No room for mediocrity on this star-studded list

Sporting News, The, Jan 26, 1998 by Dave D'Alessandro

Before we give you our selections for the All-Star Games, let's establish one ground rule: No .500 team deserves more than one guy. Pretty arbitrary, we know, but All-Star Gems are reward for extraordinary achievement, and mediocrity deserves the same indifference that most .500 teams play with.

So what we have here is a collection of TSN All-Star choices, balanced to reflect their individual teams' status at the halfway mark. It's unlike the rosters of previous seasons: The East won't have such perennials as Patrick, Penny, Zo, Scottie and probably Terell; the West won't have guys like Hakeem, KJ, Clyde, Spree and probably even Charles.

That makes this season's jostling for recognition more competitive, but if we were to select two squads to meet in new york in two weeks, they'd look like this:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Dikembe Mutumbo. Call him a starter by default. He's a worthy All-Star, and his post game has made some strides (greater range with the hook), but he's still no higher than sixth on the league's pivot pecking order.

Dennis Rodman. Phil Jackson put it best: A 14-rebound game is a career night for most but an off night for him. he says he'd rather spend the weekend in Vegas, but here'll be enough vice in New York to keep him occupied.

Michael Jordan. This could be his last one, and he does like to make memorable exits. It also will be his first Garden visit since he teased New York fans about playing there, so you can expect rousing ovations for as much as a sneeze.

Grant Hill. He finally has his tea within striking distance of .500 and eight place--and the Pistons are starting to beat the teams they should with some regularity. But you still wonder where they'd be if he were shooting better than 42 percent.

Tim Hardaway. He still scares coaches more than anybody. Hardaway is the league's best point guard in three areas: forcing tempo, creating off the dribble and shooting with range.

Antoine Walker. There are three 20-and-10 guys this season, and Walker's one of them. He's also the lead candidate for Most Improved Player.

Rod Strickland. The league's assist leader deserves a chance to play in his first All-Star Game.

Steve Smith. He has lifted his a average back over 20 points per game, and he's peaking at the perfect time--with Mookie Blaylock out. Smith has the Hawks surging again.

Reggie Miller. The pacers ar the best team in the East and they're doing it more with balance, depth and defense than anything else. Miller's mainstay and the Garden's still his court.

Glen Rice. We still say Anthony Mason is Charlotte's best player, but you don't tell last year's All-Star Game MVP to stay home. His percentage from the arc is back over 43 percent, but we're still waiting for that two-week stretch filled with 40-point games.

Jayson Williams. The Nest, a team of interchangeable parts, deserve a representative, and he's their most indispensable player. He's also the league's most media-friendly player.

Shawn Kemp. What, you expected better performance numbers? You try playing in a new system with three rookies--against triple-teams on every touch. And see if you can get your team to play .600 ball all year to boot.

Notable omissions: Chris Webber, Alonzo Mourning, Rik Smits, Anthony Mason, Glenn Robinson, Juwan Howard, Damon Stoudamire, Terell Brandon, Brian Williams--and anybody from the Knicks. Webber's the toughest call, vis-a-vis Kemp: One has the numbers, the other has a team that doesn't hide at the first hint of trouble.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

David Robinson. It's nice to have him back where he belongs. Don't rule out a run for MVP in the second half if he delivers the league's best record.

Tim Duncan. For the next dozen years, he'll be the bane of every Western Conference coach's existence. There's no way to match up with the guy, which is kind of what the Spurs had in mind when they lucked into drafting him.

Karl Malone. Anybody notice the Jazz are playing at the exact pace they were a year ago? Sure, they probably won't blow through the league with another 41-6 finish, but you tell Malone that.

Mitch Richmond. He has taken some shots from us in the past, but we come to praise him today. Nobody has shown more focus over the past month, while plying with trade rumors swirling and trying to pick up a team that everybody left for dead.

Gary Payton. He's still the NBA's best pure point guard, and he has Seattle at the top of the leagues. The MVP for the first half? We wouldn't argue with that.

Jason Kidd. It hasn't been as easy as he makes it look. No team that goes 11 deep can withstand the occasional chemistry problem, but the Suns are right there in the Pacific are--and he's the main reason.

Shaquille O'Neal. We'll admit it: We're practicing a double-standard here. Why him and not Alonzo Mourning, when they're played roughly the same number of games? A rationalization: Zo's merely a great center; this guy's a star of the first magnitude.

Vin Baker. It usually requires months to get used to a new system, a new coach, a new city and the first great point guard teammate of your career. But almost singlehandedly, Baker has restored joy and title dreams in Seattle.