Dame: Wont be the same reaction as last year.

You say it's supposed to be about individual achievement, but I don't see why. I think the term "All Star" is purposefully vague in its application over the years. Fans and coaches get to pick what it means to them, which may or may not include team achievement. Which suits me fine. It's necessarily adaptive to circumstance and league trends.

For example, the current NBA is predicated much more on team ball and passing than, say early 2000's ball which basically was ISO's and post-ups. Draymond Green's achievements in the current climate shine at least as much as, say, Shareef Abdur Rahim getting into the All Star game in 2002 based on his putting up stats on a 35 win Atlanta team*.

(*Interesting side note: Terry Stotts was head coach for most of that season! lol. So when we talk about Stotts being an underrated coach, add "he got SAR into an All Star game!" to the list of remarkable yet completely unremarked achievements.)

 

Dame is currently averaging 24.6 pts, 6.9 asts, 4.4 rebs.

No player who has ever averaged 24/6/4 over a season has missed the all star team. This year, Lebron, Curry, Harden, and Dame are the only ones who are putting up those numbers.

http://bkref.com/tiny/oKC80

 

AND we're within spitting distance of the playoffs, which NOBODY expected after losing 4/5 of our starting unit.

Still, I'm just not sure.... I think the Warriors will get at least two, and maybe three, All-Stars because of their record.

Last year there were 7 guards on the west roster.

4 F/C players.

2 Forwards.

1 center.

The guards were Curry, Bryant, Klay Thompson, Westbrook, Harden, Paul, and Dame.

We already know that Curry and Westbrook are in. I expect Harden and Paul will make the team as well. It's a 12 man team.

Starters

Curry
Westbrook
Kobe
Kawhi
Durant

That leaves 7 spots. I think the sure things are:

Harden
Draymond
Anthony Davis
DeMarcus Cousins
Paul

So that's 10. Two spots left.

Do the Spurs get a second guy? Aldridge? Duncan?

Do the Warriors get a third guy? Klay Thompson?

Do the Clips get a second guy? Blake Griffin? DeAndre Jordan?

Someone is going to get left out, and my gut tells me that Dame is going to get snubbed for someone like Klay. I just hope Aldridge doesn't make it.

 

I'd be very upset if Aldridge and his 16/9 make the team over Dame. You can't tell me that he gets the same kind of defensive attention that Dame draws on a nightly basis. Western coaches vote for all stars. Given how every single one of them traps Dame hard, and doubles/triples him, it would be very annoying if they don't vote him in.

If you don't think he's an all star, then don't cover him like you do. I wonder when votes are due. The results will be announced Thursday.

 

Yeah, but as has been mentioned before, coaches reward winning (which I think is incorrect), but someone like Aldridge or Thompson could get the nod because they're playing for one of the two best teams in the league. Dame was pretty damn good last year (before the All-Star break) and he got the snub by the coaches.

 

I don't think the coaches will snub him this season as he is murdering teams even after game planning for him specifically and not LA

 

So who gets left off? Klay?

Would you agree that 5 of the 7 non-starters are most likely

Harden
Draymond
Anthony Davis
DeMarcus Cousins
Paul

 

I think so. Did he make it last year?

 

I could see Davis being left off. But generally yeah. I think Dame easily makes it in over Klay.

 

Marc Stein says Dame doesn't make it.

http://espn.go.com/blog/marc-stein/post/_/id/4264/steins-ballot-for-all-star-reserve-selections

Here are the stipulations for the coaches (per Stein)

He says:

Guards
Paul
Harden

Forwards
Draymond
Cousins
Aldridge

Wild Cards
Klay
Dirk

 

His stats dwarf Klays and he gets way more defensive attention. I think that means something to coaches.

 

Wins can trump stats, and Klay is averaging 20 ppg on the best team in the league.

 

Dirk making it is like Duncan making it. Lifetime achievement award. We already have Kobe there. No room for Dirk. He won't make it.

 

Am I the only one who thinks the lifetime award thing is the exact opposite of what the players would want? I know I'd feel like a dbag knowing a better player got left off because I'm an old bitch who used to be great.

 

Pretty sure Dirk and Timmy would rather skip it as well.

 

I agree. I don't think Dirk makes it, but I'd be surprised if Davis doesn't make it. He's averaging 23 and 10.

 

Klay is very impressive overall, but being homer here there is something to be said for Lillards wins after loosing his entire starting squad..

 

That's the difficult part to quantify. If Dame were on another team, we would write him off as a stat stuffer. Good player on a bad team... But, the defensive attention he draws shows the respect he has from other coaches. That or it's a sign of disrespect, knowing that he struggles with the double teams and that makes Portland significantly easier to beat. So many ways of looking at it...

 

I agree. I think Dame should make it. I just don't think he will.