Box Of Chocolates: Mavs' All-Star-Ballot Day Notes, Quotes, News, Views And Photos

   “Sorry, ‘DirtBag,’’’ Jason Terry whispered to teammate Dirk Nowitzki before the Mavs’ “Fave Five’’ prepared to take the AAC stage Tuesday morning at the unveiling of the ballot for the 2010 NBA All-Star Game. “There won’t be any chocolate for you.’’

   “Chocolate’’? Is that what he really said? Did I hear right? What the heck does that mean?

   I have no idea what Jet was referring to; in fact, upon reflection, I’m not sure I want to know. But I did collect some sweet nuggets of information at the press conference that featured Dirk, Jet, Mark Cuban, Josh Howard, Shawn Marion and Jason Kidd.

    Come and get ‘em. … and if you don’t, there won’t be any chocolate for you. I guess.

    DEEP IN THE HEART: The NBA obviously doesn’t know how to draw a map of Texas. The “AS10’’-logo’ed T-shirts worn by the Fave Five featured a stylized version of the outline of Texas … with western-most points like El Paso completely rounded off and erased away.

   The designers of the logo? Lewis and Clark, they ain’t.

    ‘ALL 14 MAVS!’: Mavs owner Mark Cuban says he hopes that it’s not only the Fave Five that gets votes, but the entire Mavs roster.

    “These five guys,’’ Cuban said, “plus why not write-in votes for Damp, and Humphries and Gooden. … let’s see, it’s five, plus what? Nine? So how cool would it be to have all 14 Mavs get votes.’’

     Technically, there are 15 Mavs. But given Cuban’s enthusiasm, I didn’t want to bring down the room with details.

    TECHNOLOGY: For the first time in balloting history, fans can vote for All-Stars any time by texting a player’s last name from their mobile phones. Fans can cast one SMS vote per day, per phone number. (Complete info available at NBA.com.) Paper balloting will continue through Jan. 10, while wireless balloting and voting on NBA.com will conclude Jan. 18. Starters will be announced live on TNT on Thursday, Jan. 21, 2010.

    Now, the technology involves makes the process even more interesting than usual. Facebook and Twitter are other vehicles that can be used for voting. Shawn Marion, for one, is very Twitter-friendly.

    “It adds a different dynamic,’’ Mark Cuban told me. “Will a player use his Twitter account to recruit votes? He can if he wishes, and that will be fun. What if a guy gets a million followers and all those followers vote for him, multiple times daily?’’

   MARK FOLLOWILL’S AD-LIB: I have it on good authority that while the press conference was planned right down to the final detail, there was one goof: A page of emcee Followill’s script was missing. As usual, he handled himself with aplomb, ad-libbing his way through a planned Q-and-A session with the assembled players.

    J-HO IS HOT!: Josh Howard did not hide his desire to qualify for his second-career All-Star appearance.

   But otherwise, the spotlight did not agree with him.

   Josh had to excuse himself from the proceedings in the late-going to go out into the hallway and cool off a bit before returning.

   THE MAVS ARE VOTING FOR …: It was ceremonial, but some of it seemed sincere. With a marker and a 7-foot-tall ballot, the five Mavs players joined dignitaries in voting for their favorites. Cuban voted for guards Jet and Josh (and then texted in Kidd’s name). A T-Mobile exec handled the center position with a write-in vote for Erick Dampier. Mayor Tom Leppert voted for West forwards Dirk and Marion.

   “The entire nation -- the world, really — will shine their light on North Texas,” said Leppert of the mis-February event. “This is the easiest job I’ve had since being in office.’’

    And then came the players’ turns, and their East voting. … and they seemed to truly be expressing themselves.

    Nowitzki had to flop down to the floor to vote for Dwight Howard, calling him “the best center in the game.’’

    Kidd put in a vote for guard Rajon Rondo.

    Howard circled forward David Lee, saying he’s “a double-double guy every night who deserves the attention.’’

    Marion had the other forward spot and he voted for LeBron.

