Early Predictions for 1985 All-Star Game

[Marzeial]

I decided to take a look at who I think is going to make the All-Star Teams for the 1985 DASL Season.

East:

C - Moses Malone (35ppg, 12.4rpg, 2.4bpg) - 76ers

I mean this is the layup of all layups. The 4x running MVP and will likely go ahead and win the 5th one by the end of the season. The most dominant player in the league, on the best team in the league. Not much else to say.

C - Jack Sikma (25ppg, 9.5rpg, 2bpg) - Hornets

This one was a little tougher. Despite missing 7 games due to injury, Sikma has just been a load to handle. He barely edges out Tkachenko with better FG% and steals, while distributing the ball quite nicely at 3.5 assists per game. A welcomed addition from the anchor in the middle.

Honorable Mentions:
Vladamir Tkachenko (Nets) - Was basically the 2B to Sikma, but Sikma is able to edge him out. If Sikma missed any more time, he would have been a replacement.
David Corzine (Heat) - A pretty solid offensive force and on the boards. Unfortunately team struggles, and the wealth of talent ahead of him leaves him on the outside looking in.

PF - Bill Walton (12.2ppg, 11.9rpg, 4bpg) - Knicks

Despite playing out of position, or maybe in support of playing out of position, the labeled center, has manned the 4 for the Knicks and has been an absolute terror on the glass and as a complete wall near the rim. Second in the league in blocks, at an outrageous 4 per game while still piling in 12ppg as a complete non-option is a huge bonus. I thought about not adding him to the list since he likely won't make the ASG due to him being a center but this is my list and he's a dominant force at the 4.

PF - Mychal Thompson (12.3ppg, 10rbg, 2.7bpg) - 76ers

Thompson joins his front court mate and fellow twin tower on the East's All-Star team. He has slotted himself well next to Moses taking some heat off of him, and has definitely added some punch on the defensive end showcasing a defensive acumen akin to Moses. Where Mychal really shines is as a playmaker with the ball in his hands. He averages an absolutely absurd 5apg leading his team. In an age of plodding big men playing with their back to the basket, Mychal has been a wizard that the league has never seen before. Similarly to Walton, again, playing out of position as a true center, he will not make the ASG but since this is my list, he absolutely deserves the honor.

Honorable Mention
PF - Dan Issel (Magic) - Issel is the leading scorer at the 4 in the east, but his poor percentage from the field and his seemingly allergic reaction to defense unfortunately has his left out in the cold this time around. Some real strides from the 36 year old especially after a down year with the Lakers last year.
Kermit Washington (Pacers) - A monster on the boards as well, landing 3rd in the league in rebounding and chipping in 15ppg, he could have easily landed on the list, if not for the few names ahead of him.

SF - Clark Kellog (18ppg, 9.3rpg, 3.3apg) - Knicks

Kellog earns the nod with his super efficient scoring. Shooting 51% from the field and 83% from the charity stripe. He doesn't provide much in the way of blocks but with Laimbeer and Walton providing backline support, he doesn't need to worry much there. He is a monster on the boards at 9.3 on a team that leads the DASL in rebounding.

SF - Greg Ballard (20.8ppg, 7rpg, 2.7 apg) - Bulls

It was tough to not give the nod to the best player on the 2nd best team in the east but Ballard is no slouch. He absolutely fills it up out there with almost 21 per game. His scoring is down a little bit on the year but he's definitely one to watch out for.

Honorable Mention
Bernard King (Hawks) - Efficient scorer, but names ahead of him are just flat out better. Also team is just bad.
John Drew (Pacers) - See King, Bernard minus the team comment.

SG - Trent Tucker (24.9ppg, 5.7rpg, 4.4apg) - Cavaliers

Tucker is still young but can absolutely fill it up. He appears to just be scratching the surface on his talents and is coming in at near 25ppg. Taken 12th in the 1981 draft, he is definitely making a majority of those teams ahead of him that passed on him regret that decision. He's anchoring the team along with the young rookie and first overall pick Olajuwon, Cleveland is going to be a thorn in the east moving forward. He's shooting an incredible 42% from 3 point land on 4.6 attempts per game.

SG - Otis Birdsong (22.6ppg, 5rpg, 4apg) - Hawks

A walking bucket, who can't seem to bring his team out of the gutter. The only real reason to watch the Hawks is to see what Otis is going to do on a nightly basis. For the two Atlanta Hawks fans that show up, it can be tough to drown out the opposing teams fans in your home arena, but at least he is someone to cheer for. Passes surprising well for someone averages almost 20 attempts per game. Would knock him down because of the team effort but he scores too much to be forgotten.

Honorable Mention
Quinten Dailey (Bullets) - Another young up and comer, who has some range outside of the arch and has been a steady influence for the Bullets this season.
Byron Scott (Celtics) - See Dailey, Quinten. Another young player who is only getting better. In just his second season, Scott has shown off a deft touch behind the arch as well.

PG - Kelvin Ransey (16.1ppg, 3.7rbg, 9.7apg) - Raptors
The consummate floor general who doles out assists at an absurd clip, and efficiency. Ransey owns an 2.77:1 A/T and leads the league in assists. If not for that large magic man in the western conference, we'd be talking about Ransey being the best PG in the league and even still absolutely belongs in the conversation. A super efficient scorer in his own right Ransey is hitting almost 50% of his shots from the field with absolutely everything coming from inside the arch as he has zero interest in firing from deep.

PG - Isiah Thomas (14.1ppg, 4.4rbg, 9.3apg) - Bulls
I'll be honest. I came super close to giving this spot to the man below in the honorable mentions but IT is just too good to leave off the roster. The only thing he doesn't do is block shots. He shoots an incredible percentage from the field and you would like to see him unleash from deep a little more often than twice a game since he's hitting on 41% of his shots from deep. He captains that offense and defense and makes the players around him better.

Honorable Mention
Danny Young (Knicks) - I was this close to giving him the nod over IT. Nothing against Isiah but this rookie has come in and absolutely set the DASL ablaze. The second round pick is taking out on the entire league for passing on him and making him the top choice in the second round. The Knicks have a leader for the foreseeable future. Shooting an absolute insane 49% on 5.2 bombs per game.
Phil Ford (Pacers) - An absolute floor general who deserves way more recognition than he has been receiving. He directs traffic with efficiency and still provides steals on the defensive end. While Kareem steals all of the spotlight in Indiana, Ford has been a steadying force for them to keep that team running.





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I'll try to finish the West later. This took a lot longer than I thought it would. Now let's have at it and let me know why you hate these projections.

[dd10snoop28]

Vlad is not glad. Gr8 article tho. 5

[duckyoubeavers]

Love to see one of my boys on here. Good article.

Also Danny Young is insane

[pudgejeff]

Where's the West? Booooo! Thumbs down! Also a 5, great work!

[Marzeial]

I'm going to post for the +5 points from last season.

Sam Bowie:

Inside Scoring
Strength
Jumping
Offensive Rebounding
Defensive Rebounding
Post Defense

[dd10snoop28]

lol, I though this was a new article and that u left vlad off... again!

whew!

[Oregon Ownage]

Sam Bowie:

Jumping

Done