Non Starter

The final results of the voting for the 2016 All-Star Game were announced tonight. As expected, John Wall was not voted into the starting backcourt by the fans for the mid-season exhibition game to be held in a few weeks in Toronto. I say as expected because despite receiving more votes than any other guard in the Eastern Conference last season, the first three rounds of voting results for this year's game released on Christmas Day, January 7 and a week ago today had John fifth. In each of those results he trailed, in order, Dwyane Wade, Kyrie Irving, Kyle Lowry and Jimmy Butler.

The first three rounds of results did not hold. In a stunner, Kyle Lowry passed Irving to start alongside Wade in this year's game just like he did last year when he passed Wade at the last minute for the second starting spot. Something's going on up there in Toronto because not only did Lowry slip into second but DeMar DeRozan passed Wall for fifth. I'd believe anything out of those fans up in Canada. I'm still astonished at the energy level when I was up there last for a relatively meaningless early November contest against the Wiz. No doubt there was a concerted push by Raps fans that got Lowry past Irving and DeRozan past John. I'd still take John over both of those guys but that's just me.

So I get that voting for the All-Star starters is a total popularity contest and the Wizards haven't been exactly the fan magnet team they planned to be this season. But I totally don't understand how Wall dropped from being the absolute nuts last year to sixth place this year. I guess people are fickle and ain't that the understatement of the year. I'm with Lowry starting over Irving. In fact, if you know me at all, you know I'm thrilled with anyone starting over Irving. Now I'm just hoping his mere 13 games this year keep him off the coaches' ballots as a reserve.  And get John onto the team.

It's not like my votes counted for much but I thought I did my fair share to get John into the starting lineup. But looking over my Twitter voting record (presented below in all it's completeness) I see that I was horribly mistaken. Yes, I got 32 of the 40 days covered but I missed 20% of the total voting days? What am I thinking? I'll try to do better next year. In the meantime, I'm waiting for the announcement on the reserves a week from today. I can't see a way they can keep John out. But then again, I didn't think the Wizards would have a losing record at this point. Plus I thought we'd get a Christmas Day game. Plus I thought we'd have more than five games on national TV this year. Plus I thought this was the year that Bradley Beal would break through. I can't get anything right with this team it seems.