Russell Westbrook Tops List of 14 All-Star Reserves Chosen by Coaches
Russell Westbrook Tops List of 14 All-Star Reserves Chosen by Coaches:- Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant are teammates again. Gordon Hayward, DeAndre Jordan and Kemba Walker are about to make their first appearances on the All-Star stage.
Conversely, Dwyane Wadeâs run of 12 straight selections in the N.B.A.âs midseason showcase is on the cusp of ending.
Oklahoma Cityâs Westbrook â the N.B.A.âs scoring leader and a triple-double machine â was among 14 reserves selected by the leagueâs coaches for the All-Star Game, to be played in New Orleans on Feb. 19. Westbrook, the two-time reigning All-Star most valuable player, entered Thursday averaging 30.7 points, 10.7 rebounds and 10.4 assists per game.
âThereâs no question in my mind that he should be starting,â Thunder Coach Billy Donovan said Thursday night. âHowever, I understand that thereâs certain things that have to do with who does start.â
The selection will reunite Westbrook on the Western Conference squad with his former teammate Durant, now with Golden State. Westbrook said this month that the two were no longer speaking.
The Warriors tied the league mark with four selections, with the reserves Draymond Green and Klay Thompson joining Durant and Stephen Curry, already announced as starters. Other West reserves include Sacramentoâs DeMarcus Cousins, Marc Gasol of Memphis and the first-timers Hayward of Utah and Jordan of the Los Angeles Clippers.
âBout time!!! Congrats big fella!!â Clippers guard Chris Paul tweeted about Jordan, who entered Thursday as the N.B.A.âs rebounding leader.
The Eastern Conference reserves are Indianaâs Paul George, Clevelandâs Kevin Love, Torontoâs Kyle Lowry, Atlantaâs Paul Millsap, Bostonâs Isaiah Thomas, Washingtonâs John Wall and Charlotteâs Walker.
George said the selection âmeans everythingâ to him.
âHopefully Iâm doing things the right way,â George said. âHopefully Iâm playing this game the right way.â
Wade, the former Miami star in his first year with Chicago, would have been a starter under the old formula that took only fan voting into account for the opening five, but he did not qualify under a revised system that also took into account votes from players and a news media panel.
Some, including Coach Steve Kerr of Golden State, who will lead the West squad, said players had made a âmockeryâ of the process by wasting votes.
On TNT, which announced the selections, Wall said, âI just tried to keep it honest.â
He added, âSome players didnât pick for the right people.â
Golden Stateâs Zaza Pachulia and Philadelphiaâs Joel Embiid would also have started in the former system but, like Wade, were shut out of the selections. âOnce again the popular vote didnât matter,â Embiid wrote on Twitter.
The East starters, announced last week, are Milwaukeeâs Giannis Antetokounmpo, Chicagoâs Jimmy Butler, Torontoâs DeMar DeRozan and Clevelandâs LeBron James and Kyrie Irving. The West starters are Curry, Durant, Houstonâs James Harden, San Antonioâs Kawhi Leonard and Anthony Davis of host New Orleans.
Source:-Â https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/26/sports/basketball/nba-all-star-game-russell-westbrook-kevin-durant.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fsports&action=click&contentCollection=sports®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=sectionfront
