2013 NBA All-Star Snubs

With the NBA All-Star game just around the corner it is always fun to talk about which players deserved to make the roster. First here is a list of who made the team in the East:


Eastern Conference

Carmelo Anthony
Lebron James
Kevin Garnett
Rajon Rondo (injured)
Dwayne Wade
Chris Bosh
Tyson Chandler
Luol Deng
Paul George
Jrue Holiday
Kyrie Irving
Joakim Noah


Eastern Conference Snubs:

Brook Lopez- I find it hard to believe that Lopez was left off the All Star team this year. He probably has the largest case in the East as he leads all centers in scoring at 18.6 points per game and he is averaging 2.1 blocks which ranks as 7th best in the NBA. His team is also having a great season and he is one of the main reasons why. The Nets look very fortunate to keep Brook Lopez in what may have been a disasterous trade for Dwight Howard, who is shockingly an All-Star in the West.

Greg Monroe- Monroe who is referred to as "Moose" in Detroit is having another workman like year on a bad team. Greg is averaging close to a double-double with 15.4 points and 9.1 rebounds and throw in 3.3 assists and 1.3 steals to boot. If guys like Kyrie Irving and Jrue Holiday can slide in playing for bad teams then Monroe should have been able to as well. Look for Monroe to make many All-Star games in the East for years to come.

Josh Smith- Josh is filling up the stat sheet every night for the Atlanta Hawks and he is clearly the guy running the show in Atlanta now that Joe Johnson is gone. His numbers are even better than Monroe's as he is averaging 16.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 2.0 blocks, and 1.0 steals. Smith is clearly an all around player but what hurts him is he settles for jump shots when playing tougher opponents.

Paul Pierce- Perhaps he can replace Rondo on the East roster but it is difficult to understand how Pierce doesn't make it in while Garnett does. Pierce is averaging 18.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 3.9 assists. The fact that the Celtics are struggling this year is probably why Pierce doesn't make it but he is clearly still one of the best players in the Eastern Conference.


Now lets take a look at the West:

Western Conference

Kevin Durant
Blake Griffin
Dwight Howard
Kobe Bryant
Chris Paul
LaMarcus Aldridge
Tim Duncan
James Harden
David Lee
Tony Parker
Zach Randolph
Russell Westbrook


Western Conference Snubs

Serge Ibaka- Serge has finally turned into an all around player instead of just a defensive specialist. His reputation as only a defensive player probably hurt his chances at making the All-Star team but this guy is averaging a respectable 14.0 points per game this year which is higher than Tyson Chandler in the East. OKC Thunder traded Harden in part so they could keep Ibaka and he is proving his worth on the court this year. Ibaka has a strong case to make the West All-Star team over a guy like Zach Randolph.

Stephen Curry- Steph probably has the strongest case to be made for being on the All-Star team in the West. Curry is leading the resurgence of the Golden State Warriors who currently sit as the 5 seed out West. Curry is averaging 20.9 points, which is second among point guards in the West, and he is averaging 6.6 assists. His three point shooting percentage is third in the league at over 45% and without him Golden State would not be in contention. I hope Curry finds a way onto the West's roster as he deserves it more than any other snub at this point. Stumpthespread