By Jeje Gomez, Marilyn Dubinski, Mark Barrington, Bill Huan, Devon Birdsong | Pounding The Rock (PtR), 2025-01-26 09:25:22
由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
文班的入选被几位传奇球星所阻碍，但如果他继续保持今年的表现，他很快就会成为常年首发。
维克托·文班亚马(Victor Wembanyama)没有被提名为西部全明星首发。这是冷落还是正确的决定？
玛丽莲·杜宾斯基(Marilyn Dubinski): 你可以提出两种论点。显然尼古拉·约基奇(Nikola Jokic)理应入选，然后就取决于你是否相信勒布朗·詹姆斯(LeBron James)和/或凯文·杜兰特(Kevin Durant)的入选更多是基于“传奇”投票而不是球场表现。换句话说，球迷（在这种情况下还有球员）会一直投票给他们，直到他们不再出现在选票上，仅仅因为他们是传奇吗？尽管如此，至少在本赛季，他们两支球队的战绩都比文班的球队好，而且对于喜欢数据的投票者来说，他们在进攻端的影响力与文班一样，甚至更大。下个赛季可能情况会有所不同，但至少有一些理由支持他们二人胜过文班，而对于传奇人物来说，这就足够了。
马克·巴灵顿(Mark Barrington): 我最初觉得这是冷落，但看看东西部联盟的整体选择，这相当一致。这些都是基于他们职业生涯的传奇选择，而不仅仅是基于他们今年的表现。我无法反驳约基奇排在文班之前，而且你也可以为杜兰特提出强有力的论据。勒布朗对他自己来说正在经历一个低谷的年份，但这对几乎所有其他人来说都是很棒的。维克托的得分、篮板、抢断都更多，除了助攻之外几乎在每个统计类别中都领先，但这可能是勒布朗最后一次全明星赛了，也许这就是让他首发的充分理由。
杰西斯·戈麦斯(Jesus Gomez): 这是一个难题，因为文班今年拥有数据却没有相应的履历。他是一名二年级球员，被大肆宣传，到目前为止只贡献了精彩集锦。圣安东尼奥的战绩并不出色，所以没有关于他立即将球队转变为一支伟大球队的叙事，而且关于他的讨论通常都围绕着他仍然备受争议的外线进攻打法。出色的表现应该足够了，但众所周知，过去的荣誉、叙事和知名度对于全明星赛很重要。他肯定会作为替补入选，所以虽然感觉像是被冷落了，但这并不是什么大事，因为他很可能在接下来的几年里迟早会获得一个首发位置。
比尔·桓(Bill Huan): 这是冷落。我回顾了谁应该被提名为西部首发，发现亚历山大(Shai Gilgeous-Alexander)，约基奇，文班是三个确定的选择，其他两个则悬而未决。话虽如此，考虑到勒布朗、斯蒂芬·库里(Stephen Curry)和杜兰特的人气以及在体育史上的地位，我并不惊讶他们入选。如果球迷想看到他们，那就让他们去吧！文班很快就会轮到他，并且在接下来的15年里都可能在这场比赛中首发。
德文·伯德桑(Devon Birdsong): 你是否将其视为冷落，可能取决于你是否认为勒布朗·詹姆斯的赛季表现足以让他成为文班的首发（他不是），以及你是否考虑了旧的基于位置的全明星选择流程。按照旧的系统，文班不会成为约基奇的首发，后者目前正在为MVP发起强有力的争夺。然而，在球员效率值（PER）、每日正负值（DARKO）、勒布朗值（LEBRON）和球员影响力评估（PIE）等几项高阶数据类别中，文班的排名都高于詹姆斯、杜兰特和库里。因此，根据目前的前场/后场流程，他绝对是被冷落了，但他也比过去更有机会被提名为首发。就我个人而言，如果他最终成为一个边缘选择，我会更困扰。
媒体支持文班成为首发，但公众不支持。这只是时间问题，还是文班没有与非马刺球迷建立联系？
杜宾斯基: 还值得指出的是，安东尼·戴维斯(Anthony Davis)也获得了媒体投票，所以看看媒体如何以不同于球迷和球员的方式看待事物是很有趣的。他们是否比注重数据的球迷和球员更重视防守？他们是否比球迷更了解文班正在做什么（部分原因是马刺队还没有很多全国直播的比赛）？无论如何，球迷们很快就会回心转意，我毫不怀疑，像勒布朗和杜兰特一样，文班会进入“首发俱乐部”（即无论如何都会获得球迷投票的人），甚至可能就在下个赛季，一旦他加入，他会在很长一段时间内都保持首发位置。
巴灵顿: 我认为文班亚马只是在联盟的时间还不够长，无法与普通球迷对他们多年来，在某些情况下甚至是几十年来所熟知的超级巨星的熟悉程度相抗衡。他进入联盟才一年多一点，尽管他得到了媒体的很多关注，但马刺仍然是一支小市场球队。他将在很长一段时间内成为联盟的代言人，只是还没有到那个时候。
