Andrew Wiggins and the power of the internet
A Korean pop star made Andrew Wiggins an All-Star starter. Why couldn't he have chosen Ben Simmons instead?
Andrew Wiggins is starting the All-Star Game.
Even if you’ve really grown to appreciate Wiggins’ game, you know this is stunning news.
A few years ago, NBA fans and YouTubers across the world teamed up to try to get Zaza Pachulia into the All-Star game.. It almost worked. Would you believe me if I told you that BamBam, a Korean pop star and global ambassador for the Golden State Warriors, nearly singlehandedly gave Wiggins this All-Star nod?​
The All-Star starters are calculated by 50% fan vote, 25% media vote, and 25% vote from NBA players. It's a system designed to get the right players starting the All-Star game. By balancing (or limiting/diluting) the fan vote, it theoretically eliminates a world in which fans select undeserving players. No one wants Ben Simmons, Austin Reaves, and Luka Garza to represent the league as All-Stars.
Personally, I was bracing for the possibility of Ben Simmons making his season debut at the All-Star game. Honestly I feel a bit slighted that we didn’t get the chance to revel in the palpable tension of Embiid and Simmons playing together one last time.
Yes, all of this is arbitrary — All-Star doesn't mean much. It's fun and cute and great for marketing. The NBA can deploy the next great manufactured line of TikTokers to dance while a player you've never heard of wins the dunk contest.
In all honesty, I'm happy for Andrew Wiggins. It's always nice to win something you didn't deserve, especially when you can't give it back.
Shaq dunks on Ben Simmons
Shaq took a flamethrower and burned any bit of confidence Ben Simmons had left. A true ether:
Shaq is one of the most dominant players in NBA history. To hear him celebrate Embiid after bashing him for those few years was awesome.
"The difference between (Embiid) and his partner, is that he can take criticism without being a crybaby."
I would go so far as to say that Ben Simmons' biggest issue is that he doesn't show any emotion at all. Simmons is only as big of a crybaby as the reports make him out to be. We have not seen Ben Simmons’ face since the Hawks put the Sixers away... in June.
Make of Shaq's comments what you will. NBA players definitely care about what their elders have to say. I wonder if players and teams across the league feel the same way Shaq does, because this trade deadline could be a bit quiet...
Trades off the table
I pay close attention to Zach Lowe, probably more than any other non-newsbreaker in the NBA media landscape. Listening to him and Bobby Marks go back and forth on The Lowe Post last night painted a picture of a bleak trade deadline.
First and foremost: Lowe shot my John Collins-to-Detroit pipedream right in the heart. He believes Atlanta's interest in Jerami Grant is old intel and that they've since moved off of him. In fact, he even went as far to say "I'm not sure Detroit's going to move Jerami Grant."
Lowe and Marks also seem pretty certain that Ben Simmons won't be moved because the team trading for him doesn't know which Ben Simmons they're getting.
The above gif applies again.
I will lose my shit if the trade deadline is headlined by Dennis Schroder and Marvin Bagley III. Because I am a lunatic, I will jot down each of these 65 names who could be moved at the trade deadline and tally up how many actually get moved over the next 13 days.