You had a good season, you’re definitely All-Star material, but your name doesn’t get called for the ballot.
Then you realize the All-Star game is not about your skill, but rather a popularity contest.
For the East, some notable players who should have made the cut include Kevin Love, Derrick Rose, and Nikola Vucevic.
Kevin Love, who experienced a set back after joining the super team Cleveland Cavaliers, is still maintaining a double-double average with 17 points and 10.5 rebounds a game.
Compare him to Paul Millsap, with 17 points and 8 rebounds a game. On paper, Love is the better player.
But All-Star decisions are manipulated by different factors, including how well the the player’s team is doing. That makes sense if the Atlanta Hawks are first in the Eastern Conference with an impressive 41-9 record — they have three players representing them.
Another All-Star who has flew under the radar is Nikola Vucevic, who has averaged 19.6 points and 11.3 rebounds this season.
Vucevic is not the most known player in the league, but that is why the fans pick the starters and the coaches pick the reserves. I cannot comprehend why he wasn’t chosen.
For the West, there is a lot of talent to choose from, which makes the decision to choose twelve guys very difficult. Damian Lillard and DeMarcus Cousins are obvious choices that should have been picked, no questions asked.
Both Lillard and Cousins (Lillard averaging 21.7 points and 6.3 assists per game and Cousins averaging 23.7 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game) are having phenomenal years.
Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook should not have made the All-Star this year. They are both very talented players, but were not playing for a good part of the season due to injuries.
Their All-Star roster spots were strictly based on players and fans knowing they can play rather than their actual performance this season.
With Kobe Bryant being chosen as the starting guard on the West after being out due to a season ending shoulder injury, there is still hope for Lillard and Cousins.
Knock on wood Commissioner Adam Silver does the right thing and picks an adequate replacement for Bryant.
