It has become a certainty that every year around all-star time, Houston Rockets center Yao Ming will receive the most votes among centers in the Western Conference. No matter how he is playing or if he is even playing at all, the plethora of votes he conjures from the fans in his native land of China always drive him over the likes of Andrew Bynum or Nene, who are great players but are overshadowed by other stars on their teams.
With Ming being out for the year with yet another foot injury, Commisioner David Stern will be in charge of finding his replacement. He won’t have to look much further than the heart of Texas for the best center in the Western Conference, though.
And no, I’m not talking about Tim Duncan, who is constantly miscast as a power forward despite playing every single one of his minutes this season at the center position. Duncan’s one of the most storied players in the NBA but there’s no way he deserves an all-star bid this season. He’s averaging career lows in points (13.6) and rebounds (9.4) while shooting a career low 48% from the field. Duncan is also posting the lowest win shares per 48 minutes of his career, yet another sign of his evaporating game.
To find out who I think should start at center for the Western Conference hit the jump…
