Is Bobcats' Wallace an All-Star?

Published Dec. 9, 2009 at 10:25 p.m.
Some of you have approached me lately about whether Charlotte Bobcats forward Gerald Wallace has a shot at being an All-Star. Here's my thinking:

The five starters for each conference are picked by the fans. The seven reserves are chosen by each conference's head coaches. I think that works in Wallace's favor. No way he'd be a starter, and he's more likely to be appreciated by the coaches than the general public (at least outside Charlotte).

The East will have at least four forwards and as many as six (seven in the event a guy like Chris Bosh is designated by the coaches as the backup "center'.' The coaches -- but not the fans -- have that flexibility).

I figure there are three forwards -- Cleveland's LeBron James, Boston's Kevin Garnett and Toronto's Bosh -- who are locks to be chosen. As I said above, Bosh could potentially count as the backup center (behind Orlando's Dwight Howard) since he's certainly the next-best big man. And Bosh is so good Toronto's record won't kill his candidacy.

That would leave Wallace in a mix with the following: Boston's Paul Pierce, Atlanta's Josh Smith, Indiana's Danny Granger and Philadelphia's Andre Iguodala. The wild cards beyond that are New York's David Lee and New Jersey's Brook Lopez: Are they centers or power forwards? The coaches have some flexibility in this, particularly since the last two roster spots can come from any position.

Granger might be out the next month with an injury, so it will be hard to justify taking him. And on close calls, coaches almost always go with players off winning teams. That's not an absolute -- Atlanta's Joe Johnson made it off a bad team a few years ago -- but it's the norm.

I'd think Wallace's toughest competition would be Pierce and Smith. They're both major contributors on conference contenders. So it's not just what Wallace does, but what the Bobcats do. Getting above .500 by the time the coaches vote could make a difference.

Back | Read more at Charlotte Observer local