NBA All-Star Game 2015: When and Where to Catch Reserves Announcement
As the NBA coaches round out the All-Star Game's reserve selections, they should be grateful the fans didn't royally screw up the starting nods.
Most of the starters deserve the designation, but the public erred by voting Kobe Bryant—the old, injured dude with a 37.3 field-goal percentage—into the Western Conference's starting lineup over James Harden, Chris Paul, Klay Thompson, Russell Westbrook and Damian Lillard.
ESPN Stats & Info, help explain why everyone who cast a ballot for Bryant should be embarrassed:
Still not convinced? Here's another one:
Now that Bryant is out for the season with a torn rotator cuff, it's a moot point. The coaches will have an extra spot to fill in his absence, which won't be enough to accommodate a loaded batch of stars.
If ever a league needed to employ the fantasy draft format, it's the NBA, where a team of West snubs would look better than the deserving Eastern Conference picks. Well, some guys have to play on that side, and many could hail from the same unheralded crew.
Let's take a look at some projections and the top storyline for Thursday's reserve announcements.
All-Star Game Reserve Announcements
When: Thursday night, Jan. 29
Where: TNT
| Kyle Lowry, TOR | Stephen Curry, GS |
| John Wall, WAS | Kobe Bryant, LAL |
| LeBron James, CLE | Blake Griffin, LAC |
| Carmelo Anthony, NY | Anthony Davis, NO |
| Pau Gasol, CHI | Marc Gasol, MEM |
| Jeff Teague | Atlanta Hawks | Backcourt |
| Jimmy Butler | Chicago Bulls | Backcourt |
| Kevin Love | Cleveland Cavaliers | Froncourt |
| Paul Millsap | Atlanta Hawks | Froncourt |
| Al Horford | Atlanta Hawks | Froncourt |
| Kyrie Irving | Cleveland Cavaliers | Wild Card |
| Kyle Korver | Atlanta Hawks | Wild Card |
| James Harden | Houston Rockets | Backcourt |
| Chris Paul | Los Angeles Clippers | Backcourt |
| Kevin Durant | Oklahoma City Thunder | Frontcourt |
| LaMarcus Aldridge | Portland Trail Blazers | Frontcourt |
| DeMarcus Cousins | Sacramento Kings | Frontcourt |
| Klay Thompson | Golden State Warriors | Wild Card |
| Damian Lillard | Portland Trail Blazers | Wild Card |
| Russell Westbrook | Oklahoma City Thunder | Injury Replacement (Bryant) |
How Many Hawks Get Picked?
With football season winding down, several casual fans shifting gears to basketball mode will look at the NBA standings, spit out their beverages and shout, "The Atlanta Hawks have won how many straight games?!"
After toiling away in the NBA purgatory of playing well but not well enough to contend for a title, the Hawks have claimed 16 straight victories. The torrid stretch gives them a comfortable seven-game lead in first at 37-8.
Atlanta isn't your typical powerhouse, as point guard Jeff Teague leads the way with 17.1 points per game. Paul Millsap, second in line with a 17-point scoring average, commended his team's balance to The Associated Press' Paul Newberry, via NBA.com.
"Give me four or five really good players compared to just one superstar," Millsap said. "I'll take that any day."
In a barren crop of All-Star candidates, the Hawks could send as many as four players to New York. Working in their favor is the fact that the league prefers honoring winners over studs stranded in losing organizations.
With help from ESPN.com stats, Teague emerges as an easy choice, leading all Eastern Conference point guards with a 22.56 player efficiency rating (PER) while placing third behind starters Kyle Lowry and John Wall with 7.4 estimated wins added (EWA).
Aside from leading Atlanta in scoring, he also averages a team-high 7.5 assists and 1.8 steals. If the soaring floor general doesn't get called, there's a serious problem with the selection process.
After that, things get more interesting. Paul Millsap and Al Horford don't wield gaudy numbers, but they're both among the East's most efficient big men. Of the two, Millsap has the better case.
Not only does he score more while snagging 7.8 rebounds per contest, but he also ranks second behind Draymond Green with 2.9 defensive win shares, per Basketball-Reference.com. Before crediting his stellar teammates, check out 82games.com's breakdown of Atlanta's production with the power forward on and off the court.
| OFF RTG (PTS/100 Possessions) | 114.3 | 105.0 |
| DEF RTG (PTS/100 Possessions | 101.9 | 104.3 |
| Net +/- | +12.4 | +0.7 |
He earns one of three backcourt spots, and Kevin Love will likely snag another. That leaves Horford sparring with the Orlando Magic's Nikola Vucevic for the last bid. On paper, the 24-year-old center makes more sense.
| PTS | 15.2 | 19.6 |
| FG % | 54.6 | 53.8 |
| REB | 6.7 | 11.2 |
| BLK | 1.4 | 0.8 |
| PER* | 21.37 | 22.29 |
But Orlando is a lottery team in a dreadful conference, and Horford is a superior defender on a far superior squad. Don't be surprised when the veteran gets recognition.
Is there room for one more? Let's make room, because Kyle Korver's shooting stroke has earned him 5.1 win shares on Basketball-Reference.com, the same rate as Wall and just one-fifth of a victory below LeBron James.
How is that possible? Not only does he lead the East with 135 three-pointers made, but he also puts the ball in the basket with incredible precision. He's on pace for a fabled 50-50-90 season, shooting 51.6 percent from the floor, 53.1 percent from behind the arc and 92.3 percent from the charity stripe.
That gives him an NBA-best 73.8 true shooting percentage, a more accurate gauge of a player's shooting efficiency.
It's not like Korver is taking a spot away from a superstar. Besides, rostering such a deadly sharpshooter would pay massive dividends in the game. After spending years hidden in obscurity, the Hawks deserve their moment.
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