2016 NBA All-Star Game: 5 biggest snubs for starters

The five biggest snubs for the starters in the 2016 NBA All-Star Game

The 2016 NBA All-Star Game is less than a month away and, as such, things are starting to take shape for the league’s showcase weekend. While no one in their right mind cares a bit about the participants for the All-Star Celebrity Game having been revealed first, there is at least some buzz about the starters for the contest being announced on Thursday night on TNT as part of their pre-game broadcast.

For the Western Conference, the frontcourt was comprised of the leading vote-getter overall in Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant, and San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard. The backcourt is comprised of Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry and Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook.

Out in the Eastern Conference, Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James, Indiana Pacers forward Paul George, and New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony make up the starting frontcourt. In the backcourt for the East, it’ll be Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade and Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry making up the starting backcourt.

While most of the players that were voted as starters by the fans are more than deserving of the nod, there are also a number of players who may not be quite as deserving. The first that many people are going to point out is, of course, Kobe.

Bryant is playing in his final NBA season and, subsequently, this will be his final All-Star Game appearance. It’s wholly unsurprising that he was voted as a starter in the West considering his worldwide fame and notoriety, but it’s also hard to deny that he hasn’t been particularly effective for the Lakers in terms of production in his final season. While you have to enjoy the nostalgia of seeing the Black Mamba in one final All-Star Game, the fact that there are more deserving players throughout the league.

In the same light, Irving getting the start in the East backcourt is curious seeing that he missed almost two months of the season due to a knee surgery he underwent in the offseason. Merely on the lack of games played, he probably should not have been voted in as an All-Star considering the other deserving candidates.

Again, it’s hard to argue with many of the selections, but there were certainly a number of players that fell victim to the trials of the fan vote. Most or all of these players will be selected as reserves, but these are the five most egregious examples of that and the five biggest snubs for the 2016 All-Star Game starters.

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