    And Jason Terry? “I’m voting for a guy from my old team and for my teammate at Arizona,’’ and then he circled the name of Atlanta guard Mike Bibby.

     “Awwwwwww!’’ groaned Dirk in comical disapproval.

     MY PERSONAL STAGEY VOTE: All things considered, I wish a Mav would’ve voted for Chris Bosh, and then winked into the cameras. You know, a subtle little recruiting hint.

    But nobody asked me.

    TIM DUNCAN IS A WHAT?: I mentioned to Mark Cuban that once again this year, SA’s Tim Duncan – who more than ever plays the center position for the Spurs – is listed as a forward.

    “Who cares?’’ Cuban replied good-naturedly.

    Well … if I’m a Mavs fan, I care. Because if Duncan was listed on the ballot as a center, he would be a landslide leading vote-getter there … and because that would eliminate a front-runner for votes at the forward position, thus clearing a wider path for the selection of Dirk (and Marion).

    So. … I care.

    DIRK’S HUMILITY AS AN OBSTACLE: Cuban used the event, of course, to push for Dirk to be selected to the Western Conference first-team, which would be not only deserved but would also create good theater for the host team and its audience.

   But The UberMan doesn’t help the effort with his doggone humility, saying being a starter isn’t as important to him as simply being part of the event.

    Said Cuban: “There are a lot of guys who don’t push for themselves. But with Dirk, I think the fans will do the pushing.’’

    ON THE BALLOT: The NBA All-Star ballot lists 120 players – 60 each from the Eastern and Western Conferences – with 24 guards, 24 forwards, and 12 centers from each conference comprising the list. Voters select two guards, two forwards and one center from each conference.

    In the West, the Lakers and the Mavs are co-leaders in on-the-ballot candidates with five each.

    Here’s the entire ballot. 

    ARCHITECTS OF THE BALLOT: The 120 players on the ballot were selected by a panel of media who regularly cover the NBA: Mike Breen (ABC/ESPN), Doug Smith (The Toronto Star and President, Pro Basketball Writers Association) Marc Spears (Yahoo! Sports), Marc Stein (ESPN.com), Ian Thomsen (Sports Illustrated) and Eddie Sefko (Dallas Morning News).

    Eddie, by the way, is prepared to take some heat.

    THE BEGINNING OF THE ARGUMENTS: Courtesy of Skeets, the tip of the iceberg when it comes to complaints about the ballot’s who’s who (complaints sometimes made possible because of logistics):

    *Where is Joakim?  Through Monday's games the Bulls’ Noah was averaging a solid 11.3 points, 11.0 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game.

    *Sactown Royalty: "None of the three Kings on the ballot will make the actual game due to injury.

    *John Schuman: "Yao and Yi combined for more than 4.3 million votes last year. Neither is on this year's ballot."

     I would note here that while I was talking to Cuban about technology, he mentioned that the international voting will still be the most powerful force. I think that means that Yao will still get tons of write-ins, but that yes, other Rockets will also get tons of votes.

    Any other problems with the ballot having to be printed up early? Well, there is the presence of Allen Iverson on the ballot. And there is the absence of Chris Kaman. …

     TOP OF THE WORLD: Said Cuban: “This is a party like no other. Dallas and North Texas is going to be at the center of the world.’’

    JET FOR 3?: In addition to being honored with his first-ever place on the All-Star ballot, Jason Terry is not shy about hoping he is invited to participate in the Three-Point Shootout. Meanwhile. …

    ABOUT RODDY FOR THAT WEEKEND …: The week leading up to the 59^th NBA All-Star Game will feature a full schedule of community-enhancing activities and fan festivals, including NBA All-Star Jam Session and the Rookie Challenge.

   Ah, the rookie challenge! The Mavs have themselves a rookie …

   “I’d love to see Roddy (Beaubois) in the Rookie Game,’’ Cuban told me. “The league is usually pretty smart about things like that. …’’

    More on this issue coming in the future. In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed your All-Star chocolates.