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Houston Rockets: James Harden still trails Derrick Rose in fan All-Star voting

By Michael Knight

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - MARCH 18: Derrick Rose #25 of the Minnesota Timberwolves defends against James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets during the game on March 18, 2018 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - MARCH 18: Derrick Rose #25 of the Minnesota Timberwolves defends against James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets during the game on March 18, 2018 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
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Recent returns for the All-Star voting are back and the Houston Rockets star is still behind despite the MVP-caliber season. What’s wrong with this picture?

The Houston Rockets are back in the race for the top seed in the West after going 7-2 during a tough stretch of games against all solid teams. James Harden did some serious carrying over that stretch, as the Rockets did not have Chris Paul or Eric Gordon for much of it.

Despite all of that, the fan vote for the 2019 NBA All-Star Game has not been in his favor. Arguably, the Beard should be leading the way in votes thanks to the type of numbers he’s putting up resulting in wins for the Houston Rockets, keeping them alive. But we all know by now that the fans vote very oddly for the All-Star Game.

Instead of Harden, they currently have Derrick Rose and Stephen Curry ahead for the top guard spots in the Western Conference. Curry is an obvious choice as a top-5 player in the league, but there is no reason that Rose should be over Harden.

Here is the ballot at the moment:

The second returns of #NBAAllStar Voting 2019 presented by @Google!

Vote on https://t.co/R6fBO5LSAS, the NBA App or by searching for your favorite player or team on Google. Vote now! https://t.co/7WGNCNxnJB pic.twitter.com/akz3wREzFM

— 2019 NBA All-Star (@NBAAllStar) January 10, 2019

Other odd names

Derrick Rose isn’t the only odd name getting serious votes. DeMarcus Cousins, who hasn’t played one game yet for the Warriors, is currently No. 10 in votes for Western Conference for the frontcourt.

Vince Carter is awesome and a legend, but at his age and talent level, he shouldn’t be No. 7 in the frontcourt for the East. Jeremy Lin is averaging 11 points a game for a terrible Hawks squad and still has a ton of votes. The list goes on and on, as it does every year with fan voting.

Now, Derrick Rose is certainly more deserving of an All-Star spot than these other guys. He’s revitalized his career this season, averaging nearly 19 points a game on some ridiculous efficiency (48.6% shooting, 46.2% from 3). He arguably would be the Sixth Man of the Year and could possibly nab a spot on the All-Star team. I don’t see it happening, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t deserving. He just isn’t deserving of a starting spot over MVP candidate James Harden.

Harden will be fine

Thankfully, fan voting is just 50% of it. James Harden should get (emphasis on the “should”) the votes needed from the players and the media. Despite what the media says and thinks about him at times, they should still see the incredible season he’s putting together.

Next. How Austin Rivers helped save the Rockets season

James Harden will still start the All-Star Game this year. If he doesn’t, something’s gotta change in this system because it is flawed.

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