Kyle Korver named to the All-Star game to replace Dwyane Wade ... really???

[crimson_stallion]

It's just been announced that the NBA has named Kyle Korver to the All-Star game to replace the injured Dwyane Wade.

I've seen some questionable All-Star selections in my time, but this surely has to be the worst one I've ever seen.

Before I go any further, lets look at Korver's individual stats this year:

12.9 points
4.3 rebounds
2.7 assists
0.7 steals
0.5 blocks
1.5 turnovers
51.6% FG
52.8% 3PT
92% FT

Ok, so looking at these numbers:
* Outright scoring numbers = average
* Rebounding = average
* Assists =  average
* Blocks and steals  = well below average (plus not really know as a good defender, period)
* Assists per turnover = very average

The only stand-out numbers he has are his shooting percentages, and to me that clearly highlights the fact that this man is the purest definition of a role player. 

The reason for this selection is clear to me. The Hawks are playing like beasts and dominating the East, so in recognition of this the NBA feels they deserve to have another guy make the team...and so Korver (by default) gets the nod.  By all means, I'm sure he has played a key role in that.

But, here's what I don't get.  There are other awards out there that reward a player for outstanding team contributions - the MVP award, for example.  The All-Star game is (and always has been) about recognising an player's individual achievements - his 'star power'. 

Kyle Korver is certainly not a star - not in any shape or form.  Are you going to try to tell me that Kyle Korver is just as much a star as Demarcus Cousins (who also didn't make the team initially, and later got voted in as an injury replacement)?  That's rediculous.  Korver is a frige starter while DMC is arguably the best center in the entire NBA. 

How does the NBA continue to go along redefining their existing awards to just be the "whatever we feel like it today" awards. 

* The All-Star game has quickly become a MPP (Most Popular Players) Game
* The Slam Dunk Contest has become the "Rookies Doing Weird Stuff with Props" contest
* The MVP award has become the BPBT (Best Player on the Best Team) Award.

Man the NBA is going downhill lately...

[The Rondo Show]

Korver is a fringe starter? He's the best shooter on the planet. Well deserved.

[Roy H.]

Yeah, Korver's selection is due to the Hawks' record.  His shooting has been amazing, and he has a large effect on an offense, but his individual stats probably don't support an all-star selection.

Do the Hawks really deserve four all-stars? 

[jpotter33]

Justified or not, it's probably due to both Atlanta's ridiculous record this year that seemingly came out of nowhere and Korver's chance of putting up the best shooting season of all time. That second reason is pretty dang impressive.

[jpotter33]

What guard in the East do you think should make it over him?

[fairweatherfan]

* The All-Star game has quickly become a MPP (Most Popular Players) Game

Man the NBA is going downhill lately...

I have some bad news for you about the entirety of league history, but I'll let this guy tell you:

[Roy H.]

What guard in the East do you think should make it over him?

Brandon Knight.

[RockinRyA]

Korver is a fringe starter? He's the best shooter on the planet. Well deserved.

Korver is an amazing shooter. But I think Curry is better than him in that regards, esp since Steph is more closely guarded than Korver.

[bdm860]

If you're upset about it, I'm interested in hearing about the more deserving players that Korver was picked over.

Zack Lowe did a write up a few weeks ago explaining why Korver was worthy of an All-Star spot:

FOUR HAWKS. [dang] freaking right. If the Warriors swapped conferences with the Hawks, they, too, might place three or even four All-Stars. Horford got off to a slow start while recovering from a pectoral tear, but he’s been tearing up the league over the last two weeks, and at his peak, Horford might be the best all-around big man in the East.

Korver is bound to be the most polarizing choice, though momentum for his candidacy is building. He doesn’t play “like an All-Star.” He shoots only eight times per game. He doesn’t get to the line. He has used only 14.5 percent of Atlanta’s possessions, one of the lowest rates ever for a potential All-Star. Hell, just last season, I left both Lance Stephenson and Andre Drummond off my ballot in part because of their limited roles on offense.

But we need different parameters for a guy putting up perhaps the greatest shooting season ever. Korver is shooting 53 percent on nearly six 3s per game. If you think all of those are wide-open jobs, you’re not watching the Hawks. Korver barely needs any airspace to flick off his quick release, and he’s shooting 47 percent — a number that could lead the league in some seasons — on 3s in which a defender is within four feet of him, per Spor****. I mean, I can barely process these numbers.

When you can shoot like Korver, you don’t need the ball to be a defining figure on every offensive possession.

Take two examples from Atlanta’s most recent game, its win Sunday against Minnesota.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ihG940-hPY

Horford gets an uncontested dunk at the end of this pick-and-roll because the help defender on the weak side, Andrew Wiggins, never arrives to challenge Horford in the paint. Startling fact: Wiggins is guarding Korver.

The Hawks botch this play, but watch what happens when Korver rubs off a DeMarre Carroll screen on the left side:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxCJHRppCkY

Both Wiggins and Thaddeus Young chase Korver, leaving Carroll free to cut into an open 2-on-1. Korver did not touch the ball on either of these possessions. They leave no trace on most statistical measures of his impact. But he’s a crucial figure in each one, and this kind of stuff happens all the time. He inspires panic in opposing defenses, and panic breeds both mistakes and paralysis.

