The NBA just announced the All-Star Game reserves and Chauncey Billups has officially been invited to his fourth consecutive appearance whereas Carmelo Anthony won't be making his third. To those of us in Nuggets Nation, this is quite disappointing but not altogether unexpected due to Melo missing games with the elbow and hand injuries.The only selection I can really take objection to over Melo is David West's. Other pundits may raise their eyebrows at Shaquille O'Neal's 15th All-Star invite, but you have to admit that seeing him play alongside Kobe Bryant while being coached by Phil Jackson will be irresistible theatre.
So back to the West vs. Melo debate. It's not that West is undeserving. It's just that he's not nearly as deserving as Melo. IF I could look at this objectively (which I really can't), I'd point to the fact that upon Melo's arrival in Denver, the Nuggets have never missed a postseason and he's asked to do more for his team than West is for his. Moreover, both players have been hurt this season, and West has played in only six more games that Melo.
Melo may not be as good as his draft peers LeBron James, Dwyane Wade or even Chris Bosh. But the fact that he will have played six NBA seasons with only two All-Star Game invites (and one of which was due to an injury replacement) to show on his resume is becoming an annual travesty. Melo should have been selected to the 2006 game (a season in which he averaged 26.5 ppg, the second highest output of his career) and to this year's game.
If there's a silver lining to yet another All-Star snub of Carmelo Anthony, perhaps this will inspire him to play even better when he returns from his hand injury.
But memo to the NBA coaches who picked the All-Stars: by snubbing Melo and not including Mo Williams in the East over Jameer Nelson, you've just made the Stiff List!