Early Starting Lineup Predictions for the 2015 NBA All-Star Game
The 2015 NBA All-Star Game is still more than two months away, but the process of choosing which 10 players will start between the East and West in New York has already begun.
In truth, the voting, which opened on Dec. 11, actually started later this season than it has in years past. That additional time could come in handy for fans, though, who are now free to choose whoever they want to fill the guard and forward spots on each squad, so long as the positions match up. Compare that to previous years, when voters had to write in candidates who weren't pre-selected for the ballot by the league.
Those choices aren't the only ones that have expanded considerably, either. Now, voters can make their voices heard through Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, texting, the NBA Game Time app and, of course, the online ballot.
It's one thing to say that certain players are more deserving of selection than others. But the fans want who they want, and this being an exhibition for the fans, they usually get what they want.
So, rather than state cold, logical cases in support of those standout players who may not boast the same name recognition as some of their more hallowed peers, let's take a stab at predicting which of the Association's biggest stars the masses will choose to tip things off at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 15, based on recent popularity.
Western Conference Guard: Kobe Bryant
1 of 10
You could argue that James Harden is the MVP of the league so far, but there's about a snowball's chance in you-know-where of the Houston Rockets swingman getting more votes than the guy he expected to look like a 20-year-old Kobe Bryant coming into this season.
The Mamba hasn't looked quite that spry so far, though the fact that he's proved capable of putting up big numbers in even bigger minutes, after coming back from not one but two major injuries, is yet another testament to his greatness in the eyes of those throngs who worship him. The Los Angeles Lakers legend ranks third in the league in scoring, averaging more than 25 points per game, albeit while shooting a career-low 38.7 percent from the field for a 7-16 team.
That being said, it would be a shock if Bryant weren't voted in by the fans. That's how he's come by each of his 16 previous appearances, three of which he earned as the NBA's leading vote-getter.
If Bryant could garner enough votes last season to start for the West, despite playing just six subpar games for the Lakers in between Achilles and knee injuries, then surely an active Mamba can draw enough of his millions upon millions of fans to the virtual ballot box to put him back on the court in the Big Apple.
Western Conference Guard: Stephen Curry
2 of 10
Stephen Curry cut down Chris Paul's three-year All-Star starting streak by more than 200,000 votes last year. With the way Steph's star has exploded since then, there's no reason to believe he won't drive an even bigger wedge into that gap this time around.
Curry has thrust himself to the forefront of the MVP race so far, and not just because he's the best player on a Golden State Warriors squad that owns the best record in the NBA.
Aside from ranking among the league's top six in both points (23.0 per game) and assists (7.7 per game), Curry's also within striking distance of becoming just the ninth player in NBA history to hit more than half of his shots, better than 40 percent of his threes and upwards of 90 percent of his free throws in the same season.
What's more impressive, none of his predecessors in that department launched anything close to the 7.3 three-pointers per game that Curry has through the first quarter of the 2014-15 campaign.
Beyond the statistical marvels, though, Curry's style of play is a perfect fit for the All-Star Game. What he lacks in jaw-dropping athleticism, he more than makes up for with captivating hot streaks from beyond the arc, fantastic handles and a passing flair that's nearly unmatched by his peers.
Western Conference Forward: Kevin Durant
3 of 10
So what if Kevin Durant missed the first 17 games of the 2014-15 season with a foot injury? So what if his shooting and scoring numbers so far are at their lowest points in years?
We're still talking about KD here. The reigning MVP. No worse than the second-best basketball player on the planet.
More importantly (for the purposes of this discussion, anyway), Durant has been voted into the All-Star Game for four years running, and he hasn't missed the midseason classic since the 2008-09 season, when he was but a wee sophomore.
It certainly doesn't hurt, either, that Durant is popular among those who are most adept at using the technology through which so much of this year's voting will be done. As Bleacher Report's Jeffrey Martin concluded, after an eye-opening examination of the shoe-deal battle that brewed between Nike and Under Armour over Durant's services this past summer: "Basically, millennials LOVE Durant."
And, really, they're not the only ones.
Western Conference Forward: Blake Griffin
4 of 10
The field of All-Star-worthy power forwards remains devastatingly deep, even after Kevin Love's summer switch to the East. Anthony Davis, Dirk Nowitzki and LaMarcus Aldridge all figure to garner gaggles of ballots, but keeping up with Blake Griffin will be another story entirely.
Griffin's been an All-Star starter out West in each of the past three years, and for good reason. Aside from his prodigious productivity and sharpened jump shot, Griffin's abilities as a tall ball-handler and death-defying leaper have long made him a perfect fit for the NBA's glorified playground scrimmage.
Granted, Griffin isn't dunking nearly as frequently this season as he has throughout his career. According to CBS Sports, Griffin's 28 slams coming into Saturday's action were the 13th-most in the league so far this season.
Still, there's no denying Griffin's appeal as an acrobat in this particular popularity contest.
Western Conference Forward: Dwight Howard
5 of 10
Fewer than 8,000 votes separated Kevin Love and Dwight Howard in the race for the third starting forward spot out West last season. That brought to an end a six-year streak of All-Star starts for Howard.
His demotion may well have had as much to do with the previous summer's "Dwightmare," which ended with Howard in Houston, as it did with Love's superb performance.
