2001 American All-Star Team - Preview

[Brooklyn]

C

Starter
Greg Oden (New York Knicks) 
26.7 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 1.7 BPG
At just 20 years old, Oden is solidifying himself as a top post player in the league. Drafted 26th overall in the creation draft, it is becoming increasingly apparent that his selection was a steal. He's shooting 63% from the field and playing exceptional defence. Oden is currently 6th in the league in +/- at +235, and will surely be a cornerstone for the Knicks franchise for years to come.

Bench
Patrick Ewing (Minnesota Timberwolves) 
23.0PPG, 9.4 PPG, 2.1 BPG
For an elite player, Ewing is already with his 3rd organization. He was acquired in a blockbuster trade this offseason which saw ROY candidate Sam Jones head to Cairo (Jones has since suffered from concussion problems and is expected to miss 3 months. Rumours are swirling that Timberwolves management was aware of Jones' concussion history but that the information was not shared with Cairo). Ewing's numbers are down slightly from last year, but that is to be expected with a stronger supporting cast this season in Minnesota. Ewing has helped transform the Timberwolves franchise from the 2nd worst record in the league last season to current division-leaders.



PF

Starter
Charles Barkley (Chicago Bulls) 
35.4 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 1.4 SPG, 1.4 BPG
Barkley is undoubtedly the best player in the league. Drafted 11th overall in the creation draft, there is near consensus among GMs that a re-draft would have him going #1. Barring injury, Barkley will earn his 2nd straight league MVP.

Bench
Mel Daniels (New York Knicks)
23.0 PPG, 11.0 RPG, 4.1 APG, 1.6 BPG
While he's not the scorer Barkley is, Daniels is proving to be a phenomenal all-around PF. He is second in the league in rebounding, and is the only player in the league averaging 10+ RPG and 4+ APG. Along with Oden, Daniels is believed to be untouchable.

Bill Russell (Los Angeles Lakers) *Rookie*
23.5 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 1.0 SPG, 2.0 BPG
Drafted 3rd overall in last year's rookie draft, Russell has come out the gates strong and could be an All-Star in his first season. While everyone expected him to be a great rebounder and defensive player, not many expected him to score the way he is. He is currently 14th in league scoring, and is one of only 3 players to be averaging 20+ PPG, 9+ RPG and 2+ BPG (with the other two being Hakeem Olajuwon and Patrick Ewing - not bad company).



SF

Starter
Julius Erving (Harlem Globetrotters)
24.8 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 2.9 APG, 1.3 SPG
Dr J is being Dr J. He is once again leading the Globetrotters to a playoff position. Although the Globetrotters have several nice pieces around him, many think he is the main reason the Globetrotters are as successful as they. With him, the Globetrotters can potentially do some damage in the playoffs. Take him away and you've got yourself a lottery team.

Bench
Kevin Durant (Buenos Aires Boca Juniors)
21.9 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 3.5 APG, 1.6 SPG
At 20, Durant is already looking for his 2nd All-Star appearance. He is producing almost a carbon-copy of last season, with a nice increase in FG%. The scary part about Durant is that he still has major upside. If he hits his ceiling, he could start putting himself into MVP conversations. Hopefully BA can lock him up long-term.



SG

Starter
Earl Monroe (Brazil Franca BC)
24.1 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 6.0 APG, 1.3 SPG
Playing for a team without management, Monroe could be a starter at the All-Star Game. He is filling the basket nicely and efficiently at a 51% FG%. Monroe is one of only two players in the league to be average 24+ PPG and 6+ APG (the other being Tony Parker)

Bench
John Havlicek (Washington Generals) *Rookie*
24.9 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 4.6 APG, 1.1 SPG
Havlicek could be another rookie on this All-Star team. His 24.9 PPG is second to Elgin Baylor's 25.0 PPG in the rookie scoring race, and 8th in the entire league. But what's most remarkable about Havlicek is the way he protects that ball on a weak Generals team - just 1.8 TOPG in over 40 MPG. With Havlicek on board, the Generals have already won more games than all of last season.



PG

Starter
Tony Parker (New Orleans Jazz)
24.6 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 9.5 APG, 2.0 SPG
Parker is having a phenomenal season and is cementing himself as a top PG in the league. One of the least talked-about players, he is probably one of the most valuable assets in the league. Parker will definitely get his second All-Star appearance this year, at just 22 years old.

Bench
Terry Porter (Rio de Janeiro Flamengo)
22.4 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 6.9 APG, 1.9 SPG
Porter is having a quiet but solid season on a struggling Flamengo team. It's a bit of a surprise to see the team last in their division, but there is still lots of time to turn it around. Regardless, Porter should make his second straight All-Star appearance for America.


Other notable All-Star candidates
C - Arvydas Sabonis (VAN)
PF - Neil Johnston (MC), Kevin Garnett (MIN)
SF - Michael Finley (NOL), Grant Hill (SFW), Chris Mullin (POR)
SG - Jason Richardson (NOL), Paul Westphal (MC)
PG - Chris Paul *R (BOS), Sergei Belov (MIN)

[ankstotle]

No love for Noah....once again

[New York]

Good stuff Washington. This is around what I would have it as well, but I think Ewing might sneak in as the starter at C. SuOcks that Daniels plays in the same conference as Barkley and on the same team as Oden.If he could play what I think is his natural position of Center I think he could be an all-star starter. Maybe as we see Oden's offensive game develop i'll play with that switch since Oden is the quicker of the two.

Again good work on this Washington, I may look to do something similar when we get closer to the All-Star game sim.

[Minnesota]

We had no idea that Sam Jones used to hit his head with a cast iron skillet as a kid.

You'll never prove that we did either.

*starts shredding documents*

[dave]

Good stuff, I think Paul could push for the backup PG spot with Porter, less PPG/RPG, but mora APG/SPG.

[Taipei]

Havlicek shouldn't be an All-Star, solid player on a bad team. He's shooting 39%, his points are the product of someone needing to score. Westphal would be better.

[Taipei]

Good article though!

[Brooklyn]

Nov 16, 2015 6:34:30 GMT Taipei said:

Havlicek shouldn't be an All-Star, solid player on a bad team. He's shooting 39%, his points are the product of someone needing to score. Westphal would be better.

Im not sure how the game determines all stars so I was just going off numbers. And he plays for me so I put him on my list.

[New York]

With how the game decides things the lineups for the All-Star game (w/ 4 sims to go before the game so things could change):

C: Greg Oden (or Ewing) | Patrick Ewing (or Oden) they are pretty much tied so can't say who would start for sure
PF: Charles Barkley | Mel Daniels
SF: Julius Erving | Grant Hill
SG: Earl Monroe | Andrew Gaze (Hondo and Westphal are close for the third spot)
PG: Tony Parker | Mike Conley

With Kevin Durant, Arvydas Sabonis, Kevin Garnett,and Al Horford being the most likely for the two position-less spots.

You've also got Pau Gasol who is likely to be in a position to get the starting C spot

[Sarawak]

good stuff 150

pp credited