COLUMN: Picking NBA All-Star game reserves
Last week, the NBA announced the starters for this year’s All-Star game. Every year, fans decide who will start in the February classic, but the All-Star reserves are decided by the respective coaches. The coaches will announce their reserves on Monday, so before that happens, I’m making a list of the guys who I think deserve the title of All-Star.
Western Conference
Forwards
Dirk Nowitzki: One of the most consistently good big men over the past decade, Dirk is still going strong. Arguably the best shooting big man to ever play the game, Dirk would have been a starter this year if he hadn’t missed nine games due to a knee injury.
Blake Griffin: Does a rookie really deserve a spot on the All-Star team? If his name is Blake Griffin he does. Griffin is an absolute beast, averaging almost 23 points and 13 rebounds per game, but it would still be quite the feat to make the team, as not even LeBron James made the All-Star squad as a rookie.
Center
Pau Gasol: Love him or hate him, the big Spaniard is ridiculously efficient and talented. His numbers may not be quite as good as in years past, but there’s no denying he deserves this spot.
Guards
Russell Westbrook: Coming into the season, coaches and fans alike thought Kevin Durant would run away with the MVP, so naturally we were surprised when, for a while, Durant wasn’t even the best player on his team. Russell Westbrook is a nightly triple-double threat and is half of the best duo in the league.
Deron Williams: D-Will has been unstoppable this season as he is averaging a career high 21.9 points and 9.4 assists per game. He is the clear leader of a resilient Jazz squad that has more fourth-quarter comebacks than Cleveland has wins.
Wild Cards
Kevin Love: Kevin Love has a league-leading 42 double-doubles in 47 games, including 33 in a row. He also recorded the first 30-30 game in almost 30 years. He’s an All-Star, ‘nuff said.
Manu Ginobili: Ginobili’s stats really aren’t that impressive, but the Spurs record is. With Duncan and Parker not playing very well, Manu has taken over and led the Spurs to their league best 40-8 record, which is why he’s an All-Star.
Snubs: LaMarcus Aldridge, Monta Ellis, Zach Randolph, Eric Gordon, Steve Nash
West Starters: Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, Yao Ming, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant
Eastern Conference
Forwards
Chris Bosh: With his buddies LeBron and Dwayne starting in this game, it’s fitting that the last member of the Miami big three gets a spot. Bosh’s numbers are down, obviously, but with averages of 18.5 points and eight rebounds, he still gets a spot.
Kevin Garnett: KG has been solid this season, bringing defense and intensity that can’t be matched. His presence has led the Celtics and once again they are among the best teams in the league. Plus, the All-Star game just wouldn’t be the same without Garnett, who would be making his 14th appearance if he makes it this season.
Center
Andrew Bogut: The East doesn’t have a lot of great centers, besides Dwight Howard, but Andrew Bogut is pretty good. He leads the league in blocks and is fifth in the league in rebounds per game, helping the Bucks to the fourth best defense in the NBA in terms of points allowed.
Guards
Rajon Rondo: A few years ago if you asked someone who Rajon Rondo was, they would have probably said “Who?” That’s not the case anymore. In the first five games of this season, Rondo racked up 82 assists, an NBA record. He has continued his John Stockon-esque playing and leads the league with 12.5 dimes per game.
Paul Pierce: The third Celtic to make this roster, Pierce leads Boston in scoring with 19.1 points per game. Pierce is playing this season with a new energy as the Celts look for championship number 18, and he deserves to be an All-Star.
Wild Cards
Joe Johnson: The Hawks are quietly putting together a nice season, and one of the main reasons for that is Joe Johnson. Averaging over 20 points for the sixth straight season, Johnson does it all for Atlanta.
Raymond Felton: Felton would be making his All-Star debut if he was selected this season, and I think he deserves it. He is sixth in the NBA is assists per game and is the other reason besides Amare that the Knicks are relevant again.
Snubs: Ray Allen, Danny Granger, Stephen Jackson, Al Horford
East Starters: Dwayne Wade, Derrick Rose, Dwight Howard, LeBron James, Amare Stoudemire
Mark Israelsen is a freshman majoring in mechanical engineering. Mark has also been a lifelong Jazz fan. He can be reached at mark.israelsen@aggiemail.usu.edu