2016 NBA All-Star Roster: Who Should Be Selected

The 2016 NBA All-Star rosters will officially be announced in the next few days, but here are the players that should be selected

The coaches are punching in their final selections for the 2016 NBA All-Star game. A strenuous process, that we at Sir Charles In Charge, have handicapped for them. Here are our starter and reserve picks.

No real surprises here if you monitored the voting updates. Kobe Bryant led the league in votes from wire to wire, while LeBron James, Paul George, Stephen Curry and the two Thunder players were locks. That left Kawhi Leonard to blitz pass Draymond Green and Zaza Pachulia, who had the entire country of Georgia voting for him. The West selections are reasonable. The East, however, is a different story.

Thankfully, Kyle Lowry beat out Kyrie Irving for the final guard spot. The Cleveland ball handler is a fine player, but with only 16 games and pedestrian numbers on his resume, he doesn’t deserve to take part in the spectacle that is All-Star Weekend. On the other hand, Lowry has been outstanding. He’s the only point guard in the top 15 in both offensive and defensive win shares. Plus he’s tremendously reliable, only scoring less than 10 points in a game one time this year. The fact that the Raptors are very good and the second best team in the East helps.

Joining him in the backcourt should have been Butler, who is arguably the second best player in the East right now. He’s an elite two-way player, playing the role of Atlas for the Bulls by completely carrying them to four or five wins. And then Andre Drummond, who has more than 100 rebounds more than everyone else in the NBA, should start over Carmelo Anthony.

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Out West, things are a little more cut and dry. I’m in the minority, and would rather see a player who has performed like an all-star make the all-star team as opposed to Bryant (go ahead, throw your tomatoes). If it were up to me, Green would be starting. Alongside him would be Curry, the league leader in points, Russell Westbrook, who is seventh in points, second in assists and first in steals. Kevin Durant, whose season becomes even more impressive when you look at the advanced stats, and Leonard, second in win shares, joins him.

East Reserves: Andre Drummond, Jimmy Butler, Chris Bosh, DeMar DeRozan, Paul Millsap, John Wall, Isaiah Thomas

OK, time for the fun part; selecting the reserves. With Anthony and Dwyane Wade in the starting lineup, Drummond and Butler are gimmes. Chris Bosh is my third selection. If there were a reward for “best transition to old age” I would give it to the dangly Heat power forward. Bosh knows he can’t be as aggressive in the paint. So he improved his three point shot (up more than four percentage points from his career average) and became a better passer. Bosh is also defending the perimeter more with Hassan Whiteside protecting the rim, and he’s played in all 44 of Miami’s games.

The final four spots on the East team are all somewhat debatable. The bulk shooter DeMar DeRozan deserves the nod at a backup guard position, as he is top ten in the league in points and playing the role of Robin for a, I’ll say it again, REALLY good Raptors team. Paul Millsap is one of the league’s more versatile players, while John Wall has put up all-star numbers on a struggling team. That leaves Isaiah Thomas, who is has as many win shares as, get this, Chris Paul. His offensive plus/minus is the same as, get this, Kawhi Leonard. He’s also top 10 in points and assists.

Note: My team wouldn’t include Dwyane Wade. His teammate, Hassan Whiteside, would have made it instead.

Snubs: Kemba Walker, Wade, Kyrie Irving, Pau Gasol, Kevin Love, Al Horford

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Even the snubs are pretty solid. I’d love to put Kemba Walker on the team. He is 16th in win shares and plus/minus along with being top 20 in points. By Thomas has been just a hair better, plus Boston has a better record than Charlotte. Anyways, despite heavy usage Wade’s numbers don’t compare well with Thomas, Wall and DeRozan. Irving hasn’t played enough games. Neither Pau Gasol nor Kevin Love play defense and it would be tough to put in two Hawks (even though half their team made the all-star team last year). Millsap is simply outplaying Al Horford, so he gets the nod.

West Reserves: Draymond Green, DeMarcus Cousins, Blake Griffin, James Harden Chris Paul, Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard

If Kobe would have retired a year sooner, Green probably is starting in the all-star game (technically, Zaza Pachulia would be, but you get my point). The Warrior’s super utility man is one of the association’s top three defenders and leads the league in triple-doubles. OK, not going to belabor that point anymore, moving on.

We’ve always known DeMarcus Cousins had game, but he’s transformed from a head case into a headache for opposing defenders. He’s buoyed a below average Sacramento team into the thick of the playoff hunt, while averaging about 32 points and 13 rebounds per game in January. Just outrageous numbers.

I penciled in Blake Griffin as a starter before his missed a recent stretch of games. He has huge entertainment value, and the Clippers surge whenever he is on the floor. Plus, he is putting together the most complete season of his career with 23 points/game (second most in career), five assists (second most), and eight rebounds (fourth most). James Harden is still an offensive machine, but it’s tough to start when you play in the same conference as Curry and Westbrook.

Paul’s production has tailed off a bit, but he is still one of the league’s top couple point guards – the granddaddy of the bunch. His resume includes top seven in the NBA in assists and PER, which means he’s earned the spot. Anthony Davis is a great player playing for a bad team, and for those questioning the Lilliard pick, he is averaging 24 points and seven assists per game. When Derrick Rose won MVP in 2011, he averaged 25/7.

Snubs: LeMarcus Aldridge , Dirk Nowitzki, Klay Thompson, DeAndre Jordan, Tony Parker, Marc Gasol Gordon Hayward

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My God, you could have an all-star team with that bunch. Like with the East, I’ll justify why I left each player off the team. Most of them are probably deserving of a spot, but LeMarcus Aldridge’s numbers aren’t as good as Griffin, Davis or Cousins. Same goes with Dirk Nowitzki. Believe it or not, Klay Thompson is 45th in the NBA in PER, just behind C.J. McCollum and just ahead of Ricky Rubio.

Deandre Jordan just isn’t good enough at offense. Tony Parker isn’t getting enough playing time to put up the numbers he needs to make the team. Marc Gasol and Gordon Hayward were both hampered by a sub-par Novembers, but have played well since.

Note: One more time, my team wouldn’t include Kobe. Despite a dip in numbers, Aldridge takes his place.