Early East all star thoughts, who you got?

[celticsclay]

Here is the roster from last year

   * LeBron James (Cavaliers)   
13   * Paul George (Pacers)   
7   * Carmelo Anthony (Knicks)   
3   * Dwyane Wade (Heat)   
7   * Kyle Lowry (Raptors)   
21   ^ Jimmy Butler (Bulls)   
10   DeMar DeRozan (Raptors)   
4   Paul Millsap (Hawks)      
0   # Andre Drummond (Pistons)      
1   ^ Chris Bosh (Heat)      
2   John Wall (Wizards)      
4   # Isaiah Thomas (Celtics)
16   Pau Gasol (Bulls)   
15   Al Horford (Hawks)

Note that Bosh and Butler did not play in the game due to injury.
Gasol is no longer in the east
Irving will definitely make the team after missing last year due to limited games
Love has a great chance at making the game and replacing Gasol

Who else makes it doesn't make it? IT is definitely not a lock but I think he has a chance for sure (us winning a bunch of games to improve our record would certainly help). He is second in the east in scoring and would be one of the higher scoring players to never make it if he somehow was not.

Wade does not deserve to make it anymore over any of the guards in the east and I kind of hope that he does not.

Center
I think Whiteside will replace Drummond. His numbers are mostly down across the board and the Pistons have been disappointing. Howard has a case but the Hawks struggles recently have probably really hurt them. Interesting to see if even Milsap can make it.

[PhoSita]

I'm assuming we'll get the usual starters ....

Irving, Bron, Wade, Melo

Who gets voted in at the big man spot?  Drummond?  Porzingis?  I'm not sure.


As for the reserves, I think we can count on:

- Butler
- George
- Derozan
- Giannis
- Lowry
- Love


That's 10 spots I'm pretty sure will be filled.

Contenders for the remaining spots:

- Kemba
- Isaiah
- Wall
- Horford
- Millsap
- Drummond
- Porzingis
- Jabari
- Howard
- Whiteside

[green_bballers13]

I think IT gets a spot if he a) continues to score 26+ppg, b) comes back from injury soon without a decline in performance. I don't think Horford deserves to be an All Star, through a quarter of the year. There's plenty of time to change that.

[Moranis]

I'm assuming we'll get the usual starters ....

Irving, Bron, Wade, Melo

Who gets voted in at the big man spot?  Drummond?  Porzingis?  I'm not sure.


As for the reserves, I think we can count on:

- Butler
- George
- Derozan
- Giannis
- Lowry
- Love


That's 10 spots I'm pretty sure will be filled.

Contenders for the remaining spots:

- Kemba
- Isaiah
- Wall
- Horford
- Millsap
- Drummond
- Porzingis
- Jabari
- Howard
- Whiteside

You really 11 spots filled since you need a starting center and not a single one of your 10 is a center (you list Drummond and Porzingis in both spots).  My guess is Drummond will be the starting center.

[PhoSita]

You really 11 spots filled since you need a starting center and not a single one of your 10 is a center (you list Drummond and Porzingis in both spots).  My guess is Drummond will be the starting center.

I listed those guys twice because I'm not sure who will get voted in as the starter.

[celticsclay]

You really 11 spots filled since you need a starting center and not a single one of your 10 is a center (you list Drummond and Porzingis in both spots).  My guess is Drummond will be the starting center.

I listed those guys twice because I'm not sure who will get voted in as the starter.

Do you realize that Anthony only beat a 38 year old Gasol last year by about 500 votes? I am pretty sure he would lose his spot to Love or something else this year as a starter. Than the question is, does he make it as a backup? At 22 ppg, 6 rebounds 42% shooting he certainly is not a lock.

[PhoSita]

You really 11 spots filled since you need a starting center and not a single one of your 10 is a center (you list Drummond and Porzingis in both spots).  My guess is Drummond will be the starting center.

I listed those guys twice because I'm not sure who will get voted in as the starter.

Do you realize that Anthony only beat a 38 year old Gasol last year by about 500 votes? I am pretty sure he would lose his spot to Love or something else this year as a starter. Than the question is, does he make it as a backup? At 22 ppg, 6 rebounds 42% shooting he certainly is not a lock.

I don't think Melo would make it in as a reserve.

I could see Knicks fans flooding the votes for Zinger more so than Melo.

But it wouldn't surprise me at all if both guys were voted in.

[mgent]

Irving
Demar
Melo
LeBron
Zinger

Guards
IT
Wall

Frontcourt
Giannis
Butler
Drummond

Wildcard
Lowry
Walker

Injury Replacements
Love
George
Beal?
Milsap?
Wade?

