Time to complain about the All-Star teams
Hey now, you're an All-Star! Get your game on, go play!
What’s your definition of an All-Star?
No, not the Smash Mouth song (or, to people my age, the song from Shrek). I’m talking about NBA All-Stars. Who meets the criteria?
I think there needs to be a clearer definition of the term All-Star, because we have the All-NBA teams if we’re really trying to decide who the best 24 players in the NBA have been this season.
All-Star Weekend is a carefully crafted product designed to be an accolade for the players, while also accomplishing the NBA’s marketing goals for that season. The games & gimmicks galore that once used to be must-see TV have fallen flat in recent years. The Dunk Contest died the day Aaron Gordon brought out the TikTok girls.
In my opinion, the All-Star teams should be filled with the players that fans want to see most. No, I’m not saying that it should be 100% fan vote. Andrew Wiggins is starting the All-Star game — I’m well aware of what could happen if we gave the fans even more power to decide these teams.
But as Shaq, Chuck, Kenny, Ernie, and Draymond revealed the rosters on Inside The NBA last night, I started to get the sense that the voting for the reserves was a bit out of touch for what the fans want to see.
All-Star should be about providing the most entertaining and memorable contest to basketball fans around the world. The introduction of the Elam Ending in 2020 created one of the most memorable All-Star Games ever. For the first time, ten of the best players in the NBA were on the same court trying — sacrificing their body, taking charges, and probably playing a little too hard for their franchise’s liking.
The Elam Ending was the first major step towards restoring the greatness of All-Star Weekend, but the rosters need to match the excitement
Here’s the full All-Star rosters for each conference. I’ve stylized the names like this:
Bold = 100% should be an All-Star
No style = I’m okay with it
Italics = There’s a much better option available
Strikethrough = Likely to miss the All-Star game
East
Starters: Trae Young, DeMar DeRozan, Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid
Reserves: Jimmy Butler, Darius Garland, James Harden, Zach LaVine, Khris Middleton, Jayson Tatum, Fred VanVleet
West
Starters: Stephen Curry, Ja Morant, Andrew Wiggins, LeBron James, Nikola Jokic
Reserves: Devin Booker, Luka Doncic, Rudy Gobert, Draymond Green, Donovan Mitchell, Chris Paul, Karl-Anthony Towns
In my mind, there’s two players missing in the East who definitely fulfill my definition of an All-Star: LaMelo Ball and Jarrett Allen. With KD being the only All-Star in the East confirmed to miss this year’s events, only one of them can get in. For the entertainment value, I really want to take LaMelo — but because the game is in Cleveland, I think Jarrett Allen should get the nod.
Khris Middleton’s name came as a surprise to me. The Bucks haven’t really been as dominant as we expected them to. Maybe they’re saving it for another postseason run? When it comes to entertainment value, I just don’t want to see him more than anyone else in the East. You know what I’d rather see? LaMelo Ball, 360 no-scoping Giannis for a between the legs 720 backflip alley oop.
Out West, I really don’t want to get into the Draymond Green All-Star conversation. I think he deserves it, but it doesn’t matter — he’s injured. Dejounte Murray is more than deserving of an All-Star bid and should replace Green in Cleveland.
How do you feel about the All-Star teams? Is there a player you think should be at All-Star this year that isn’t? Leave a comment below, but remember:
Only shooting stars break the mold.
Defense, optional
Reggie Jackson (not Mr. T or Dr. Dre, or even Mr. October — but close) hit the game-winning layup to knock off the Lakers last night. It’s a great moment. You might notice that he cooks Austin Reaves on the play, but this play by Reaves offers even more intrigue.
Watch Eric Bledsoe, who starts at the far right of the screen, for the entire play:
If we wanted to be nice to him, we would say that Bledsoe was trying to draw a charge on Anthony Davis. But those plays only work when there’s someone already back to stop the ball, and… there’s not a soul in sight.
Klay remembers
Klay Thompson tied his season-high in scoring, dropping 23 points against the Sacramento Kings. None of his buckets were sweeter than this one, a signature corner three off of Steph’s ridiculous corner skip:
After the game, this tweet surfaced:
Do you remember who the Kings drafted with the 10th pick instead? It’s an easy one… take some time to think about it. Ahh, yes — they traded for the right to select Jimmer Fredette!
I know I’m getting old when I find a highlight of a player I remember watching and the editor put Fort Minor’s Remember The Name to it. Man. What a song. I wonder how much money they made off of middle and high school basketball warm up music alone.
I checked Statmuse to see if Klay was right about his great games against the Kings. He’s right — he’s averaged 21.8 points against Sacramento (which ranks fourth among 29 teams), and played against them more than any other team in his career.
Links
The first ever HOOPLA podcast, where I talked about how the Wizards should blow their team up, the Pistons’ two paths with Jerami Grant, and shared some draft thoughts on Jabari Smith Jr. and AJ Griffin.
(Make sure you subscribe & follow the podcast on Spotify and Apple!)
Our Trade Hopefulness Ladder, which is looking bleaker by the day.
Chet Holmgren finished last night’s game with 23 points, 12 rebounds, and three blocks. He scored 11 points in two minutes, pinning shots and taking them coast to coast. The demigods are here.
ESPN’s Tim MacMahon with an incredible feature on the unfazed Memphis Grizzlies, who have a “drippy” culture and feel more like an AAU team than a contender.