The fans have done their job — you all picked the NBA All-Star Game starters.
And well done. While I could quibble with a choice I might have made differently, there are no egregious errors (read: Jeremy Lin is not a starter).
Now it falls to the coaches to pick the seven reserves for each side (coaches vote for players from their own conference and not from their own team). Those will be announced next week.
We’re not that patient here at PBT. So, here is my list of the guys that should be packing their Nikes/Adidas for Houston to be All-Star Game reserves:
WESTERN CONFERENCE:
Russell Westbrook
Tony Parker
James Harden
Tim Duncan
LaMarcus Aldridge
Serge Ibaka
David Lee
Stephen Curry was the hardest guy to leave off this list. It came down to him and Tony Parker (to me Harden and Westbrook were locks) and Parker is carrying a little bit more of the Spurs offense, and the Spurs are a better team than Golden State. So Parker gets the nod. I also wish I could have gotten Zach Randolph in there because Memphis deserves a guy playing, but I couldn’t put him in front of any of the other four big men. I think Aldridge and Ibaka are just playing a little bit better right now.
EASTERN CONFERENCE:
Kyrie Irving
Jrue Holiday
Paul Pierce
Paul George
Chris Bosh
Joakim Noah
Tyson Chandler
Anderson Varejao would have made the list before his injury. Brook Lopez was hard to leave off because I think he deserved a nod in a lot of ways for the improvement in his game, but was he better than Chandler or Noah? No. Leaving Josh Smith off the list was hard as well, he has been Atlanta’s best player, but I just couldn’t give him the nod.
Monta Ellis is certainly having a good season, he was on the bubble for me but he’s not the most efficient player and I think Holiday has had to do more to carry the load. J.R. Smith the same way, good season but just missing out on making the team because some other guys deserve it a little more — I can’t get him in ahead of George or Pierce in my mind.