All-NBA Team Released

By Brendan Hall
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

The NBA released its All-NBA Teams today, and they are as follows:

First Team
Dwyane Wade
Kobe Bryant
Dwight Howard
Dirk Nowitzki
LeBron James

Second Team
Brandon Roy
Chris Paul
Tim Duncan
Paul Pierce
Yao Ming

Third Team
Chauncey Billups
Tony Parker
Carmelo Anthony
Pau Gasol
Shaquille O'Neal

Interesting switcheroo here, as there's usually a spot reserved for Tim Duncan on the First Team. The Spurs didn't live up to expectations this season, and without Ginobili they lost some of that toughness that made them a treat to watch. Nowitzki gets the nod, even though he was only in the top five in one major category (points per game) and top 10 in two others (free throw percentage, defensive rebounds). I will say that he doesn't crumble in the post like he used to, and that he's generally one of the league's better shooters, and I'll give him the benefit of the doubt because there was alot of parity after the top four on the First Team. Dirk's spot could have easily been Yao's, or Chris Paul's, or Carmelo's, Gasol's.

I would have liked to have seen Billups on the Second Team. Billups' arrival in Denver did more to transform the team than you think. Before he came, the Nuggets were one of the team's most talented yet dysfunctional lineups. Billups weathered the storm, just like he did in Detroit, and the team became one of the league's best defensive lineups. Alot of teams in the league have flash; few have true grit.

Nice to see Shaq back in a spot where he used to be permanently fixtured. I'm telling you, there is something Phoenix's training staff is doing to their players that so many players are able to revive their careers (and no, I don't think it's steroids).

I'm fine with Garnett, Allen and Rondo not making it, but I'm surprised at how low they were on the balloting. With that in mind, here's my All-Snub Team:

Chris Bosh
Devin Harris
Ben Gordon
Joe Johnson
David West