As crazy as this sounds, we are already approaching the half-way mark of the NBA season, and that means the All-Star game is right around the corner.
The latest All-Star game voting returns were released on Thursday, with not much having changed since the second returns. The starters seem to be virtually set, which means it’s time to discuss who gets in as reserves (I wrote about some of the top candidates here, which included Draymond Green).
Players around the league are also starting to get in on the discussion a bit, and it started with Andre Drummond campaigning for an All-Star berth for his teammate Brandon Jennings. Another player who wants to see some new faces at Madison Square Garden in February is Jamal Crawford, who is rooting for two particular players:
*quietly pulling for DJ, and Monta to get in the ASG.. I pull for the underdogs. Need some new blood..
— Jamal Crawford (@JCrossover) January 9, 2015
It happens every year, but someone deserving is always left off the roster, especially in the loaded West. Crawford himself has felt the sting of not making it in past years despite having the statistics to make a strong case. Heck, even Stephen Curry was shockingly left off the roster just two years ago in favor of (gulp) his teammate David Lee, so it has happened to the best of them, and this year will be no different.
Unfortunately, DeAndre Jordan and Monta Ellis do fall in the category of deserving but not making. Both have performed well enough to be considered, but unless there is an unexpected injury to the expected players to make the team, it’s going to be tough – like Crawford said, they are underdogs. Here are those expected names: James Harden (we all know it’s ridiculous that he’s being outvoted by Kobe Bryant), Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul, LaMarcus Aldridge, Tim Duncan, Damian Lillard, DeMarcus Cousins, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.
That’s already nine names, and only seven of them will make it. Even Kevin Durant might actually get left off the roster if he doesn’t overtake Marc Gasol in the votings because the coaches are unlikely to reward a guy who has missed more than half the season due to injuries. Given that Blake Griffin is being voted in and the likelihood of Paul making the team, it is virtually impossible to consider a third Clipper (Jordan) given where the team is in the standings right now (sixth seed). The Dallas Mavericks deserve to be represented by someone and Ellis is definitely the most deserving, but he has not been better than the names you see above.
Why can’t they just have nine reserves and allow 14 players per team? After all, that is the number of players allowed for every team, so not only does it make sense in terms of following standard protocol, it would reward more of the players that rightfully deserve to be rewarded. Is it because you can’t play all 14 players? Hopefully, that’s not one of the reasons because the players care a lot more about actually making the team than playing.
Sadly, things will remain just the way they are and it will be another year of a bunch of accomplished players scratching their heads.
Tweet of the Night: Drummond says Jennings should be in the All-Star Game
Jim Park is a blogger and editor of Sheridan Hoops. Follow him on twitter @SheridanBlog.