NBA All Star Starters Announced – Who Should Be ASG Reserves?

LeBron, Durant Lead All Star Starters

Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge should be All Star reserves. (Credit Kalel2007)

The starters for the 2014 NBA All Star Game have been announced, and it reads like a who’s-who of NBA superstars – for better or for worse.

The Eastern Conference starters – LeBron James, Paul George, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Kyrie Irving – are great scorers. But there’s 3 small forwards in the starting lineup. The West features Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Kobe Bryant, Blake Griffin and Kevin Love. But Bryant will likely not even suit up for the game.

The voters named two first-time starters to the All Star Game, in Kevin Love and Steph Curry. Both players are deserving, undoubtedly. Speaking of deserving, the remainder of each conference’s All Star roster has yet to be filled, with the All Star reserves still to be named.

But who deserves to be named to those coveted All Star spots? Who will be selected, and who will be snubbed?

Here are the 2014 NBA All Star Game starters, and who we think should be named All Star reserves.

2014 NBA All Star Game Starters

Eastern Conference

LeBron James, Miami	1,416,419 votes
Paul George, Indiana	1,211,318 votes
Carmelo Anthony, New York	935,702 votes
Dwyane Wade, Miami	929,542 votes
Kyrie Irving, Cleveland	860,221 votes

Western Conference

Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City	1,396,294 votes
Stephen Curry, Golden State	1,047,281 votes
Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers	988,884 votes
Blake Griffin, L.A. Clippers	688,466 votes
Kevin Love, Minnesota	661,246 votes

Who Should Be NBA All Star Reserves?

Eastern Conference

Guards: The obvious choice here is John Wall, who leads the Eastern Conference in assists and would be a star name off the bench. From there, it’s anyone’s guess. Brandon Jennings, Jeff Teague and Kyle Lowry are the next leading assist men, but each has deficiencies – Jennings shoots an awful percentage, Teague shoots just 26% from three and Lowry played much of the first half of the season in the shadow of Rudy Gay (but has emerged following the trade).

In terms of shooting guards, DeMar DeRozan has blossomed this season as a scorer (21.8 ppg) and leader for the Raptors. Joe Johnson is the “star name”, but has he done enough during Brooklyn’s lackluster start? A dark horse could be Kyle Korver, shooting north of 45% from three-point range.

Our picks: John Wall, DeMar DeRozan, Kyle Lowry

Forwards/Center: There is a logjam of players at forward and center in the Eastern Conference, out of whom it’s hard to select a handful over the others. Chris Bosh has name appeal and solid stats. Andre Drummond is averaging a double-double for Detroit (12.6 ppg, 12.6 rpg). Evan Turner has had a very nice season for the 76ers, but does the East really need a 4th SF behind LeBron, Melo and Paul George?

Odds are, the East bench will need to provide rebounding. That leaves space for players like Paul Millsap and Joakim Noah to make it, along with Greg Monroe and Carlos Boozer. And when it comes to defensive presence, Roy Hibbert’s name must be included for his tireless work for the Pacers. Ultimately, someone will be left out and there will be much griping among fans of his team, but such is the nature of the All Star Game.

Our picks: Chris Bosh, Andre Drummond, Paul Millsap, Roy Hibbert

Western Conference

Guards: Kobe Bryant looks to be “out” for this year’s All Star Game with injury, and he should rest. In his place, we’ll put the West’s 3rd leading scorer (and top-scoring guard) James Harden. Up next, how can we not include Chris Paul, who’s averaging nearly 20 points and 5 rebounds along with over 11 assists per game? He’s having one of his finest seasons.

From there, there’s a cluster of talented guards to choose from: Damian Lilllard, Tony Parker, Ty Lawson, Monta Ellis, Goran Dragic, Klay Thompson and Ricky Rubio, by our count. The best of the bunch are the first 3 we mentioned (Lillard, Parker, and Lawson). Lillard must be included for his stellar work with Portland this year. As for Parker and Lawson – it’s a real toss-up for us. The Spurs are more successful than the Nuggets, but also far more talented. And with the two men putting up even numbers… we’ll give Lawson some love here.

Our picks: James Harden (to replace Bryant), Chris Paul, Ty Lawson, Damian Lillard

Forwards/Center: LaMarcus Aldridge and Dwight Howard are in. There’s no debating that. So as that’s out of the way, let’s fill in the remaining slots in the frontcourt.

Past those two names, it’s really tough to make decisions. Zach Randolph is a stat machine, but is he an All Star this year? David Lee has been stellar during Golden State’s run. Dirk Nowitzki is still producing great offensive numbers in Dallas. Anthony Davis has been hurt, but when healthy he’s an absolute freak on the court. Chandler Parsons and Kawhi Leonard are having great years for Houston and San Antonio. And Nic Batum has been a little bit of everything for Portland. And – dare we say it – don’t forget DeMarcus Cousins.

So which way do we go? The guard play in the West has been so outstanding that it’s hard to put more than 4 frontcourt players on the bench here. We’re adding Nowitzki – maybe it’s a bit of nostalgia, but Dirk’s also a top 15 scorer this season. For the fourth… we cannot believe we’re saying this, but DeMarcus Cousins is finally playing to his talent level this year.

Our picks: LaMarcus Aldridge, Dwight Howard, Dirk Nowitzki, DeMarcus Cousins