2011 NBA All-Star Game: Where's the Love for Kevin Love?

Thursday night, the league announced the reserves for the 2011 NBA All-Star Game.  After looking over the Western Conference's roster, I scratched my head and thought: Where is Kevin Love?

Love is currently leading the league in rebounding at 15.5 rpg, and let's not forget he's averaging 21.4 ppg, too.  Everyone uses the same excuse if they think he is not an All-Star: by saying he's on a bad team.

If Love were averaging 25 ppg and only seven or eight rpg, I would be less passionate in my opposition to him being left off of the roster.  Bad teams even have that one player who scores a lot of points, but rebounding is completely different.

If you're a gifted scorer on a bad team, you can score 25 points in a game because you'll be taking a good amount of shots.  Rebounding, on the other hand, is about hustle, and mixing it up in the paint with not only your teammates, but players from the other team as well.

Let's not forget: Love's points don't just come from put-backs after a rebound; he is a good shooter, too.  Love's three-point percentage is 43.9 percent, which is very good for a player his size and a player at his position.

On NBA Tip-Off on TNT last night, Charles Barkley said, "Kevin Love not making the All-Star game is a travesty."  You know what, Charles? You are absolutely right.

Love was not the only player who could make a serious argument for being on an All-Star team, but he is arguably the most deserving. 

There is still one more roster-spot in the West open, which is Yao Ming's replacement.  Potentially, Love could have gone from not picked by the fans, to not picked by the coaches, to starting in the All-Star, which he deserves.