The NBA All-Star weekend has turned into a complete popularity contest and Damian Lillard, of the Portland Trailblazers, loses again. Earlier this week Damian Lillard made it known he would be disappointed if he did not make the NBA All-Star reserve roster. Once the rosters were revealed, with Lillard not making the cut, he voiced his feelings and said he would use it as motivation. Kobe Bryant was voted on to the team as a starting guard but will be unable to play due to his season ending shoulder surgery. The NBA Commissioner has decided to replace Kobe Bryant with Demarcus Cousins of the Sacramento Kings. Cousins without a doubt deserves to be an All-Star after averaging 23.8 points, 12.3 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game but where does Lillard fit in?
Lillard stats are very similar to the likes of Chris Paul and Klay Thompson, who both made the team, but is there a number of games you should have to play prior to All Star weekend in order to be eligible? Yes we all know Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant play and compete at an All Star level when they are on the floor but they both have missed extended periods of time due to injury. Westbrook and Durant have only played 32 and 21 games respectively and are outside of the playoff picture as a 10-seed with a record of 23-23 while Lillard has played in 46 game, has helped lead his team to the 3-seed and a 32-14 record.
According to Joe Freeman, of The Orgeonian/Oregon Live, Lillard had a lot to say after being snubbed for a second time.
“I’m definitely going to take it personal. I said I’d be pissed off about it. And I am. I just felt disrespected. Because I play the game the right way, I play unselfishly, I play for my team to win games and I produce at a high level. I think what I bring to the game as a person, my makeup mentally, how I am toward my teammates, how I am toward the media, how I am toward fans; I think what an All-Star represents in this league, and what you would want people to look at as an All-Star, I think I make up all those things”.
“I’m not one of those guys that’s going to say, Oh, I should be in over this guy or that guy. I’m not a hater. I’ve got respect for each guy that made the roster. And I think they deserve to (make the team). But at the same time, I feel really disrespected, and that’s just honestly how I feel”.
Currently, fans vote for the starting five and coaches pick the reserves but we have issues like Kobe Bryant, a future hall-of-famer, being selected as a starting guard due to his popularity over James Harden who is having an MVP caliber season. I personally think that the NBA should change its format of voting for the All-Star team. If the coaches voted for the starting five and allowed the fans to vote for the reserves, then likely we would run into this issue a lot less.
Either way Brooklyn, New York will be packed to the max and full of highlights during All-Star weekend.