NBA All-Star Reserves 2015: Lineups, Possible Injury Replacements for East, West
Being named an All-Star Game starter is an honor for NBA players because it means they have the respect and admiration from the fans, but there is something to be said for earning a spot as a reserve.
The 30 NBA coaches vote for the reserves, which means the designation is more about what players have done on the floor than a popularity contest.
The Eastern and Western Conference reserves were announced Thursday evening. Here is a look at the complete teams before digging into some potential injury replacements.
| 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 | Paul Millsap | Atlanta Hawks |
| FC | Al Horford | Atlanta Hawks |
| FC | Chris Bosh | Miami Heat |
| BC | Kyrie Irving | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| BC | Jimmy Butler | Chicago Bulls |
| BC | Dwyane Wade | Miami Heat |
| BC | Jeff Teague | Atlanta Hawks |
| 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 |
| FC | LaMarcus Aldridge | Portland Trail Blazers |
| FC | Kevin Durant | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| FC | Tim Duncan | San Antonio Spurs |
| BC | Klay Thompson | Golden State Warriors |
| BC | James Harden | Houston Rockets |
| BC | Chris Paul | Los Angeles Clippers |
| BC | Russell Westbrook | Oklahoma City Thunder |
Potential Injury Replacements
The natural reaction to any All-Star team selection is to point out the snubs, but the good news for those who were left off the squads this year is the possibility of becoming an injury replacement.
After all, both Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade are injured, meaning there could be a spot open for each team. While it would take more than that to include all the deserving players in the loaded Western Conference, the potential extra spot in the East means the Atlanta Hawks could get a fourth player.
While some can make the case for Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic in the Eastern Conference, Atlanta’s Kyle Korver deserves recognition as an injury replacement.
He is putting on a clinic in the shooting department this season at 51.8 percent from the field, 53.4 percent from three-point range and 92.3 percent from the charity stripe. What’s more, his .741 true shooting percentage, per Basketball-Refernce.com, would be the all-time record in the league if it stands all year.
Sure, Korver may only be averaging 13 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game, but the Hawks have the best record in the Eastern Conference by a wide margin. Korver’s ability to space the floor with his lethal outside shot is an indispensable reason why Atlanta has experienced this much success, and that deserves some recognition in a conference that isn’t loaded with deserving replacements.
Amin Elhassan of ESPN.com believes Korver should be on the roster:
"I'm not advocating for four Hawks in the game, but I really thought the coaches would recognize what kind of special season Korver is having, and not just from a statistical standpoint (although the 50/50/90 shooting averages don't hurt!). So much of the Hawks' offense revolves around the attention defenses have to pay to Korver as he sprints around screens, and defensively, he's much improved.
"
After all, Steve Kerr is the only player in league history to record a 50-50-90 shooting mark, and Korver could be on his way to joining the former Chicago Bull.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports pointed out that Hawks fans may get to see four players in the game by the time it actually starts:
Picking a deserving replacement for Bryant in the West is much more difficult because Damian Lillard, Monta Ellis, DeMarcus Cousins, Dirk Nowitzki and Mike Conley, among others, would likely be locks in the East.
While all of these players should be in the All-Star Game for different reasons, Cousins should be in when looking at his case compared to other frontcourt players. His 23.8 points and 12.3 rebounds a night are much better than Tim Duncan’s averages (14.7 points and 10.1 rebounds), and Kevin Durant has already missed 25 games with injuries.
Israel Gutierrez of ESPN.com noted that Cousins gets his vote as the biggest snub in a close call over Lillard:
"Cousins, by a hair over Lillard. The Lillard argument comes down to him and Russell Westbrook, and while Westbrook has played 14 fewer games than Lillard, Westbrook's numbers (25.2 PPG, 7.5 APG, 5.9 RPG) are better that Lillard's (21.8 PPG, 6,2 APG, 4.6 RPG). Cousins is more a victim of his front office's questionable choices, and that's got to hurt.
"
There is certainly a case to be made for Lillard, especially in comparison with Westbrook. Those numbers, as well as Lillard’s ability to come through in crunch time for the Portland Trail Blazers, are more than impressive.
Still, Cousins is a statistical machine, and he even appears on the surface to be a better leader after playing in the FIBA World Cup this past summer.
Tom Ziller of SB Nation had a rather blunt and accurate response Cousins’ snub:
"Boogie is averaging 24/12. Here's a complete list of players who averaged 24/12 and didn't make the All-Star team in the 3-Pt era:
— Tom Ziller (@teamziller) January 28, 2015"
Even TNT commentator Charles Barkley acknowledged that Cousins should be on the team, and not just as Bryant’s injury replacement, via CSN Bay Area: "DeMarcus Cousins deserved to make the All-Star team. I'm man enough to admit that I don't like DeMarcus Cousins, but he deserved to make the All-Star team."
It’s hard to argue with that notion.
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