The Golden State Warriors have had a torrid start to the NBA season with their players rolling on all cylinders. This team is fantastic on both ends of the court and their play has resulted in a 7-3 record. Every time the Warriors play it seems as if there are multiple people having a strong impact on the game. The players all know and accept their role on this team and everyone needs to be accredited for that, including the coaches and management. With so many players doing an exceptional job it's only fair to question how many All Stars the Bay Area team will send this year. The way I see it, there are three factors that come into play when choosing the All Star roster. These include:
1. Individual play
2. Competition at respective position
3. Team success
It is pretty evident that the Warriors have had success as they boast one of the best records in the league. The other requirements leave us with four realistic candidates: PG Stephen Curry, SG Klay Thompson, SF Andre Iguodala, and PF David Lee.
Stephen Curry is finally going to make his first All Star appearance this season, barring a serious injury (knock on wood and hope I didn't jinx it just now). A whole lot does not even need to be explained for this claim. Ever since he exploded for 54 points in Madison Square Garden last season, Curry has been showered with national media attention and appreciation from fans all over the country. The best shooter in the world is going to get his chance to shine on this big stage and hopefully make it rain from downtown to give all us fans something to cheer for. While I do not think he will get the chance to start (Chris Paul basically has this locked up), he should be playing with the second string as a backup ahead of Westbrook.
The other Splash Brother should also have a legitimate shot at making the All Star game with his stellar play this season. His shooting numbers are off the charts and he has shown drastic improvement in all aspects of the game. In the past eight or so months, I cannot think of many players who have improved their game more than this star-in-the-making. Klay is now considered to be a deadly sharpshooter with the ability to attack the rim and defend the opposing team's best perimeter player. This improvement has led to eye-popping shooting numbers like a 0.55 Field Goal Percentage, 0.52 3-Point Percentage, 21 PPG all accompanied by only 1 turnover per game. At this pace he could end up with a 55-50-90 year (although I doubt that he'll be able to sustain this other worldly play for an entire season). The shooting guard position is relatively thin in both conferences which plays to Klay's advantage. James Harden has deserved the starting shooting guard spot as he has proven that he is currently the best player at his respective position, but Klay should be able to nab the second string job and play along side Curry in this festival. Unfortunately, I would not count out Kobe from getting the start because of his immense popularity that stretches to a global level. It baffles me that Kobe is even on the ballot at this point because he hasn't even played a game… This isn't meant to knock the legend's game. The All Star game is supposed to celebrate the top players of the season going against each other and Kobe hasn't been given the chance to log any minutes. If this were to happen, Klay would be demoted to the third string.
Newly acquired Andre Iguodala has also given himself a solid chance of making the All Star game once again with his fantastic play in every dimension of basketball. Fans may point to his 14.4 ppg as a weakness but that's only because there are so many scorers on the Warriors . They very rarely find themselves needing to rely on Iguodala producing a high scoring output. Kevin Durant is certainly going to win the first string job because fans vote to decide who the starters are. Luckily, coaches are the ones who chose the backup options and Iggy's 5.8 apg, 4.1 rpg, and 2.2 spg are all strong selling points. It also helps that Iguodala has been ridiculously efficient this year shooting nearly 62% from the field and 51% from downtown. He also has a very limited amount of turnovers for the amount of time he spends handling the ball with an average of only 2.2 per game. Andre has built a reputation as being one of the best perimeter defenders in the league as he mans the opposing team's best player and is often successful in shutting them down. The only flaw in his game is his porous free throw percentage which is really surprising considering he shot pretty well from the charity stripe in his early seasons. For some reason he has continually been regressing in that department in recent years. Similarly to the shooting guard position, the small forward position is lacking in elite talent. From the Western Conference, I would choose Kevin Durant, Andre Iguodala, and Gordan Hayward to be All Stars with Nicholas Batum receiving strong consideration.
Andre Iguoadala and David Lee combine for a beautiful play.
Making a case for David Lee to be an All Star will be difficult because of all the talent in the frontcourt positions. Personally, I believe he should make it as a backup power forward because of his efficiency in scoring, passing abilities, and basketball IQ. On the West side, there is a lot of talent to compete with at the power forward spot. There should be no doubt that Kevin Love will be getting the start. He's been fantastic in his return from injury and has proved why he is considered a top tier player, regardless of position. Blake Griffin could also get a spot, simply because he gets a lot of national attention and would provide entertainment for the viewers. Then there are players like LaMarcus Aldridge, Tim Duncan, Serge Ibaka, Dirk Nowitzki and the Gasol brothers who all get more recognition than Lee. I'm not saying that I agree with those players being slated as spots ahead of the well versed David Lee, but the fact remains that the power of voting goes to the fans and coaches. It also doesn't help that the NBA ballot is not even divided properly with each player having a designated position. There are a few centers and small forwards who deserve a spot in the roster as well and need to be accounted for. Personally, I think it is stupid to have the ballot split into frontcourt and backcourt players. Because of this silly format we could end up with an East team that has Lebron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Paul George all starting together. While they are all very good players, it just doesn't make sense for three small forwards to start without a real center or power forward getting their chance.
