:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/1899577/20120413_mje_ad1_192.0.jpg)
As reported by David Aldridge tonight on nba.com, the NBA is finally catching up to reality.
Eight full years after the Phoenix Suns overran - and eventually changed - the league with speedy Amare Stoudemire as their starting C, the NBA recognizes the sham of naming an inferior C to the All-Star team (recall that Mehmet Okur was once an All-Star) while leaving a much more talented Forward at home.
The league will announce Wednesday a change to its All-Star ballot that will, for the first time, allow fans to vote for three undefined "frontcourt" players instead of having to vote for two power forwards and a center. With more and more teams playing smaller than in the past, the definition of "center" was becoming increasingly difficult -- not to mention finding enough quality big men for whom to vote.
Ironically, in a move inspired by our own Phoenix Suns franchise, this seriously hurts the current team's chances of getting a player into the 2013 All-Star game. In a league with very few legitimate productive centers, Marcin Gortat had a chance. He was one of only three centers in the whole league to average a double-double last season.