Chris Bosh Named All-Star Game Starter by Eastern Coach Erik Spoelstra
With the Eastern Conference All-Star roster banged up heading into this weekend's game, Miami Heat forward Chris Bosh has been added to the starting lineup by head coach Erik Spoelstra.
According to Michael Wallace of ESPN, Bosh will take the place of injured Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo for Sunday's All-Star Game:
"Bosh will start alongside Heat teammates Dwyane Wade and LeBron James, with Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Garnett.
There was a possibility that Spoelstra would have taken a conventional approach by replacing Rondo with another guard, with Kyrie Irving being a popular alternative.
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Fans are likely going to be up in arms over this decision because it is the head coach for the Miami Heat giving one of his players more time in the spotlight than a more deserving player who actually plays the open position.
Irving has developed into a superstar for the Cleveland Cavaliers this season after a solid rookie campaign. He is averaging 23.5 points, 5.5 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game.
Bosh is having a very good season as well. He is averaging 17.7 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game.
If you were to start a team, obviously, you would go with Irving because of the position he plays and his age (Irving is eight years younger).
However, getting worked up over who starts an exhibition game is silly. It's not like Irving didn't make the team and won't get put in the game at some point. Who knows, he could end up playing 25-plus minutes and winning the MVP award.
Bosh had a built-in advantage of his coach being on the bench for the Eastern Conference. It happens all the time and will continue to happen as long as there are coaches and players from the same team on an All-Star team.
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