Chicago Bulls: Luol Deng Should Be an Eastern Conference All-Star

It's true that Luol Deng has missed substantial time due to injury this season. However, despite the games missed to injury, Luol Deng has earned himself a spot in the All-Star Game this year.

 Deng has only put up modest numbers this season: 16.2 points per game, 7.6 rebounds per game and 43.4 percent from the field. But his impact has been far more than those numbers. 

Deng is unique because he effects every aspect of the game at once, perhaps even more than Derrick Rose. While Rose is the leader on the floor and catalyst of the offense, Luol Deng does every little thing that a team needs to win a title. 

Deng is the player who guards the opposing teams' best player. There are very few guys that possess Deng's height, strength and length, which make him an imposing defender for any team to matchup against.

Luol is also one of the better players in the league at moving without the ball. Without much effort from Rose, Deng is able to chip in about 17 points a game—making Rose's job easier offensively. Also, Deng's height allows him to be one of the best rebounders at the small-forward position. 

To truly look at Deng's impact, you have to look at the performance of the team. With Deng on the floor for 19 games, the Bulls have gone 16-3. Without Deng on the floor for seven games, the Bulls went a meager 4-3. Just for a comparison, the Bulls went 4-1 without Derrick Rose in the lineup.

The key difference is that they played the best teams in the East with Deng gone, and the worst teams with Rose gone—but it's still a telling stat about the importance of Deng to the Bulls. 

Without a doubt there are players that are putting up better scoring numbers and better shooting numbers, and many will make the case that those players deserve to make the game. However for being the second-most important player on the team with the most wins in the league, and for fulfilling so many roles for said team—Deng should receive an All-Star selection.