Author Topic: All Star Voting is Open. Who Ya Got?  (Read 3201 times)

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Re: All Star Voting is Open. Who Ya Got?
« Reply #30 on: January 15, 2019, 08:00:41 PM »

Offline RodyTur10

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My 24 All Stars for both conferences (starters in bold):

Eastern Conference

Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks)   
Kawhi Leonard (Toronto Raptors)   
Victor Oladipo (Indiana Pacers)      
Domantas Sabonis (Indiana Pacers)
Jimmy Butler (Philadelphia 76ers)   
Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers)
Kyrie Irving (Boston Celtics)
D'Angelo Russell (Brooklyn Nets)      
Kemba Walker (Charlotte Hornets)      
Blake Griffin (Detroit Pistons)   
Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards)      
Nikola Vucevic (Orlando Magic)
         
Coach: Mike Budenholzer (Milwaukee Bucks)      

Western Conference
      
Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets)
Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors)
Kevin Durant (Golden State Warriors)   
Paul George (Oklahoma City Thunder)   
Damian Lillard (Portland Trailblazers)   
Jusuf Nurkic (Portland Trailblazers)
James Harden (Houston Rockets)
Tobias Harris (Los Angeles Clippers)   
Rudy Gobert (Utah Jazz)
LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers)   
Anthony Davis (New Orleans Pelicans)
Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks)   
      
Coach: Gregg Popovich (San Antonio Spurs)      

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It was tough to select exactly 12 players from each conference. In the East I had 10 players of whom I was certain that they deserved to be in the All Star game. For the last two spots I looked at Milwaukee, who are arguably the best team in the NBA so far, but it's hard to choose between Eric Bledsoe, Malcolm Brogdon and Khris Middleton. For roster balance it made sense to add another big. Hassan Whiteside could've been the representative for Miami, but I chose Sabonis, his impact on the Pacers has been huge. I considered Ben Simmons, but that would be more based on stats than actual play. Kyle Lowry would be a safe choice, but honestly he has regressed quite a bit. So I went with Russell who's pushing the Brooklyn Nets to a very impressive 6th place in the conference so far.

In the West it's easy to make a case for players like Jamal Murray (Denver), Klay Thompson (GSW), Russell Westbrook (OKC), Steven Adams (OKC), Clint Capela (Houston, injured), DeMar DeRozan (Spurs), LaMarcus Aldridge (Spurs), Karl-Anthony Towns (Minnesota Timberwolves), Jrue Holiday (New Orleans) or Mike Conley (Memphis). Most of them would've made it in the East, but the West is full with star players. LeBron isn't even starting, because of the remarkable seasons by George and Durant! I've tried to really reward individual play and not just players who happen to be on a winning team. Also notice that the West is so close that there isn't much reason to overvalue for instance a player from a #4 seed over a #12 seed.

I know that coaches aren't chosen, but Mike Budenholzer and Gregg Popovich should be there, since they're obviously both doing a phenomenal job.
« Last Edit: January 22, 2019, 06:02:10 AM by RodyTur10 »