants Lebron out of Cleveland and into New York in the worst way. This is just another dagger out to our beloved franchise. Three Celtics are now on the squad, Three Magic (I know it sounds weird to say “three Magic.” Reminds me of when Hot Rod WIlliams signed the offer sheet with Miami and said to the media “as of now, I am a Heat.”) and just one Cavalier.
Weak.
Author: TD
TD is a born and bred Clevelander who agrees with ESPN's Scott Van Pelt when he says ""Ranch Dressing makes everything better except for cereal and ice cream."TD has written 253 articles for Waiting for Next Year.
Good… The Force is strong with you. A powerful Point Guard you will become. Henceforth, you shall be known as Darth… Williams.
I hope Mo carries a huge chip on his shoulder the rest of the season.
A dagger?
It stinks but I think a little much is being made of it. If Z was not out for a month, he definitely would have made it.
How does a team with a winning percentage of .813 have only one player in the All-Star game? Is there a logical explanation for this? Has this ever happened before?
Wow. My jaw literally just dropped reading the headline.
Were the voters swayed by Allen’s game-winner?
the voters being David Stern?
Weak.
get pissed, cavs.
Mo’s reward will come at the end of the year!
This is a joke, of course, but if Mo Williams is carrying the Larry O’Brien trophy around in late June, the NBA all-star game can take this snub and shove it you know where.
So, David Stern’s big master plan is to get LeBron into New York because Mo Williams didn’t make the All-Star team? That might be a BIT of an overreaction.
Ray Allen is having a heck of a season, his numbers are better than Mo’s, and Ray Allen is every bit as deserving to go as Mo is, if not more so.
it’s just a bummer.
there’s always next year…
Bottom line is Ray Allen will bring more media attention than Mo. And that adds up to better bottom line $’s for the NBA.
Now we just need AI to realize that he shouldn’t be there in the first place…
@Scott….so what they can add Rondo?
Come on now. You guys know Stern hates Phoenix more than any other NBA team.
And take solace in the fact that when he gets here for the game, he will be booed beyond all belief. We’ve got your back Cleveland.
Ha. Touche.
I was actually just thinking. Devin Harris is really the only PG on the team now. Why did they add another swingman?
oh…and yes that was sarcasm.
Honestly, I don’t care about which teams get represented by numbers. If this makes Mo play the rest of the season with a chip on his shoulder and we get the #1 seed because of it, then great.
Good point on Harris. Maybe Mike Brown just has LeBron run PG when he’s on the floor?
LeBron/Wade/Rashard/Garnett/Dwight – that’s a fun 5 to have on the floor.
Replacing a PG with Allen isn’t the best choice. But I guess this is what happens when Iverson gets the starting position at PG.
Will this motivate the Cavs to start dominating like earlier in the season. I hate to say that the Cavs need more motivation, but maybe something will come out these snubs.
Much ado about nothing. Let Williams get motivated and rested. If we win the title this year, he’s in next year’s All-Star game. Nuff said.
I have a question: Are Ray Allen’s numbers really that much better than Mo’s? They look pretty comparable to me.
Ray
36:17 Min, 18.1 Ppg, 49.7 FG Pct, 41.0 3-pt Pct, 3.1 Reb, 2.4 Ast, 1.7 TO, 0.7 Stl, 0.2 Blk, 1.9 PF
Mo
34:00 Min, 17.1 Ppg, 46.4 FG Pct, 39.2 3-pt Pct, 3.3 Reb, 4.2 Ast, 2.3 TO, 0.8 Stl, 0.1 Blk, 2.9 PF
Allen does have a slightly better PER rating at 18.02 too, compared to Mo’s 16.87.
However, correct me if I’m wrong, but I think Allen started the year off much better (wasn’t his PER in the low 20s back in late December?), with his numbers dropping of late. Mo, on the other hand, has stayed about the same all year, if not rising a little more recently.
Thoughts?
Stern picked him last year to as a replacement.
too not to (can we have an edit option?)
I am going to agree with Rock here…Allen deserves to be there. This isn’t as big a deal as people are making it out to be. Williams is having a good year but so is Allen. If you want to blame anyone, blame the moronic fans who voted AI in.
On another note, the Cavs are now guaranteed to lose to the Magic if they face them in the playoffs….the Magic just got Tyrone Lue, the Cavs killer
Adding to the “Harris is the East’s only real point guard” issue, is that we only have one true center also, in Howard. Our next biggest player is Bosh, followed by Rashard Lewis and Paul Pierce. We have an All-Star team of 9 SGs/SFs. Awesome…
I think the comparison of stats Chris provided suggests that it was at best a toss-up between the two, rather than proof that Stern or anyone else has waged a campaign against the Cavs. The players are not chosen, as far as I know, with an eye to balancing team representation. It matters less how many other Boston players get chosen than it does how the two best remaining players who have not yet been chosen compare to one another. Allen has slightly better numbers in several categories. Had Mo been chosen, surely Allen would have felt snubbed, as well. I think too much is being made out of this choice.
In line with Bridgecrosser, I say let’s hope it only motivates Mo to continue to improve.
And agreeing with Nicko, here’s another request for an editing function for WFNY comments, or at least a preview!
@phil: thanks for the feedback. Trust me, we hear you guys when you give us suggestions, and your idea is something we’ll certainly consider.
Really, who cares. So Stern decided that Allen’s presence would draw more general fan interest, and in the end that’s what all star games are about. He’s probably right, he does have a decent track record in promoting his league. For those who feel Cleveland was dissed: get a ring like Boston and Stern will think that fans nationwide might want to watch Mo. I’d rather have Mo resting during the break and fresh for the second half rather than risk our two main players having post all-star weekend hangovers and possibly blowing winnable and important games.
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