Korver has the best plus/minus of all non-Warriors. He is the common denominator in [dang] near every productive Atlanta lineup.

Carmelo Anthony is a better basketball player than Korver, but we should reconsider how large that gap might be. Rule changes over the last decade have pushed coaches to evolve on both ends of the floor. Ball movement and spacing are more important than ever; holding the ball has never been a riskier proposition. Anthony is one of the rare players who can still stand around with the ball and center a viciously productive offense. The ability to score one-on-one and from the post will always have value, especially if the player doing it is a skilled passer.

But the difference in value between those glamour skills and what Korver does — shooting, running around, making smart cuts — is shrinking. Korver “can’t create his own shot,” the lazy catchall for what constitutes an All-Star, but there’s much more than that to being a good NBA player in 2015.

Personally, I like the variety and the message it sends.  Being an All-Star isn't just about volume scoring or one-on-one dominance.

[Quetzalcoatl]

50 - 50 - 90 is ridiculous.  He absolutely deserves it.  He completely changes the defense of the other team - they need someone on him at all times or it's free points.  We're playing the Hawks tomorrow - watch Korver and tell me he's not a star.  He's straight up having a season for the record books

[Rondo9]

If you're upset about it, I'm interested in hearing about the more deserving players that Korver was picked over.

Zack Lowe did a write up a few weeks ago explaining why Korver was worthy of an All-Star spot:

FOUR HAWKS. [dang] freaking right. If the Warriors swapped conferences with the Hawks, they, too, might place three or even four All-Stars. Horford got off to a slow start while recovering from a pectoral tear, but he’s been tearing up the league over the last two weeks, and at his peak, Horford might be the best all-around big man in the East.

Korver is bound to be the most polarizing choice, though momentum for his candidacy is building. He doesn’t play “like an All-Star.” He shoots only eight times per game. He doesn’t get to the line. He has used only 14.5 percent of Atlanta’s possessions, one of the lowest rates ever for a potential All-Star. Hell, just last season, I left both Lance Stephenson and Andre Drummond off my ballot in part because of their limited roles on offense.

But we need different parameters for a guy putting up perhaps the greatest shooting season ever. Korver is shooting 53 percent on nearly six 3s per game. If you think all of those are wide-open jobs, you’re not watching the Hawks. Korver barely needs any airspace to flick off his quick release, and he’s shooting 47 percent — a number that could lead the league in some seasons — on 3s in which a defender is within four feet of him, per Spor****. I mean, I can barely process these numbers.

When you can shoot like Korver, you don’t need the ball to be a defining figure on every offensive possession.

Take two examples from Atlanta’s most recent game, its win Sunday against Minnesota.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ihG940-hPY

Horford gets an uncontested dunk at the end of this pick-and-roll because the help defender on the weak side, Andrew Wiggins, never arrives to challenge Horford in the paint. Startling fact: Wiggins is guarding Korver.

The Hawks botch this play, but watch what happens when Korver rubs off a DeMarre Carroll screen on the left side:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxCJHRppCkY

Both Wiggins and Thaddeus Young chase Korver, leaving Carroll free to cut into an open 2-on-1. Korver did not touch the ball on either of these possessions. They leave no trace on most statistical measures of his impact. But he’s a crucial figure in each one, and this kind of stuff happens all the time. He inspires panic in opposing defenses, and panic breeds both mistakes and paralysis.

Korver has the best plus/minus of all non-Warriors. He is the common denominator in [dang] near every productive Atlanta lineup.

Carmelo Anthony is a better basketball player than Korver, but we should reconsider how large that gap might be. Rule changes over the last decade have pushed coaches to evolve on both ends of the floor. Ball movement and spacing are more important than ever; holding the ball has never been a riskier proposition. Anthony is one of the rare players who can still stand around with the ball and center a viciously productive offense. The ability to score one-on-one and from the post will always have value, especially if the player doing it is a skilled passer.

But the difference in value between those glamour skills and what Korver does — shooting, running around, making smart cuts — is shrinking. Korver “can’t create his own shot,” the lazy catchall for what constitutes an All-Star, but there’s much more than that to being a good NBA player in 2015.

Personally, I like the variety and the message it sends.  Being an All-Star isn't just about volume scoring or one-on-one dominance.

Brandon Knight?

[PhoSita]

I'm gonna play Devils advocate on this one, I guess.  The Hawks are so good in large part because of their shooting, and Korver is a huge part of that.  He doesn't always get a lot of touches, but he affects the game in a major way even when he doesn't touch the ball.  He's probably the best pure shooter in the game at the moment and I think the focus on flat point per game totals is outdated and narrow minded.

I think Korver is more deserving of the spot than Horford, and I'd place him ahead of any SG in the East not named Jimmy Butler.

[Rondo9]

I guess I'll be that guy and say that I don't agree that Korver should be an All Star this year. 

[Tr1boy]

Korver is lucky his coach is the all star coach.

Does he deserve it? Maybe not but he is having a heck of a year so far. I'm ok with him being chosen. One of the best 3 pt shooters in the league right now

[saltlover]

Korver is lucky his coach is the all star coach.

Silver makes the decision.  His coach makes the decision who plays.