February 2, 2009 12:30 AM

Ammunition for Anthony to complain about All-Star snub

By Chris Tomasson
Rocky Mountain News

If there is anybody in Denver who wants to start ASAP something called the ASAP (Anthony Snubbing Absolutely Pitiful), I have some ammunition.

Now, before I get started, I should say I see both sides of the story when it comes to Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony, who returned Friday after missing 10 games with a broken right hand, not being named to the West All-Star team.

Indeed, Anthony is All-Star worthy, but there was a lot of competition in the deep West, and Anthony having overall missed 15 games (13 when the coaches handed in their votes) undoubtedly made a difference when it came to coaches who were on the fence.

Nevertheless, I have uncovered a situation that might interest those who think Anthony, an All-Star each of the past two seasons, was shafted.

As mentioned above, Anthony had missed 15 of Denver's 46 games when the All-Star reserves were announced. So he had played in 67.4 percent of the Nuggets' games at that time.

Anthony looks like an iron man compared to Ray Allen in 2004.

Allen, now with Boston and then with Seattle, had played in only 21 of 46 games at the time he was named an All-Star reserve that season. No, that's not a misprint. Allen, who had missed the first two months of that season due to an ankle injury, had played in 45.7 percent of his team's games at the time, and was still named an All-Star.

That was Anthony's rookie season, and the season the Nuggets completely turned around their fortunes after going 17-65 in 2002-03. Both Anthony and guard Andre Miller had All-Star hopes, but both were left home.

And, to boot, when Allen was announced then as an All-Star reserve, the Nuggets were 29-21 to Seattle's 23-23.

I remember the usually mild-mannered Miller being bewildered Allen had made the team after playing in so few games. So I dug up a quote Miller uttered when the reserves were announced.

"We've got a better record than Utah and Seattle,'' Miller said. To put guys who have been injured half the year on it, that's the politics of it. I'm surprised (Allen made it). I bet he's just as surprised."

Interestingly, many believe Allen, who has played in all 49 of Boston's games, got snubbed this season as an All-Star. Of course, after his gift selection in 2004, he doesn't have the right to complain much.

Posted by Chris Tomasson at 12:30 AM | Comments (0)