戈麦斯: 我认为普通球迷还没有赶上，可能仍然把文班看作一个奇特的球员，而不是他已经成为的球星。在社交媒体上分享的短视频很棒，但关于马刺队的讨论并不多，不足以激起人们真正深入了解他有多么优秀的兴趣。圣安东尼奥最终会取得太大的成功而无法被忽视，而文班将是其背后的原因。一旦发生这种情况，更多的人会将文班视为最受欢迎的球队球星之一，而不仅仅是一台精彩集锦机器，他将获得应有的认可。
桓: 考虑到他在全联盟的球衣销量已经名列前茅，而且似乎正在成为一个家喻户晓的名字，我认为这不是与非马刺球迷没有建立联系的问题。相反，正如我上面提到的，这可能只是一个球迷想看到勒布朗、杜兰特和斯蒂芬最后一次同场竞技的情况（亚历山大和约基奇是显而易见的选择）。
伯德桑: 我想说，这感觉像是怀疑、嫉妒和文班还没有赢得自己位置的一种情绪的结合。仍然有人不相信文班已经像现在这样出色，有人因为他没有为自己的球队效力而感到沮丧，还有人觉得现在就给他最高的荣誉还为时过早（不是因为他不够出色，而是因为“时机未到”）。此外，永远不要低估NBA球迷整体上有多么不喜欢/不关心马刺队。
假设维克托作为替补入选，你认为谁应该获得全明星提名但不会得到？
杜宾斯基: 我甚至不用离开德克萨斯州就能列出几个潜在的遗珠。球迷投票显示卢卡·东契奇(Luka Doncic)和凯里·欧文(Kyrie Irving)都应该入选，但卢卡只打了22场比赛，而且在全明星赛之前可能还无法从小腿拉伤中恢复过来。也很难知道欧文的呼声如何，因为他一直远离聚光灯（这对他来说是件好事）。看看阿尔佩伦·申京(Alperen Sengun)是否能入选也很有趣。根据球迷投票，他可以入选，但假设文班和戴维斯入选，教练们会为第四位中锋腾出位置吗？火箭队的杰伦·格林(Jalen Green)也可以考虑，但他并不受球迷欢迎。想象一下，如果排名第二、进步神速的火箭队最终没有全明星球员？那将引起轩然大波，而且理所当然。
巴灵顿: 我同意玛丽莲的观点，申京正处于被排除在外的边缘，尽管他今年表现出色。来自底特律的凯德·坎宁安(Cade Cunningham)迎来了爆发的一年，但球迷们并没有给予他很多喜爱。我认为他应该获得提名，但鉴于拉梅洛·鲍尔(LaMelo Ball)、特雷·杨(Trae Young)和达米安·利拉德(Damian Lillard)在球迷投票中领先于他，他目前的前景看起来有些不稳定。
戈麦斯: 拉梅洛·鲍尔获得了大量的球迷投票，这是有充分理由的。他拥有令人难以置信的有趣和独特的比赛风格，并且比2022年获得全明星席位时的数据更好。但是教练们会对在一支糟糕的球队中可能被认为是空洞的数据印象深刻，并愿意忽略鲍尔偶尔做出的糟糕决定吗？我觉得鲍尔的表现已经足够好，足以赢得他的位置，而且他是为表演赛而生的，但我可以看到教练们不同意，并将一个场均29分5篮板7助攻的球员排除在全明星赛之外。
桓: 这可能是一个大胆的预测，但我会说是詹姆斯·哈登(James Harden)。他和快船队今年一直默默无闻，但他们整个赛季都悄悄地处于季后赛的位置，而哈登是他们取得惊人成功最大的原因。投篮命中率低于40%确实很难看，但哈登在其他方面都做得很好，而洛杉矶的进攻在他不在场的情况下就会陷入困境。如果没有他的组织能力和进攻牵制力，快船队很可能会在争夺状元签，他应该得到认可。
伯德桑: 虽然我讨厌赞扬和/或支持任何火箭球员，但申京看起来肯定会被排除在外，而他一直表现非常出色。然而，今年和去年最大的遗珠一定是多曼塔斯·萨博尼斯(Domantas Sabonis)，他本赛季的效率和影响力都非常高，场均21分14篮板6助攻，投篮命中率60%，三分球命中率48%。在我看来，如果萨博尼斯的队友达龙·福克斯(De’Aaron Fox)没有基本复制他上个赛季的数据，并且也可能再次错过全明星，那么这将代表自德玛尔·德罗赞(DeMar DeRozan)在圣安东尼奥以来最糟糕的全明星遗珠。发生在一个球员身上是一回事，但发生在一对有价值的队友身上呢？好吧，这么说吧，如果说有一支球队比圣安东尼奥更有理由抱怨最近的全明星冷落，那就是萨克拉门托。真是的。
点击查看原文：Victor Wembanyama should have been an All-Star starter
Victor Wembanyama should have been an All-Star starter
Wemby was snubbed in favor of a couple of legends, but if he keeps playing like he has this year, he’ll be a perennial starter soon enough.
