The 2013 NBA All-Star Rosters: Snubs and Surprises

The rosters have been set. In a few weeks, the NBA’s biggest and brightest stars will convene on Houston for the 62nd All-Star showcase. This year’s teams see some fresh faces making their first All-Star appearances, as well as some notable snubs.

Western Conference All-Stars

Chris Paul and Blake Griffin represent the Los Angeles Clippers with their 6th and 3rd appearances, respectively. They are joined by the ever-present Kobe Bryant, with his 15th selection, and his teammate Dwight Howard, making his 7th All-Star game. Kevin Durant rounds out the West starters with his 4th appearance.

The reserves are filled out by Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, Lamarcus Aldrige, James Harden, David Lee, Zach Randolph, and Russel Westbrook. This marks Duncan’s 14th selection, as well as James Harden’s first. Luckily, Harden only had to wait a year for his first All-Star bid after being snubbed last year during his Sixth Man of the Year award-winning season.

The biggest snub for the Western Conference is undoubtedly point guard Stephen Curry, who should be joining his Golden State Warriors teammate David Lee on this year’s All-Star squad. Curry is eighth in the league in scoring, with 20.9 points per game. He’s a deadly marksmen from deep (ranking third in the league in three-point shooting percentage), can push the ball, and is a great set-up man as well, averaging 6.6 assists per game. The West is a deep conference as far as talent goes, so it’s no surprise there are a few snubs. My personal choice would’ve been to replace Lamarcus Aldridge, who is putting up above-average numbers on a Portland squad that isn’t having too much success, with Curry. Or perhaps give Tony Parker’s spot to Curry, so the team isn’t full of point guards. Regardless, I think it’s a shame Curry was snubbed for an All-Star selection considering the season he has put together in spite of his history of tough injuries.

Eastern Conference All-Stars

Rajon Rondo makes his 4th All-Star appearance and first start, joined in the backcourt by 9-time All-Star Dwayne Wade. Also starting making his 9th appearance is the best player in basketball, Lebron James. No surprise there. He’s joined in the frontcourt by Carmelo Anthony, with his 6th selection, and Kevin Garnett, who matches Kobe Bryant’s 15th All-Star appearances for most of any active player.

Luol Deng of Chicago and Chris Bosh of Miami are the only “veteran” East reserves, with 2 and 8 All-Star appearances, respectively. The rest of the reserves–Paul George, Joakim Noah, Jrue Holiday, Kyrie Irving and Tyson Chandler are all making their very first appearances in an All-Star game.

Kyrie Irving is a bit of a surprise. Not that his stats aren’t All-Star level; he’s averaging a whopping 23.1 points per game, good for 6th in the entire league. His selection is a surprise given the performance of his Cavaliers; All-Stars usually come from winning teams. However, since the reserves are picked by the coaches, it’s clear Kyrie’s efforts didn’t go unnoticed.

There’s no glaring snub like Curry for the East, but one could make an arguement for Brook Lopez. The Brooklyn big man has been the most consistent player for the Nets, putting up 18.6 points per game and 7.4 rebounds. But when you’re a frontcourt player in a conference with frontcourts stacked with the likes of Lebron, Carmello, Bosh, and Garnett, it’s tough to break through to the All-Star level.