NBA All-Star Reserves 2015: TV Schedule, Live Stream and Final Predictions

Every year, there is some inevitable griping when the NBA All-Star Game starting lineups are announced, as the ballot stuffing and blind player worship leads to some questionable selections for spots that are ostensibly supposed to go to the best, most deserving hardwood heroes at each position in the Western and Eastern Conferences.

2015 is no different, with Kobe Bryant and Carmelo Anthony as the two most obviously contentious choices. Bryant will miss the game after undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery, but ESPN Stats & Info did point out that he was a rather bizarre choice in the first place:

This is a system in which Jeremy Lin received roughly twice as many votes as Mike Conley Jr. There are imperfections, and then there are implausibilities. The fan voting system has both, but the All-Star Game is nothing if not fan service.

However, the reserves are where coaches can look at each player's merit and serve justice, rectify oversights and right wrongs. Of course, there will still be some worthy players left on the outside looking in come All-Star weekend, but such is life in the Association.

Here's a look at the TV schedule for the reserves selection show followed by predictions on the final bench rosters and the cases for two players who deserve to make the cut but might not be on everyone's lists.

Date: Thursday, Jan. 29

Start Time (ET): 7 p.m.

TV: TNT

Live Stream: Watch TNT

Player	Team	Pos.
Jeff Teague	Atlanta Hawks	Guard
Jimmy Butler	Chicago Bulls	Guard
Paul Millsap	Atlanta Hawks	Frontcourt
Al Horford	Atlanta Hawks	Frontcourt
Nikola Vucevic	Orlando Magic	Frontcourt
Dwyane Wade	Miami Heat	Wild Card
Kyrie Irving	Cleveland Cavaliers	Wild Card

Player	Team	Position
James Harden	Houston Rockets	Guard
Russell Westbrook	Oklahoma City Thunder	Guard
Kevin Durant	Oklahoma City Thunder	Frontcourt
LaMarcus Aldridge	Portland Trail Blazers	Frontcourt
DeMarcus Cousins	Sacramento Kings	Frontcourt
Chris Paul	Los Angeles Clippers	Wild Card
Damian Lillard	Portland Trail Blazers	Wild Card
Klay Thompson	Golden State Warriors	Injury Replacement

Nikola Vucevic, C, Orlando Magic

Jason DeCrow/Associated Press

First things first, the NBA coaches have a duty to make sure the Eastern Conference reserves feature multiple Atlanta Hawks. The silkiest, slickest team in the Association doesn't have a starter in the All-Star Game despite a 38-8 record and a 17-game winning streak still in production.

Naturally, this won't leave too many reserves spots for some of the other stars in the East. It's nice to reward players for serving as key cogs in well-oiled, winning machines, but sometimes you have to include the dude putting up gaudy numbers on a desolate roster.

This year, that honor should go to Nikola Vucevic, who's having a breakout season on the 15-33 Orlando Magic. The fourth-year pro ranks sixth among all qualified Eastern Conference players in player efficiency rating (PER) at 22.17, per ESPN.com. 

His traditional numbers stack up quite nicely against the other top centers in the East, including All-Star candidates like Al Horford and Chris Bosh.

Player	Team	G	MPG	PPG	FG %	RPG	BPG	PER
Nikola Vucevic	Orlando Magic	42	34.5	19.5	.536	11.2	0.8	22.17
Chris Bosh	Miami Heat	37	35.4	21.3	.471	7.5	0.6	21.04
Al Horford	Atlanta Hawks	44	30.5	15.3	.551	6.8	1.4	21.52
Al Jefferson	Charlotte Hornets	37	31.5	17.4	.489	8.2	1.2	20.04
Andre Drummond	Detroit Pistons	47	29.1	12.4	.492	12.8	1.8	19.93

Of course, the Swiss-born center isn't competing against just centers for a reserve spot, and a number of strong power forwards—including Paul Millsap and Kevin Love—will be hoping for a selection. He's also yet to establish himself as an interior defender, but the all-around talents he brings to the table overshadow the faults in his game.

ESPN Stats & Info noted he's a double-double machine:

Basketball Insiders' Steve Kyler considers him a better offensive player than at least one other Eastern Conference big man:

And if personality counts for anything, Vucevic remained appropriately humble when asked by Grantland's Zach Lowe about his All-Star case: 

"

I don't like talking about myself in these situations. I've played well this whole year. I've been consistent. I've made huge improvements since last year. I wish my play helped the team get some more wins, and hopefully that will come with time.

The most important thing is to be consistent. There are so many games, it's hard to play at a high level consistently.

"

He is undoubtedly the focal point on a talent-starved squad, and his numbers might have a boost as result, but that shouldn't take away from the massive improvement he's shown this year. At 24 years old, this season could be the start of a long run of dominance in the NBA.

Vucevic looks set to make a number of All-Star Games in the coming years. Why not start now?

Kevin Durant, SF, Oklahoma City Thunder 

David Goldman/Associated Press

Bryant's injury managed to somewhat alleviate the logjam of talented Western Conference players who will miss out on the All-Star Game, but the list of worthy players is still quite long. 

However, the coaches are bound to replace a missing superstar with another healthy one in Kevin Durant. The league's most talented and versatile scorer, Durant would be a lock just about any other year with how well he's played (25.6 PPG, 4.1 APG, 6.7 RPG).

And yet the Thunder are mired in 10th place in the West, and Durant has played just 21 games as of Wednesday, far fewer than the majority of players in contention for a reserve spot. This could hurt him come selection time.

The likes of Zach Randolph, Blake Griffin, Dirk Nowitzki and Tim Duncan (among many others) have put in yeoman's work this season pushing their respective squads through the bloody gauntlet that is the West, but Durant's impact on his team is difficult to ignore.

Clearly, the Thunder are a much better team with the lanky assassin on the court. Durant also ranks second among NBAers in PER at 28.75, via ESPN.com. His return sparked an immediate turnaround for a struggling Oklahoma City squad.

Team Stat	Durant on Court	Durant Off court	Net
Minutes	615	1420	N/A
Off Pts per 100 Poss.	111.9	103.5	+8.4
Def Pts per 100 Poss.	101.9	105.8	-3.8
Effective FG %	51.1	47.4	+3.7

The Thunder went on a seven-game win streak that began in Durant's second game back from injury, and they're 14-7 overall when he suits up (9-16 without). The All-Star Game is also tailor-made for filthy jams like these, via SportsCenter: 

ESPN's Ramona Shelburne passed along her opinion on the reigning league MVP shortly after the starting lineups were announced:

He's such a gifted scorer that coach Scott Brooks has hardly needed to develop an equitable offensive system during his time in Oklahoma City. 

Durant's recent toe injury might give some coaches an excuse to skate over him in the selection process, as will the presence of firebrand point guard Russell Westbrook, who also figures to snag a reserve spot. 

That being said, if Durant had been healthy from day one of the 2014-15 season, there would be no denying him a starting spot in the All-Star Game, let alone a reserve push. With apologies to the many talented frontcourt players who will see an extended break in February—then again, some might welcome it—there's no denying Durant this year.