Victor Wembanyama wasn’t named an All-Star starter in the West. Was it a snub or the right call?
Marilyn Dubinski: You could make an argument either way. Obviously Nikola Jokic belongs, then it comes down to whether or not you believe LeBron James and/or Kevin Durant got in based on “legacy” votes more than on-court performance. In other words, are fans (and players, in this case) going to keep voting for them until they just aren’t on the ballot anymore because they’re legends? Still, at least this season, both their teams have better records than Wemby’s, and for voters who like stats, they have both been just as, if not more impactful on offense than Wemby. Next season might be a different story, but there’s at least an argument for those two over Wemby, and for legends, that’s all it takes.
Mark Barrington: I initially felt like it was a snub, but looking at the overall choices in both conferences, it was pretty consistent. These were legacy picks based on their careers and not just based on how good they’ve been this year. I can’t argue with Jokic going before Wemby, and you can make a strong argument for Durant. LeBron is having a bit of a down year for him, but it would be great for almost anyone else. Victor is scoring more points, has more rebounds, steals and leads in just about every statistical category besides assists, but this might be LeBron’s final All-Star Game, and maybe that’s reason enough for giving him the start.
Jesus Gomez: It’s a tough one because Wemby has the numbers this year but not the resume. He’s a second-year player who was hyped up a lot and so far has only delivered highlights. San Antonio doesn’t have a top record so there’s no narrative about him transforming them into a great team immediately and the discussion about him has often been geared toward his still controversial perimeter-oriented game. Great play should be enough but past accolades, narratives and name recognition matter for the All-Star game, as we all know. He’ll get in as a reserve for sure, so while it feels like a snub, it’s not a huge deal, as he’ll likely get a starting spot sooner rather than later in the upcoming years.
Bill Huan: It was a snub. I went through who should be named the West starters and found that Shai, Jokic, Wemby were the three locks, with the other two more up in the air. With that said, I’m not surprised LeBron, Steph and KD made it given their popularity and place in the sport’s history. If fans would like to see them, then by all means! Wemby will have his turn soon and could start in this game for the next 15 years.
Devon Birdsong: Whether or not you see it as a snub likely depends on whether or not you think that LeBron James is having a good enough season to be a starter over Wemby (he’s not), and whether you’re taking into account the old position-based All-Star selection process. Going by the old system, Wemby wouldn’t be a starter over Jokic, who’s currently making a strong case for MVP again. Then again, Wemby ranks ahead of James, Durant, and Curry in several advanced stats categories such as PER (Player Efficiency Rating), DARKO (Daily Plus-Minus), LEBRON, and PIE (Player Impact Estimate). So, according to the current Frontcourt/Backcourt process, he absolutely was, but he also had a better chance of being named starter now than in the past. Personally, I’d be more bothered if he ended up being a borderline choice to make the team.
The media was on board with Wemby as a starter but the public wasn’t. Is it just a matter of time before he’s embraced, or is Wemby not connecting with non-Spurs fans?
Dubinski: It’s also worth pointing out that Anthony Davis had the media vote as well, so it’s interesting to see how the media views things differently than the fans and players. Do they value defense more than statistical-minded fans and players? Are they in fact more in tune with what Wemby is doing than fans (in part because the Spurs haven’t had many nationally televised games yet)? Regardless, the fans will come around soon, and I have no doubt that like LeBron and Durant, Wemby will get into the “starters club” (i.e. someone who will have the fan vote regardless of anything) maybe even as soon as next season, and once he’s in, it will be a long time before he’s out again.
