The All-Star game is a joke anyways. Nothing more than a layup drill. If the guys actually cared who won, they do more than play one-on-one all game.
I'm mildly interested in who makes the team, but can't make myself care who starts.

The All-Star game is only a entertainment for our fans, I hope to see all the famous players stay and communicate toghter, I am Chinese , I like the NBA game just because there are our Chinese .

To the "the All Star game never has any defense" detractors: watch the final quarter/minutes of any All-Star game that was close, in the last seven years. Defense out the wazoo.

Does anyone actually watched the All-Star games? I watched a few years back but realize it's boring. I haven't watch any for more then 10 years. Why do you guys even care who make it to the All-Star? It's a joke anyway. All-Star really just mean that you are popular and doesn't maan much as far as talent or how well you play.

It is an irrelevant exhibition game. If you're letting the fans vote, then let the most popular players start. This isn't an MVP candidate game. It's a popularity contest. And there's nothing wrong with that. Of course Paul deserves to be on the team. He's one of the top 8 most valuable players in the NBA. But if, for whatever reason, the fans want to see McGrady, then let them. Otherwise, take Allen Iverson and Amare Stoudemire out of the starting lineups, too.

of course people watch the all-star game you assclown
i don't like the idea of the fans not being in control
but i also don't want to see Yi Jianlian as a starter
A good idea would be to make international vote not count as much as the US vote, but Stern is running a business and that would piss off international fans
but i want to have my cake and eat it so i guess i'm okay with Stern's meddling

Who wants to see McGrady? Seriously? Do any of you want to see McGrady as the starting point guard? He can't even lead his own team this year. Seriously? I don't even think he is one of the most popular players anymore. I don't legitimately know a single person who wants to see McGrady over Chris Paul. Let alone however many thousand of them.
A popularity contest is fine, but when results are skewed really weirdly in ways that most fans would agree don't reflect what's going on in the league, that's another thing.

Oh, and Iverson... you're not off the hook either. Guess they have to let some bad fan choices slide, otherwise people would really catch on that it was fixed.

Yi Jianlian doesn't deserve to be in the game at all. I know it's just a popularity contest, but when you allow a player who is not even in the top 100 of the NBA get into the game, than the game loses what little meaning it had left. I'd prefer to have the starters chosen by the press and the reserves by the coaches. And the winning team can have home court advantage during the Finals.

the all star balloting is B.S. paul should have been in by a wide margin he is the BEST POINT GUARD in the league. he has been carrying his team the whole season, esspecially the last couple of weeks, without david west or chandler. they have been starting ely and marks and yet they countinue to win. im sorry but even when kobe's and labron's teammates were injured they still had players who contributed. mcgrady sux this year and granger shuld have been the starter. It is B.S. that people r saying labron shuld be mvp, he has a lot more help and he still can't make the game winning shot.

no se va. yi is a descent player but he doesn't have the strength to play the low post and he shot is inconsistent give him bout two more years and he may be an allstar right now yi is not good at spacing and moving without the ball

East was fixed as well. I don't want to see Yi Jianlian as a starter either, but if he received (sure did) more votes, he should play. If NBA folks don't like it, they should change the rules. That applies to officiating as well. DON'T FIX.

it's screwed if you do screwed if you don't anyways. There's are millions of Chinese people who don't even watch NBA voting for Yao and Yi just because they are considered heroes in China.Yao is legitimate. Yi? Not. Even. Close. Also, people voting AI and TMac starters because they also have HUGE following for whatever reasons. It's screwed, but there really won't be a way to fix it without having the league pick it's All-Starts

scooter,
The point of the All-Star Game is to put on a good show, with fun dunks, layups, and passes. It's not the place for stifling defensive schemes -- which would be impractical anyway, given that the players aren't used to playing together and don't know the same schemes. Players save the defense for games that count.
The relevance of who starts is simply (1) because it can get players invited that the coaches would never select, and (2) as an additional form of recognition.

totally. i think it was rigged too. but for the better

i think there should be NEGATIVE voting atleast for only ONE or TWO players for each conference. i don't know if its wise to restritct it within the press or US IP addresses only.. but any player who we don't want to see play would get their total votes decrease via negative voting. still, i could see the loophole of this too. there are just too many fans who vote for popularity more, they might scratch a good player too from starting.

if this happened i don't blame david stern, after all what other all stars are there gonna be for the hornets, (doubt david west is gonna be an all star)
Even though im a rockets fan i rather see someone more deserving like cp3 than mcgrady in the all stars

if you're an athlete and you play a sport, you are competitive and want to win every game that you play. That goes for pros and amateurs
2008 134-128
2006 122-120
2004 136-132
2003 155-145 with 2 overtimes
2001 111-110
since the start of the century you've missed some pretty decent games
it's entertainment.

"Yi Jianlian doesn't deserve to be in the game at all. I know it's just a popularity contest, but when you allow a player who is not even in the top 100 of the NBA get into the game, than the game loses what little meaning it had left. I'd prefer to have the starters chosen by the press and the reserves by the coaches. And the winning team can have home court advantage during the Finals. "
Argument done. This right here is the way to go. If the all-star game starters are determined by the fans...I would NOT pay to watch Yi in a game of superstars when I could have seen Danny Granger, Chris Bosh, or Kevin Garnett as a member of the starting 5. If the point of an "All-Star" game is to organize a game of STAR players, Yi is NOWHERE near a star. He doesn't even deserve to be on 26% of the FANTASY rosters he is on now!
Basketball fans are basketball fans, regardless. Yi's exclusion from the starting 5 and by default the all-star game (and rightfully so) will not change the fact that the land of China will not watch the all-star game. If this is really about the FANS, name STAR players to participate in it, not Chinese popularity figures. And while we're at it, why the bumba is Rudy Fernandez in a slam dunk competition?! This league does not have one team outside of North America, yet we're trying to appeal to fans globally who have wack tastes in judgement, when all they do is ruin the merit and prestige of an all-star nomination.

Post #12 is the stupidest post I may have ever read....
I guess Y. Ming is in the All-Star Game because people must think he is something other than Chinese???
Grow up Post #12 and don't bring a non-issue of race into this.
Furthermore, Yi's number and game is not strong enough to make the All Star Game. I think everyone of every race, color, ethnicticity, and gender can agree to this...

why would anyone want to watch one of the most over rated players in the league(tracy my vagina hurts mcgrady) play in any game? he won't produce anything anyway, like always. chris paul deserved the spot hands down.

1. There are three times as many people in China as the United States, giving them an inherent ballot-stuffing advantage.
2. They seem to like voting for Yao and his teammates, therefore
3. We should be lucky that Rafer Alston, Chuck Hayes, Luther Head, and/or Von Wafer aren't starting in this game.
4. This was all a cheap excuse to work in some of the funniest names in the NBA. Especially that last one, which has to be some kind of psuedonym.

And you people thought they were voted in by "US" the fans...ha!
Oh and Yi is 'NOT" the best power forward to in the NBA, he is not even considered in the top 15 power forwards in the game right now. Honestly, I'd rather have Glenn Davis as my power forward before i ever choose Yi, and i frikkin hate Big Baby Davis!.

oh brother, when will the conspiracy theories end.
and the reason stern would absolutely have to want to see cp3 as a starter would be....what?