Report: NBA removes center position from All-Star ballot

Ever heard of the "positional revolution" in basketball? You may have. It's the blurring of positions, the rise of versatility and the loss of absolute position titles. And it's all for good reason.

There are so many two-guards playing point guard and so many "tweeners" at the frontcourt positions that the traditional five positions have suddenly slipped to three positions: guard, wing, forward.

The NBA has taken the first step toward embracing this trend, according to NBA reporter David Aldridge. Soon, the "center" position will no longer exist on the All-Star ballot.

True story.

The NBA is finally doing something about the Duncan Dilemma.

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 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.

For years, for example, the Spurs have listed Tim Duncan as a power forward, even though everyone on earth knew he was their starting center. And so when it came to All-Star balloting, Duncan would take up a forward spot in a very crowded field of Western Conference stars instead of his logical spot in the middle. This was good for Duncan, who surely would have made his 13 All-Star teams anyway, but it often cost another forward a shot.

I'll be the first to say it: Any chances Omer Asik had at making the All-Star team are now unequivocally gone. Sorry to ruin your day.