Everybody Is Somebody

Well, the 2009 All-Star reserve selections are in. It’s interesting to compare the results against our earlier analysis.

In the West, the reserves were Nowitzki, Roy, Parker, Billups, O'Neal, Gasol, and West. This is about what one would expect based on the aggregate of experts’ selections, though we might expect Al Jefferson (chosen by 6 of 12 experts) or Carmelo Anthony (chosen by 5 of 12) to be chosen before David West (chosen by 3 of 12). SI.com's Chris Mannix exactly nailed all 12 Western Conference all-star players with his selections.

In the East, the reserves were Pierce, Nelson, Lewis, Johnson, Granger, Bosh, and Harris. These are exactly whom you would expect to be selected based on the aggregate of experts’ selections, with the caveat that Lewis, who received the fewest pundit votes of the players who were actually chosen for the team, was tied with Mo Williams and Vince Carter, garnering 4 pundit votes. It makes sense that Mo Williams was snubbed: between Harris, Nelson, Johnson, Iverson, and Wade, they have enough point guards or quasi-points. And I'm content with Orlando getting three all-star berths and Vince Carter being snubbed, given the Magic’s stunning record. Pundits Marc Stein, Chris Webber, and Gary Payton came closest to perfection, each picking 11 of 12 actual All-Stars in the Eastern Conference.