1. Individual play
2. Competition at respective position
3. Team success
It is pretty evident that the Warriors have had success as they boast one of the best records in the league. The other requirements leave us with four realistic candidates: PG Stephen Curry, SG Klay Thompson, SF Andre Iguodala, and PF David Lee.
Stephen Curry is finally going to make his first All Star appearance this season, barring a serious injury (knock on wood and hope I didn't jinx it just now). A whole lot does not even need to be explained for this claim. Ever since he exploded for 54 points in Madison Square Garden last season, Curry has been showered with national media attention and appreciation from fans all over the country. The best shooter in the world is going to get his chance to shine on this big stage and hopefully make it rain from downtown to give all us fans something to cheer for. While I do not think he will get the chance to start (Chris Paul basically has this locked up), he should be playing with the second string as a backup ahead of Westbrook.
The other Splash Brother should also have a legitimate shot at making the All Star game with his stellar play this season. His shooting numbers are off the charts and he has shown drastic improvement in all aspects of the game. In the past eight or so months, I cannot think of many players who have improved their game more than this star-in-the-making. Klay is now considered to be a deadly sharpshooter with the ability to attack the rim and defend the opposing team's best perimeter player. This improvement has led to eye-popping shooting numbers like a 0.55 Field Goal Percentage, 0.52 3-Point Percentage, 21 PPG all accompanied by only 1 turnover per game. At this pace he could end up with a 55-50-90 year (although I doubt that he'll be able to sustain this other worldly play for an entire season). The shooting guard position is relatively thin in both conferences which plays to Klay's advantage. James Harden has deserved the starting shooting guard spot as he has proven that he is currently the best player at his respective position, but Klay should be able to nab the second string job and play along side Curry in this festival. Unfortunately, I would not count out Kobe from getting the start because of his immense popularity that stretches to a global level. It baffles me that Kobe is even on the ballot at this point because he hasn't even played a game… This isn't meant to knock the legend's game. The All Star game is supposed to celebrate the top players of the season going against each other and Kobe hasn't been given the chance to log any minutes. If this were to happen, Klay would be demoted to the third string.
Newly acquired Andre Iguodala has also given himself a solid chance of making the All Star game once again with his fantastic play in every dimension of basketball. Fans may point to his 14.4 ppg as a weakness but that's only because there are so many scorers on the Warriors . They very rarely find themselves needing to rely on Iguodala producing a high scoring output. Kevin Durant is certainly going to win the first string job because fans vote to decide who the starters are. Luckily, coaches are the ones who chose the backup options and Iggy's 5.8 apg, 4.1 rpg, and 2.2 spg are all strong selling points. It also helps that Iguodala has been ridiculously efficient this year shooting nearly 62% from the field and 51% from downtown. He also has a very limited amount of turnovers for the amount of time he spends handling the ball with an average of only 2.2 per game. Andre has built a reputation as being one of the best perimeter defenders in the league as he mans the opposing team's best player and is often successful in shutting them down. The only flaw in his game is his porous free throw percentage which is really surprising considering he shot pretty well from the charity stripe in his early seasons. For some reason he has continually been regressing in that department in recent years. Similarly to the shooting guard position, the small forward position is lacking in elite talent. From the Western Conference, I would choose Kevin Durant, Andre Iguodala, and Gordan Hayward to be All Stars with Nicholas Batum receiving strong consideration.
Andre Iguoadala and David Lee combine for a beautiful play.
Making a case for David Lee to be an All Star will be difficult because of all the talent in the frontcourt positions. Personally, I believe he should make it as a backup power forward because of his efficiency in scoring, passing abilities, and basketball IQ. On the West side, there is a lot of talent to compete with at the power forward spot. There should be no doubt that Kevin Love will be getting the start. He's been fantastic in his return from injury and has proved why he is considered a top tier player, regardless of position. Blake Griffin could also get a spot, simply because he gets a lot of national attention and would provide entertainment for the viewers. Then there are players like LaMarcus Aldridge, Tim Duncan, Serge Ibaka, Dirk Nowitzki and the Gasol brothers who all get more recognition than Lee. I'm not saying that I agree with those players being slated as spots ahead of the well versed David Lee, but the fact remains that the power of voting goes to the fans and coaches. It also doesn't help that the NBA ballot is not even divided properly with each player having a designated position. There are a few centers and small forwards who deserve a spot in the roster as well and need to be accounted for. Personally, I think it is stupid to have the ballot split into frontcourt and backcourt players. Because of this silly format we could end up with an East team that has Lebron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Paul George all starting together. While they are all very good players, it just doesn't make sense for three small forwards to start without a real center or power forward getting their chance.
I like Batum.
ReplyDeleteIDENTITY THEFT IS NOT A JOKE! MILLIONS OF FAMILIES SUFFER EVERY YEAR!
DeleteLOOOOL I love the office reference
Deleteyeah Batum is a great player who can contribute in a lot of ways. He could be a possibility for the All Star game as well.
Batum>Iguodala
ReplyDelete