NBA All Star Game 2015 Starters: Player Lineups and Most Egregious Snubs
One of the most amusing annual traditions in the NBA is fans complaining about the All-Star Game starters. The players are voted into the starting lineups, so you technically did this to yourself.
Alas, there are bound to be snubs every year, and this season is no different. Here is a look at the starting lineups and some of the biggest snubs for the game that will take place Feb. 15 at Madison Square Garden, via NBA on TNT:
| FC | Pau Gasol | Chicago Bulls |
| FC | LeBron James | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| FC | Carmelo Anthony | New York Knicks |
| BC | John Wall | Washington Wizards |
| BC | Kyle Lowry | Toronto Raptors |
| FC | Marc Gasol | Memphis Grizzlies |
| FC | Anthony Davis | New Orleans Pelicans |
| FC | Blake Griffin | Los Angeles Clippers |
| BC | Kobe Bryant | Los Angeles Lakers |
| BC | Stephen Curry | Golden State Warriors |
Notable Snubs
James Harden, Houston Rockets
| Kobe Bryant | 22.3 | 5.6 | 17.5 | 47.7 | 0.1 |
| James Harden | 27.2 | 6.7 | 27.5 | 61.1 | 9.2 |
We can argue about Kobe Bryant’s inclusion in the starting lineup until everyone is blue in the face, but the bottom line is this game is for the fans' enjoyment. If they want to see Bryant in the starting lineup, then they deserve to.
It’s not as if this game has ridiculously inappropriate stakes like deciding home-court advantage in the NBA Finals.
Alas, the debate between Bryant and James Harden for the starting lineup is likely a moot point anyway because Bryant has a torn rotator cuff and will almost certainly need a replacement. The nod for that replacement should go to MVP candidate Harden.
Harden leads the entire NBA in points per game, is dishing out 6.7 assists a night and grabbing 5.5 rebounds a game and has a ridiculously high player efficiency rating of 27.5. What’s more, he leads the league in win shares (per basketball-reference.com) and is the main reason the Houston Rockets are 29-14 and in the thick of the playoff race in the loaded Western Conference.
Harden has even improved his much-maligned defense and is holding opponents to a field-goal percentage of 2.2 points lower than their typical averages. per NBA.com.
Harden has been a statistical wizard this season and is the biggest snub from the starting lineups. Perhaps an MVP award at the end of the season would help Harden get over this slight.
DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento Kings
Sometimes it really is all about the numbers, and DeMarcus Cousins’ are staggering at this point of the season.
The Sacramento Kings superstar is posting nightly averages of 24 points, 12.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.7 blocks and 1.3 steals and is shooting 80.3 percent from the free-throw line. He is nearly impossible to stop without a double-team on the blocks and has parlayed his international experience on Team USA this past summer into an formidable start to the season.
He is fourth in the league in points per game, third in the league in rebounds per game and is holding opponents to an incredible 7.3 percent lower field-goal percentage within six feet of the basket than their season averages, via NBA.com. That’s right, Cousins has developed into a legitimate rim protector this season to go along with his offense.
There is very little Cousins cannot do on the court, and he very well could have been given the All-Star starter nod.
Jimmy Butler, Chicago Bulls
James Herbert of CBS Sports had Chicago Bulls guard Jimmy Butler as one of his biggest snubs:
"After taking a step back, efficiency-wise, with Derrick Rose out last season, Butler has gone nuclear. It's a mystery how anyone manages to score on him, and it's incredible how he's transformed himself into one of the better offensive swingmen alive. No one could have predicted Butler scoring 20-plus points per game this year, but this is a reminder that development doesn't always look like a straight line.
"
Butler has impressive stats (20.6 points, six rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.8 steals per game, as of Thursday), but his impact goes beyond just the box score.
Herbert touched on it, but the Chicago Bulls have been the walking wounded yet again this season. Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Kirk Hinrich, Doug McDermott, Mike Dunleavy and Taj Gibson have all missed significant time at one point or another this season, and Butler is the mainstay keeping everything together.
He is as durable as they come in the NBA, has the versatility to play either shooting guard or forward—depending on who is injured—and guards the opponent’s best player on an almost nightly basis.
For all the hand-wringing about Rose’s health, the Bulls would be lost without Butler. He could be the key to their chances in the NBA playoffs because of his ability to take the scoring load off Rose's shoulders on the perimeter and the fact that he can be counted on to play almost the entire game (he leads the league in minutes played).
What's more, Butler will be the one tasked with guarding the likes of LeBron James, Bradley Beal, DeMar DeRozan or whatever other star perimeter player the Bulls encounter in the Eastern Conference.
Head coach Tom Thibodeau had nothing but high praise for his guard, via Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com:
"He's been incredible. He's a star, and he does it on both ends of the floor. He's just an amazing player. We've had him play the point, we've had him play the 2, the 3, and tonight he played the 4. And he hasn't had any opportunity to practice the 4. So he just got out there, he's smart, he's tough, he does whatever the team needs, and he found a way to help lead us into coming back and having a shot at the end.
"
That sounds like an All-Star.
Follow me on Twitter:
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