Barrington: I think that Wembanyama just hasn’t been around long enough to compete with the casual fan’s familiarity with the superstars they’ve known for years, and in some cases, decades. He’s only been in the league a little over a year, and although he gets a lot of attention from the press, the Spurs are still a small-market team. He’s going to be the face of the league for a long time, just not quite yet.
Gomez: I think the casual fan hasn’t caught up and probably still sees Wemby as a curiosity more than the star he already is. Short videos shared on social media are great but there’s not a lot of buzz about the Spurs to pique people’s interest in actually diving deeper into how good he’s been. San Antonio will eventually be too successful to ignore and Wemby will be the reason for it. Once that happens, more eyes will be on Wemby as one of the most likable franchise stars around instead of just a highlights machine, and he’ll get the recognition he deserves.
Huan: I don’t think it’s a matter of not connecting with non-Spurs fans given that he already has one of the highest-selling jerseys league-wide and seems to be approaching a household name. Rather, as I mentioned above, it’s likely just a scenario where the fans wanted to see LeBron, KD, and Steph together for perhaps the last time (with Shai and Jokic being the obvious picks).
Birdsong: I’d say that it feels like a combination of doubt, jealousy, and a sentiment that Wemby hasn’t earned his place yet. There are still those who don’t believe that Wemby’s already as good as he is, those who are upset that he’s not playing for their team, and those who feel like it’s too soon to give him the loftiest accolades (not because he’s not good, but because it’s ‘not his time yet’). Also, never discount how much NBA fans as a whole do not like/are not interested in the Spurs.
Assuming Victor gets in as a reserve, who do you think deserves an All-Star nod but won’t get it?
Dubinski: I don’t even have to leave Texas to list a few potential snubs. The fan vote says both Luka Donic and Kyrie Irving are deserving, but Luka has only played 22 games and may not even be back from a calf strain by the All-Star game. It’s also hard to know what the pulse is on Kyrie since he has stayed out of the spotlight (which is a good thing for him). It will also be interesting to see if Alperen Sengun gets it. He could, based on the fan votes, but assuming Wemby and Davis make it, will the coaches make room for a 4th center? There’s also Jalen Green to consider for the Rockets, but he wasn’t as popular with the fans. Imagine if the 2nd-seeded, vastly improved Rockets ended up with no All-Stars? There would be uproar, and rightfully so.
Barrington: I’m going to agree with Marilyn that Sengun is on the cusp of being excluded, even though he’s been great this year. Cade Cunningham from Detroit has had a breakout year, but the fans really didn’t give him a lot of love. I think he deserves the nod, but it looks a little shaky for him right now with LaMelo Ball, Trae Young, and Damian Lillard ahead of him in the fan voting.
Gomez: LaMelo Ball got a lot of fan votes, for good reason. He has an incredibly fun and unique game and is posting better numbers than those that got him an All-Star spot in 2022. But will coaches be impressed by what might be perceived as empty stats on a terrible team and be willing to look past the occasionally terrible decisions Ball makes? I feel like Ball has been good enough to earn his spot and he’s built for an exhibition game, but I can see the coaches disagreeing and leaving a guy averaging 29-5-7 out of the All-Star game.
Huan: This might be a hot take, but James Harden. He and the Clippers have flown under the radar this year but they’ve sneakily been in a playoff position for the entire season, and Harden’s been the biggest reason for their surprising success. Shooting below 40% from the field sure is ugly, but Harden has done everything else well and LA’s offense goes in the toilet without him on the court. Without his playmaking and offensive gravity, the Clippers would likely be competing for a top draft pick, and he deserves to be recognized.
Birdsong: As much as I hate to praise and/or endorse any Rockets player, Sengun definitely looks like he’ll be on the outside looking in, and he’s been really good. However, the biggest snub of both this and last year has to be Domantas Sabonis, who’s having another insanely efficient and impactful season averaging 21/14/6 while shooting 60% from the field and 48% from three. For my money that would represent the worst pair of All-Star snubs since DeMar DeRozan was in San Antonio if not for the fact that Sabonis’ teammate De’Aaron Fox has basically duplicated his stats from last season and may also miss out again. For that to happen to one player is one thing, but to a pair of worthy teammates? Well, let’s just say that if there’s one team that has more reason to complain of recent All-Star snubbery than San Antonio, it’s Sacramento. Sheesh.
By Jeje Gomez, Marilyn Dubinski, Mark Barrington, Bill Huan, Devon Birdsong, via Pounding The Rock