Pascal Siakam selection highlights flaws in All-Star voting process

The voting process for the NBA All-Star game is flawed and broken. 

Look no further than the selection of Pascal Siakam as a reserve in the Eastern Conference. The Pacers forward finished 14th in player voting, 20th in fan voting and didn't receive a single media vote in the ballot for frontcourt starters. Siakam was so behind in the pecking order that even past-their-prime stars like Jimmy Butler and Paul George received more votes, not to mention the Knicks duo of Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby.

So how did Siakam make the All-Star reserves? The 30 NBA head coaches felt he had earned the spot, ignoring the votes of players, fans and media, who were obviously against his selection.

Siakam's selection meant that Trae Young, LaMelo Ball, Jarrett Allen, Tyrese Maxey, Franz Wagner and teammate Tyrese Haliburton were snubbed. Previously, the reserves were designated only as centers/forwards and guards, but the NBA introduced the "wild cards" system this year, meaning two of the reserves can be selected regardless of position. As such, the coaches weren't compelled to select Siakam and could have selected any two wild cards regardless of position.

Even TNT's Ernie Johnson was taken aback that Siakam got selected over the likes of Maxey, Young and Ball.

"Here's an interesting little tidbit: (he was) not in the top 10 in the balloting last week when it was revealed," Johnson said of Siakam. "So Pascal Siakam not in the top 10 with fans, media and players."

On the surface, Siakam makes a solid case to be an All-Star. He's averaging 20.5 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists and has led the Pacers (26-20) to the fifth seed in the conference. 

It makes zero sense for the coaches to disregard the voting ballots while selecting the reserves. The NBA is conveying that those votes didn't matter in the slightest. Something has to change.