Hoops Habit
Fansided

NBA: 25 Least-Deserving NBA All-Stars

By Phil Watson

February 15, 2015; New York, NY, USA; General view of the opening tipoff as Eastern Conference forward Pau Gasol of the Chicago Bulls (16) and Western Conference center Marc Gasol of the Memphis Grizzlies (33) during the first quarter of the 2015 NBA All-Star Game at Madison Square Garden.Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
February 15, 2015; New York, NY, USA; General view of the opening tipoff as Eastern Conference forward Pau Gasol of the Chicago Bulls (16) and Western Conference center Marc Gasol of the Memphis Grizzlies (33) during the first quarter of the 2015 NBA All-Star Game at Madison Square Garden.Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
15 of 26
Next
CHICAGO, IL – CIRCA 1992: Isiah Thomas #11 of the Detroit Pistons looks to put a move on Michael Jordan #23 of the Chicago Bulls during an NBA basketball game circa 1992 at Chicago Stadium in Chicago, Illinois. Thomas played for the Pistons from 1981-94. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL – CIRCA 1992: Isiah Thomas #11 of the Detroit Pistons looks to put a move on Michael Jordan #23 of the Chicago Bulls during an NBA basketball game circa 1992 at Chicago Stadium in Chicago, Illinois. Thomas played for the Pistons from 1981-94. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

12. Isiah Thomas, 1993

How Chosen: Fan vote

Isiah Thomas had been the engine that drove the Bad Boys Detroit Pistons teams of the late 1980s that won back-to-back titles in 1989 and 1990.

But by the time 1992-93 rolled around, he was an aging point guard for an aging team that had fallen from grace in rapid fashion.

Detroit got to the break in 1992-93 with a 21-29 record en route to missing the playoffs for the first time in a decade. But Isiah still had enough juice with fans to squeeze out the last of his 12 All-Star selections, winning the second starting backcourt spot in the East by a little more than 50,000 votes.

Thomas got to the break averaging 16.1 points and 8.9 assists on .416/.274/.718 shooting.

There were several Eastern Conference guards who could have made a case for the spot—Jeff Hornacek of the Philadelphia 76ers, Nick Anderson of the Orlando Magic, the tandem of Reggie Lewis and Dee Brown of the Boston Celtics, Eric Murdock of the Milwaukee Bucks and Drazen Petrovic of the New Jersey Nets among them.

But the player who was most ignored was Indiana Pacers shooting guard Reggie Miller, who got to the break averaging 20.9 points, 3.7 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game on .461/.362/.892 shooting for a Pacers team that was 23-28 and on the way to the postseason.

Thomas got 32 minutes of action in the East’s 135-132 overtime loss at Salt Lake City’s Delta Center, finishing with eight points, four assists, two rebounds and two steals while hitting 4-of-7 shots.

It was the last of his 12 All-Star bids. Miller had been an All-Star in 1990 and would make four more trips over the remainder of his 18-year career.

Next: Buck Should Have Been Stopped