Bring Your Sunscreen, Fellas

Posted by Rob Mahoney on January 29, 2009 under News |

Photo from Jennifer Pottheiser/NBAE/Getty Images via NBA.com

In a completely anticlimactic moment of TNT’s NBA coverage (remember, they “know drama,”), Dirk Nowitzki was announced as one of the Western Conference All-Star reserves.  Awesome.  As usual, congrats to Dirk, who can practically pencil the weekend into his schedule at the beginning of the season.  Still, it’s an accomplishment nonetheless.

Also, Devin Harris was named an Eastern Conference reserve.   Big ups to Devin and what he’s been able to do this season.  Though, I do tend to agree with Eddie Sefko that Harris had no chance of making the squad as a Mav.  While Harris is immensely talented and on some nights flat-out unguardable, the New Jersey offense functions with Devin Harris at its solar center.  The other bodies, Carter, Lopez, et al., are merely orbiting Harris and his rising star.  For a team with little peripheral talent, it works.  With Dallas, the offense would still be in Dirk’s hands, with Devin as a third or maybe even fourth fiddle.

It’s not an issue of development, just a difference in philosophy.  But again: mad props to Devin, who unquestionably deserves all the success he’s been able to achieve so far in Jersey.

See the other All-Star selections here.