[mgent]

You really 11 spots filled since you need a starting center and not a single one of your 10 is a center (you list Drummond and Porzingis in both spots).  My guess is Drummond will be the starting center.

I listed those guys twice because I'm not sure who will get voted in as the starter.

Do you realize that Anthony only beat a 38 year old Gasol last year by about 500 votes? I am pretty sure he would lose his spot to Love or something else this year as a starter. Than the question is, does he make it as a backup? At 22 ppg, 6 rebounds 42% shooting he certainly is not a lock.

I don't think Melo would make it in as a reserve.

I could see Knicks fans flooding the votes for Zinger more so than Melo.

But it wouldn't surprise me at all if both guys were voted in.

I think they'll both make it, but I think Melo will get more votes than Zinger.

Then again, it's just 3 frontcourt players, so I can see Zinger and Drummond both on the bench with Butler or maybe even Giannis winning the vote.

Also @celticsclay:  38 years old or not, Gasol is/was a popular player.  More so than Love worldwide, in my opinion.

[celticsclay]

You really 11 spots filled since you need a starting center and not a single one of your 10 is a center (you list Drummond and Porzingis in both spots).  My guess is Drummond will be the starting center.

I listed those guys twice because I'm not sure who will get voted in as the starter.

Do you realize that Anthony only beat a 38 year old Gasol last year by about 500 votes? I am pretty sure he would lose his spot to Love or something else this year as a starter. Than the question is, does he make it as a backup? At 22 ppg, 6 rebounds 42% shooting he certainly is not a lock.

I don't think Melo would make it in as a reserve.

I could see Knicks fans flooding the votes for Zinger more so than Melo.

But it wouldn't surprise me at all if both guys were voted in.

I think they'll both make it, but I think Melo will get more votes than Zinger.

Then again, it's just 3 frontcourt players, so I can see Zinger and Drummond both on the bench with Butler or maybe even Giannis winning the vote.

Also @celticsclay:  38 years old or not, Gasol is/was a popular player.  More so than Love worldwide, in my opinion.

I am not going to pretend I know the amount of Europeans that vote for the NBA All-Star game, but there certainly hasn't ever been a euro bounce where undeserving European players consistently made the game when they didn't deserve it. Also, Gasol despite being really consistent for his career has still only made 6 all-star games total (in other words he wasn't getting voted in every year). I am pretty sure Love will get some votes just because the Cavs will have the best record and he will also get some people that are Cavs fans because of Lebron.

I really think Carmelo's star has dimmed immensely with the Knicks not making the playoffs for multiple years in a row and his numbers starting to decline. I really don't have any way of guessing if Porzingas will make it.

[Who]

PG: Lowry, Kyrie, Kemba, Isaiah
SG: DeRozan, P.George
SF: J.Butler, Giannis
PF: LeBron, K-Love
 C: Embiid, Drummond


Tough to leave out Batum, Horford and Porzingis.

Edit: I completely forgot Giannis. Wade out, Giannis in.

[Moranis]

You really 11 spots filled since you need a starting center and not a single one of your 10 is a center (you list Drummond and Porzingis in both spots).  My guess is Drummond will be the starting center.

I listed those guys twice because I'm not sure who will get voted in as the starter.

Sure, but one of them will be the starter, which means you have 5 starters and 6 guys as locks on the bench.  That leaves 1 spot.

[PhoSita]

You really 11 spots filled since you need a starting center and not a single one of your 10 is a center (you list Drummond and Porzingis in both spots).  My guess is Drummond will be the starting center.

I listed those guys twice because I'm not sure who will get voted in as the starter.

Sure, but one of them will be the starter, which means you have 5 starters and 6 guys as locks on the bench.  That leaves 1 spot.

Really doesn't seem like enough spots, does it?

[RAAAAAAAANDY]

If you don't think Paul George is an all star game starter you are off your rocker. He is unreal.

G - Kemba
G - Derozan
F - LeBron
F - George
F - Giannis

Kyrie
Wall
Wade
Butler
Zinger
Love
Horford

[RAAAAAAAANDY]

You really 11 spots filled since you need a starting center and not a single one of your 10 is a center (you list Drummond and Porzingis in both spots).  My guess is Drummond will be the starting center.

I listed those guys twice because I'm not sure who will get voted in as the starter.

Sure, but one of them will be the starter, which means you have 5 starters and 6 guys as locks on the bench.  That leaves 1 spot.

Really doesn't seem like enough spots, does it?

Is it 15 or 12?

I always forget