Each year there are arguments made for players left out of the NBA All-Star Game. Sometimes it is fans being biased, but other times, the selection process missed it.
The 2017 All-Star Game selection process featured players missing out on a well-deserved starting spots and the game all together.
I agree with four of the five starters for the Eastern Conference. LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jimmy Butler have all had great season as forwards. I personally would like to see a true center or power forward in the lineup, but all three of these players deserve the spot.
DeMar DeRozan is having a career year and dominating the rest of the Eastern Conference shooting guards.
I do not think that Kyrie Irving is the best point guard in the East. He is certainly deserving of a spot on the team, but is he having a better year than Isaiah Thomas, John Wall and Kyle Lowry? I say that Thomas deserves the spot with how he is leading the Celtics and scoring nearly 30 points per game.
As far as the reserves, I am fine with the players chosen. I think that there are cases to be made for Jabari Parker, Joel Embiid and Kristaps Porzingis, especially since there are five point guards on the roster. But the players selected to represent the East have earned their spot.
As much as I am fine with the Eastern Conference roster, I feel the exact opposite with the Western Conference roster.
The first thing that I did not agree with was Russell Westbrook being left off the starting roster. Steph Curry is an amazing player, but he is not having season that Westbrook is, which is basically 30 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds each game.
The rest of the starting lineup is fine. I would have liked to see Marc Gasol make a starting spot, but I am a little biased in that opinion.
I disagree with three reserves in the West. I would take out Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and DeAndre Jordan. Then I would put in Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert and Mike Conley.
DeAndre Jordan is a great rebounder and defender, but he is not quite having the season that Gobert is.
Gobert is fourth in the NBA in double-doubles and leads the league in blocks with 125 total. His points and rebounds are on par with Jordan’s, but he is the slightly better offensive option averaging 0.4 more points per game. Gobert is one of the best post defenders in the league and is the anchor on one of the leagues’ top defenses.
Towns, in his second season, has already proven to be one of the best centers in the NBA. He is having an insanely good year, averaging 23 points and nearly 12 rebounds per game. Only three other players in the NBA are averaging 20 points and 10 boards, and all three are All-Stars. Anyone that voted for Green or Jordan ahead of Towns should never be allowed to vote again.
Conley is having the best year of his career and proving that the Grizzlies did not make a mistake handing him an NBA-record sized contract. Thompson’s stats have fallen off from the past two seasons because of the Warriors’ addition of Kevin Durant.
Conley is also among to top point guards in the West in each statistical category. He is not scoring as much as guy like Damian Lillard, but he is an unquestioned leader who can score, pass, defend and lead a playoff team.
There are arguments to be made for other players that I failed to mention, but this is the list of players that deserve it in my eyes.
