NBA All-Star Rosters: What the coaches got wrong

Now that the NBA All-Star rosters have been announced, what did they get wrong?

The debate rages.

Each year, the list of reserves for the coming NBA All-Star Game are announced, and without fail, the announcement generates outrage on multiple sides. The 2015 event is no different, and amid Thursday’s release, multiple players (and fan bases) had cause for indignation.

The Western Conference, by nature of its grueling competition, produced the loudest volume of dissonance, but even in the East, there were things that could have been altered. It is important to remember that the league’s coaches vote on this particular honor, and with that, they were given a deadline earlier in the week by which to submit their choices.

With that as the backdrop, let’s take a look at a few things that the coaches got wrong in this instance.

Eastern Conference

To be honest, the East was pretty clean this season. If there is a singular gripe, at least in my mind, it is the exclusion of Atlanta Hawks swingman Kyle Korver. Korver was left off the squad while three of his teammates (Jeff Teague, Paul Millsap, Al Horford) were selected, and while it may seem crazy that a fourth member of the Hawks would be a legitimate “snub”, Atlanta is 38-8 and flying high on the heels of 17 straight wins.

Jan 7, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Kyle Korver (26) greets fans after defeating the Memphis Grizzlies 96-86 at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Liles-USA TODAY Sports /

Korver’s claim to fame is his shooting prowess, and at this juncture, the 33-year-old is putting together arguably the best shooting season in NBA history. He leads the NBA in true shooting percentage (74.1%), with his closest contemporary on the perimeter more than ten percentage points lower (Kevin Durant at 63.8%), and Korver is on pace for the league’s first 50-50-90 season with regard to shooting splits.

Picking a player to remove is the biggest issue in the East, with the two most logical choices being Dwyane Wade and Kyrie Irving. Wade is likely going to miss the NBA All-Star festivities after the Miami Heat announced an unforeseen absence for their star shooting guard on Thursday, and that may create a spot in itself. Still, Wade is actually having a very good season (21.4 points, 5.4 assists per game, 22.56 PER) and he has only missed 10 of Miami’s 35 games.

If I were to make a change (outside of injury replacement) on the East roster, it would be to insert Korver over Kyrie Irving. I can already hear you screaming about Irving’s 55-point performance from Wednesday evening, but both that showing and a 38-point game on Tuesday were not included in All-Star voting (the deadline fell before both contests), and without them, Irving’s numbers appear more pedestrian at 20.9 points (on 46% shooting) and 5.2 assists per game.

Kyle Korver isn’t a more talented basketball player than Kyrie Irving by any stretch of the imagination, but Korver’s gravity on the court is undeniable, and opposing defenses are given fits by his shear existence on the court. Irving is a porous defender (something that Korver isn’t, by the way) and with Cleveland largely struggling, giving Kyle Korver the nod in potentially his only opportunity was the way to go.

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Western Conference

Oh my, the West is a gauntlet.

It should be noted that there is certain to be an injury replacement in the West, with “starter” Kobe Bryant on the shelf for the remainder of the season. Still, if we don’t give the coaches the excuse of that extra spot, there were some problems.

Oklahoma City forward Kevin Durant is perhaps the best player in the world (LeBron, of course, would beg to differ), but he only appeared in 21 of the team’s 45 games prior to the deadline, and that should basically exclude him from consideration. There was justified surprise in the fact that Durant did not earn a spot in the starting lineup, given his immense popularity and production, but even with an incredible statistical profile (25.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.1 assists per game with 52/39/86 splits and a 28.76 PER), you’ve gotta play more than half of your squad’s games.

Enter Damian Lillard.

Lillard is the player who is garnering the most love from “snub” enthusiasts, and with good reason. Portland’s star point guard has appeared in all 46 games this season, averaging 21.8 points, 6.2 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game, and he is perhaps their most indispensable player, even with LaMarcus Aldridge on his side.

Jan 11, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) heads down court after a three point basket in the second half of the game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center. Trailblazers won 104-96. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /

There has been an underground movement to knock Aldridge’s efficiency, which we won’t get into here, but Lillard has been the player this season in my view, and at the very least, he gets credit for helping to carry the Blazers to a 32-14 mark while being an iron man. Kevin Durant is the better basketball player, but the coaches should have let KD have the week off, shifted Klay Thompson to a fictional forward spot (why do we have positions again?), and sent Damian Lillard to New York.

Lastly, DeMarcus Cousins needs to be in the NBA All-Star Game and, as much as it pains me, Tim Duncan doesn’t need to be.

In the interest of full disclosure, Tim Duncan is my favorite basketball player of all-time, and he is (without question) the greatest power forward to ever live. In the same breath, Duncan is shooting just 48.6% from the floor on the way to 14.7 points per game, and his numbers simply don’t stack up to Cousins’ performance when you remember that DMC would be the only player in NBA history to post a PER of 25 or more in two straight seasons without an All-Star selection.

Tim Duncan should be a candidate for Defensive Player of the Year (I’ve written as much) and his value to San Antonio is undeniable. Still, DeMarcus Cousins has been outstanding this season (23.8 points, 12.3 rebounds per game tells the story) and when you remember that Duncan wants the week off anyway, this is one that the coaches simply missed.

Coaches are human beings, and selecting the All-Stars can’t be at the top of their priority list. That results in career achievement awards (Durant), partiality to veterans who do things the right way (Duncan) and even a lean toward guys who have been there before, but if you break things down, there are virtually always hiccups along way.

Damian Lillard, DeMarcus Cousins and Kyle Korver could all end up in New York due to various injury replacements, making this argument moot, but each deserves to be there in the first place.

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