by Marcel Mutoni / @marcel_mutoni
The NBA decided to remove the center position from the All-Star ballot, replacing it with three non-descript frontcourt positions.
Though it makes sense on a number of levels, not everyone is happy with the new ballot. In fact, Dwight Howard is steaming mad about it.
Per ESPN:
“I don’t like it at all,” said Dwight Howard. “We work just as hard as anybody else. I don’t think it’s fair to take away a position which has been here for life. You need a center on the court. So I don’t think it’s right. That’s like taking away a guard. That’s how I feel. It’s been that way since they started All-Star Games, so why change it now? Because centers shoot 3’s now?”
“The game changes every day,” said Howard. “It changes every year. You look at the game back then and now, centers are bigger, stronger, faster. Guards are bigger, stronger, faster. So the game evolves. That doesn’t mean you take out a position because of the game evolving, because the players that play center are evolving also.”
Howard, a six-time All-Star, seems more concerned about other centers not getting the recognition they deserve going forward.
If anything, Dwight should be happy about the change to the ballot, as more big men now have a greater chance of making the All-Star Game. Eventually, he’ll come to realize that.
