NBA All-Star Game 2017: Predicting Starting Lineups for East and West Rosters

Fans receive the long-awaited 2017 NBA All-Star Game starting lineups Thursday evening, ending a winding, debate-filled road.

Which, of course, will only create more debate, both about the lineups and the process (not Joel Embiid) itself.

The game's official Twitter account provided a recent vote tally:

Remember, this year the process altered fan involvement, hence Zaza Pachulia. This isn't a bad thing, of course, though media and players also have a say in how things shake out.

Before the announcement, let's take a look at viewing info and predictions.

Starting Lineup Announcement

When: Thursday, Jan. 19

Time: 7 p.m. ET

TV: TNT

Live Stream: TNT Overtime

Eastern Conference		Western Conference
Kyrie Irving	CLE	James Harden	HOU
DeMar DeRozan	TOR	Stephen Curry	GS
Giannis Antetokounmpo	MIL	Kevin Durant	GS
LeBron James	CLE	Kawhi Leonard	SA
Kevin Love	CLE	Anthony Davis	NO

Eastern Conference

Like it or not, the Eastern Conference is all about the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Point guard Kyrie Irving might be the most controversial slot here. Many would allege he's still coasting on the laurels of the absolute dagger from the Finals last year, but he has upped his scoring (23.6), assists (5.6), shooting percentage (46.1) and percentage from range (40.5) compared to last year.

So yes, Irving deserves to start. And his doing so shouldn't take away anything from Toronto Raptors star Kyle Lowry. Ditto for Isaiah Thomas of the Boston Celtics, who might just shoulder his way into MVP chatter if he keeps averaging 28.7 points, 6.0 assists and 2.7 rebounds per game while shooting 46 percent from the floor.

DeMar DeRozan of the Raptors over Dwyane Wade isn't much of a conversation. The former averages 28.2 points per game on a contending team, the other 18.8 on a stinker.

It's essentially the same story at the next slot, where a debate between Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks and Jimmy Butler of the Chicago Bulls emerges. Butler has a nice case as a starter, but Antetokounmpo continues to reshape the NBA.

A note by Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders funnily detailed this:

Little debate remains concerning the final two spots, which go to LeBron James and Kevin Love.

Well, Embiid would probably like to have a word or two with folks who have Love over him at center. It's a fair point, too, as the former Kansas star has erupted in his first year of actual playing time, posting averages of 19.9 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game on 46.1 percent shooting.

Right now, the only thing keeping Love above Embiid is experience and playing time. Love is on the court for 31.6 minutes per game; Embiid had to deal with a restriction and averages 25.4. At this pace, 2017 might be the last time Love holds such an advantage.

Western Conference

Guard is just as muddy in the Western Conference.

James Harden and Stephen Curry undoubtedly deserve to hold the top two slots. But Russell Westbrook and Damian Lillard have more than impressed in their own rights on lesser teams.

Still, Harden is absolutely out of his mind this year and has the Rockets third place in the conference while averaging 28.9 points, 11.6 assists and 8.3 rebounds per game. Oh, and there is this, per NBA on ESPN:

Westbrook continues to stuff the stat sheet without Kevin Durant around, yet the Oklahoma City Thunder hang around the bottom of playoff eligibility. Lillard is easily one of the best players in the league, but his Portland Trail Blazers winning 18 games halfway through January says quite a lot.

Durant faces little resistance at one of the forward spots. Joining the Golden State Warriors hasn't exactly ruined him statistically, not with averages of 26.2 points, 8.6 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game.

There shouldn't be much conversation about Kawhi Leonard receiving a starting spot, either. The San Antonio Spurs have yet to lose 10 games behind the leadership of the defensive stalwart, who also happens to boast career highs in points (24.8) and assists (3.1).

Center is perhaps the most interesting spot out west, too. Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans is crushing it in votes—and rightfully so. He thrives on a 17-win team with 28.8 points, 12.1 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game.

But so is DeMarcus Cousins for the 16-win Sacramento Kings, with his averages of 28.0 points, 10.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game.

A recent note by ESPN Stats & Info helps illustrate how closely the two reside:

Really, the decision is almost akin to a coin flip. The conference can't go wrong either way, which is a nice personification of the process as a whole this year.

Thursday night won't please everyone, but it will help the NBA flaunt its new, all-involving process. After having their say, the biggest winners will be the fans.

All stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.

Follow Chris Roling (@Chris_Roling) on Twitter.