BJ 1/97: Don't Tell Me There Aren't Any All-Stars On This Bullets Team...

I think it's readily obvious that the Bullets got jobbed. By anyone's definition, CWebb should be an All-Star this season. But the NBA coaches didn't feel that way. I wonder just what they were smoking. By any definition I can think of (except maybe winning percentage of a team compared to the guys I would remove), CWebb belonged. (Sorry, Juwan, your slow start, plus Chris' strong play, removed you from consideration.)

In case you missed it, the NBA announced the reserves for the All-Star game in Cleveland on February 9, and no Bullet was named. (Although a former Bullet, Tom Gugliotta, was selected for the Western Conference squad. Congratulations.)

So, who would I not consider? I'd take CWebb over Laettner, just comparing them as forwards. I also think that Mutombo may or may not deserve to be there (it's hard to argue with the defense he provides).

Player            Pos  G M/Gm  FGm  FGa  PCT  3m  3a  PCT  FTm  FTA  PCT  AVG

Chris Webber       PF 42 40.4  362  719 .503  28  73 .384   96  188 .511 20.2
Juwan Howard       PF 43 40.3  335  695 .482   0   2 .000  145  194 .747 19.0
Christian Laettner PF 41 39.4  281  606 .464  25  59 .424  190  233 .815 19.0
Dikembe Mutombo     C 40 38.2  193  365 .529   0   0 .000  146  207 .705 13.3


Player              AS AS/g  ST ST/G  TO TO/g  BK BK/g  TND  OR OR/g  TR TR/g
Chris Webber       201  4.8  65  1.5 143  3.4  84  2.0 24.4 138 3.3  422 10.0
Juwan Howard       167  3.9  47  1.1 143  3.3  11  0.3 19.0 107 2.5  356  8.3
Christian Laettner  99  2.4  47  1.1 106  2.6  32  0.8 19.7  97 2.4  362  8.8
Dikembe Mutombo     54  1.4  15  0.4  98  2.5 147  3.7 21.7 153 3.8  495 12.4

(Thanks to Doug Steele for making these types of statistics publicly available for easy acquisition at his NBA Stats page. The TND (or Tendex) rating is intended to evaluate points-per-possession. Players who have a higher TND value than their scoring average will tend to contribute to their team in ways other then scoring (i.e., high assist or rebound players). While the opposite suggets players who's job is mainly to score.)

The Hawks are 8 games ahead of the Bullets in the standings, though they have played 2 fewer games. (That second part doesn't have much impact on the analysis.) But looking at any other statistical category, it's obvious that Laettner doesn't measure up to Webber's contributions. (Laettner's better from 3-point and free throw range - AND gets to the line more (which shows how much respect Webber really gets from the refs) - and commits fewer turnovers. Not enough to make him better.

And comparing Howard to Laettner, there isn't that much difference in the many categories that matter. So, I think it's easy to see why Howard did not make the team.

Mutombo is a more curious example. He definitely shows up for his defensive impact and ability to control the game. His offensive numbers aren't there, like CWebb, Juwan, or Laettner. But he probably deserves to be a the game as much as any of these four.

If I were to compare the stats, I would definitely take Webber over Laettner. I don't think there's any question. Plus, Webber has continued to grow on the court, improving defensively, hitting jumpers and hook shots, and adding range to his jumper, including 3-point shooting. He's still dogged by that poor free throw shooting and an occasional lapse in defensive rebounding. And I'd keep Mutombo on the team, because I think he has a much bigger impact on the Hawks success than does Laettner.

Am I entitled to the righteous indignation? Damn right, I am. IMO, there was no excuse for leaving Webber off the squad. I guess if you screw someone (i.e., Don Nelson) in the coaching fraternity, don't expect to be loved by the other coaches any time soon. So, CWebb gets to sit at home. CWebb should set one goal for himself (besides improving his free throw shooting) - getting to and succeeding in the playoffs. And that should shut up anything that any critic should throw at him in the future.

At least Tim Legler will be at All-Star weekend. He earned the right to return and defend his Three-Point Shooting title he earned last year in San Antonio. Tim Legler set a 3-round record last year with 65 total points, more than anyone has scored in the 11-year history of the event (by 4 points). His score in each round also placed him in the top 5 ever in that round.

It seems that one of the things that Legler has been doing in his spare time when not rehabbing is thinking about his competition in this year's 3-point shooting contest. He assesses his competition at NBA.com. To learn more about the shootout, visit the NBA's official site.

So, don't forget to tune in Saturday, February 8 at 7pm EST to TNT for the event. Last year, it started around 8:30 or 9pm or so, but don't take my word for it this year. Just don't miss it. I feel Tim will do well.