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Kemba Walker deserves All-Star recognition — Let's give it to him

We, the At The Hive community, have great power. It is time to use it for good and get Kemba Walker to the NBA All-Star Game.

By Russell Varner
Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

At The Hivers, it is time we come together. As a community, we have great power. You may not realize it, but we do. It is time we use this power for good.

If you are a member of this site, then I don't need to tell you about the franchise's history — the proud beginnings of the Charlotte Hornets, how that team was taken away from us, or how the franchise has struggled since its return to the Queen City. I don't need to tell you that since the latest iteration of Charlotte basketball began in 2004, the team has had only one player selected to the NBA All Star Game (Gerald Wallace in 2010). You may remember that Wallace's performance wasn't exactly memorable — two points, three rebounds and an assist on 1-3 shooting in 15 minutes of play.

It goes further than that though. The last All Star Charlotte had before Wallace was Baron Davis in 2001-02 (the same year he competed in the NBA Dunk Contest).

I take you on that walk down memory road to say this — It has been a long time the city of Charlotte had not just an All-Star, but a memorable All-Star performance from a player.

But we have the power to help change this.

Kemba Walker is having a career year. In fact, he is having a season that only Steph Curry can match, in a way. Allow ATH user adamcawa to explain.

Quite frankly, this season, I’m not sure how anyone could be critical of Kemba. There are only 18 players in the league averaging at least 15 points and 5 assists, and Kemba is one of them. There are only 9 players in the league averaging at least 15 points and 5 assists while shooting at least 43%, and Kemba is one of them. There are only 8 players in the league averaging at least 15 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds while shooting at least 43%, and Kemba is one of them. There are only 4 players in the league averaging at least 15 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds while shooting at least 43% and 35% from 3, and Kemba is one of them.

There are only 3 players in the league averaging at least 18 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 44%FG, and 36%3PT, and Kemba is one of them.

There are only 2 players in the league averaging at least 18 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 44%FG, 36%PT, and 82%FT and Kemba is one of them.

This statistic was brought up in the comments section following Walker taking over Kobe Bryant's last game in Charlotte with a 38-point, six-rebound, five-assist performance. The other player averaging those stats is the aforementioned Curry. Yet, Walker is not even among the top 10 guards in the Eastern Conference, according to the first update released by the NBA on Christmas Day. In fact, only two Hornets are found in the update: Jeremy Lin (eighth among Eastern Conference guards) and Nicolas Batum (10th among Eastern Conference guards).

That Walker is not even in the top 10 is nothing short of an early travesty. I am putting it on the At The Hive community to change that.

I am challenging all of you to vote at minimum once per day for Kemba Walker and any other Hornets you want (Batum, Lin, Al Jefferson, Jeremy Lamb, Marvin Williams, it doesn't matter) from now until the day voting ends. This needs to be the year that Charlotte puts another player in the All-Star game. We tried something similar last season with Walker, but alas, it was too little to late. Perhaps an early start this season can change that.

There are no excuses for not voting for Walker, either. It is easier than ever to vote for the All-Star game. Seriously. According to press releases from NBA.com, there are SEVEN different ways to vote:

  1. NBA.com/vote
  2. The NBA App
  3. Twitter — Tweet, reply to a tweet, or retweet a tweet with a player's first and last name and the hashtag #NBAVote
  4. Facebook — Write a player's first and last name with the hashtag #NBAVote in any post on a personal Facebook account or as a comment on another's post
  5. Instagram — Post a "original photo" with the player's first and last name and the hashtag #NBAVote in the caption
  6. Texting — Text a player's last name 6-9-6-2-2 ("MYNBA")
  7. Google Search (maybe my personal favorite — Seriously, if you search for "NBA All Star voting," you can vote for up to 10 players for the All-Star Game, right then and there. That is amazing to me. I love technology.
There is no reason that we, as a community, should not be able to get Walker or another Hornet to Toronto for the All-Star Game this season. Make that your New Year's Resolution. Set alarms on your phone to remind you. Tell your friends. Do whatever it takes.

This is the year a Charlotte Hornet returns to the All-Star Game.

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