But Love's no longer competing with Howard in the West. Better yet, Howard's now nearly a year-and-a-half removed from his foray into free agency—enough time for his wounded public profile to heal from the damage done in Orlando and L.A.
All Howard has to contend with now is an actual injury. He's missed Houston's last 11 games on account of a strained knee.
Prior to that, though, Dwight had done more than enough work to justify All-Star consideration, with per-game averages of 18.8 points, 11.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks to his credit.
So long as Howard can still get off the floor for rim-rattling dunks, he'll be well worth watching in New York come February—especially if it means having to join forces with his teammate-turned-archenemy, Kobe Bryant.
Eastern Conference Guard: Derrick Rose
6 of 10
The last time Derrick Rose was even close to 100 percent healthy, he was voted in as a starter at guard for the Eastern Conference.
So far, Rose would appear to be in pretty darn good shape.
For the most part, anyway. On Friday, the former MVP put together his strongest performance since tearing his ACL, torching Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers for a season-high 31 points to go along with five assists in just 32 minutes during the Chicago Bulls' 115-106 win.
"Every game I'm getting more and more comfortable with it," Rose told reporters after the game.
Rose won't find any shortage of competition for starter's votes. Kyrie Irving and Rajon Rondo are both putting together strong seasons, and they have each been chosen to start since Rose last appeared in the All-Star Game.
John Wall and Kyle Lowry are arguably the East's best point guards, starring for two of the conference's top teams.
But Rose's immense popularity, at home and abroad, should help to nudge him ahead of the field, so long as he continues to play his best basketball on national television.
Eastern Conference Guard: Dwyane Wade
7 of 10
Speaking of superstar guards with health concerns, how about the season Dwyane Wade is putting together?
The 10-time All-Star is averaging 21.3 points so far, and he has been even better since returning from injury at the end of November. Over his last eight games, Wade posted 22.9 points on 54.1 percent shooting, including a season-high 29-point explosion against the Utah Jazz on Friday.
Fitness permitting, Wade should find himself among the first five players on the floor for the East at Madison Square Garden. The soon-to-be 33-year-old hasn't missed an All-Star start since 2005, and he doesn't seem ready to relinquish that distinction, even with the likes of Jimmy Butler and Bradley Beal breathing down his neck.
Eastern Conference Forward: LeBron James
8 of 10
What would it take for LeBron James to not be voted into the All-Star Game?
Would he have to suffer a season-ending injury? Would he have to take his talents back to South Beach mid-season? What if he picked a fight with America's sweetheart, Taylor Swift? Or decided to rip up his jersey and take up underwater basket weaving or stock trading as his preferred profession?
The point is, there's no way James isn't playing at Madison Square Garden in mid-February, and certainly not without overwhelming fan approval. He's been the All-Star Game's leading vote-getter three times in his career, including the last time around.
And that was when James was still a member of the hated Miami Heat. A return to his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers, and all the goodwill that's engendered, should only boost LeBron's dominance at the ballot box even more.
Eastern Conference Forward: Carmelo Anthony
9 of 10
There's no ignoring just how miserable the New York Knicks have been this season, or how poorly Carmelo Anthony has performed (for the most part) amidst a franchise-worst 5-20 start. His scoring is down, his defense has been suspect and there are already rumblings that a move out of the Big Apple might not be out of the question.
"Five months after swearing his allegiance to New York and signing a five-year, $124 million contract, sources told The Post the All-Star forward would be open to dropping his no-trade clause if team president Phil Jackson strikes a deal with a team Anthony would like to play for.
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Of course, Berman also went on to say that Anthony has "no desire to be traded," so that previous point might already be moot. Assuming that's the case, New Yorkers shouldn't have any reservations about voting their hometown product into a starting spot in an All-Star Game that will be held right in their backyard.
It would hardly be a shock if they did. After all, Anthony's been a starter in six of the last seven All-Star Games, including the last five in a row.
Eastern Conference Forward: Chris Bosh
10 of 10
I don't know if the now-defunct Heatles were fans of the Beach Boys, but wouldn't it be nice if they reunited at the All-Star Game in February?
They must miss each other to some extent. Miami is meandering about the lower rungs of the Eastern Conference playoff picture at 11-12 without LeBron James, while Cleveland has dropped a pair since ripping off eight wins in a row.
James and Wade are practically locks to start at Madison Square Garden. All they need is for Chris Bosh to do his part, and fans will be treated to a redux of the old Big Three on national TV.
Of course, Bosh will need some help with that. He's been to nine All-Star Games but only once on a ticket booked at the ballot box. He'll have to hope that those casting votes will consider Kevin Love's so-so start in Cleveland and look past Paul Millsap's All-Star-worthy one in Atlanta.
Bosh has already done plenty to help his own cause. His numbers (21.6 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists) are nearly where they were when he was back with Toronto, but with the added threat of a legitimate three-point shot (38.6 percent from three).
That addition, among other things, is why Bosh would rather not simply be compared to his Raptors self, as he told Grantland's Zach Lowe.
"I get why everybody would say, 'Toronto this, Toronto that,'" Bosh said. "But that’s not the case. I want to take the experiences I’ve gained and use them to help lead this team. My game has changed."
And for the better, at that.
Josh Martin covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter.
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