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Want to vote Paul Millsap on the All-Star team? Too bad.

Nov 20, 2010, 9:30 AM EDT

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Poor Paul Millsap. After finally getting his chance to shine following Carlos Boozer’s exit for greener pastures in Chicago, and playing so well that he’s averaged 21.5 and 9.5 through the season’s first 12 games (in addition to taking over late in the team’s comeback victory over the Heat), he can’t get any love from the All-Star voters.

Not that they don’t want to vote for Millsap. They just can’t.

Unfortunately for him, MillsapĀ  is omitted from the list of names of eligible Power Forwards on the Western Conference Ballot. Of course this raises the bigger question – why the hell are we voting for all-stars 12 game into the season? If the NBA is going to be so unapologetically obvious in making the contest one strictly of popularity by selecting the candidates before the start of the season, why not save us all the trouble and name the all-stars before the season starts too? That’s just as legitimate as a process that doesn’t offer the possibility to vote for a 20-10 guy shooting 58% from the floor (and the spectacular finish against LeBron James & Co. a week-and-a-half ago aside, Millsap isn’tĀ  a fluke — his efficiency off the bench for the last two seasons has proven his worth).

Let’s get a grass-roots campaign going to get this injustice corrected. Here, I’ll start. Free Paul Millsap! Free Paul Millsap!

In any event, the all-star reserves are picked by the coaches, so if Millsap keeps his season up he should still get the recognition when the time comes. Which, if anything, just proves what I’ve been saying for years — democracy just doesn’t work.

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Paul Millsap surprisingly left off All-Star ballot [Ball Don't Lie]