In the spirit of election season, the NBA is changing its All-Star balloting by eliminating the center position and allowing fans to vote for three undefined front-court players. Therefore the notion of voting for two forwards and a center will be thrown away.
George Mikan is rolling in his grave.
In one way it does make sense because of the Duncan Dilemma, as David Aldridge calls it. Tim Duncan, who even Ray Charles could see is a center, is listed as a power forward and every year would take away an all-star spot from a deserving true power forward. New balloting rules should stop that from happening.
Also the notion of a true center seems to be disappearing around the league. Long gone are the days of dominant rebounding-machine centers who made players cower to come down the middle. Teams are smaller and today’s players are more of a center-power forward combo standing in what used to be the center’s position. Also they’re in the paint but not necessarily the center a la Chris Bosh and Kevin Garnett.
This may be a sign of the de-evolution of the NBA center so pour a lil’ out for the big man in the middle.
