For the first time in three years in the borough, the Brooklyn Nets get to sit at home for Christmas Day, but most of them probably don’t like this gift from the league.
The NBA released its first returns for All-Star voting early Christmas morning, and only one Nets player made the cut: Kevin Garnett, who ranked ninth among Eastern Conference frontcourt players with 46,494 votes.
Garnett is an international superstar more renowned for what he has given the NBA than what he can do on the court these days, so his ranking at ninth — even in what’s been a mild bounce-back year for him — has little to do with his on-court performance.
“Center” is no longer a designation on the list, which limits the chances for centers like Brook Lopez and Mason Plumlee to get on the ballot. But despite Plumlee’s recent surge, neither deserves a spot in the East’s All-Star Game. Nor does anyone else on the team deserve a spot, not with the Nets sputtering at 12-15 and the team more intriguing for who might leave than who might play.
LeBron James was the NBA’s top vote-getter, with over 552,000 votes in the first tally. Stephen Curry (over 549,000) was a close second, with Anthony Davis (over 524,000) in third.
