As the NBA season approaches the All-star Break, many important decisions have to be made. The All-Star ballots were released to the fans in November to choose the top 12 players from each conference. Out of each conference, the 5 players with the most votes start the game. There are 2 ways that people can enter a ballot. One way is filling out your picks through an electronic ballot on NBA.com or the NBA Mobile app. The other way of picking your All-Star candidates is inside of an NBA stadium during a game. This year there was also a new rule passed allowing fans to vote for 3 “front court” players instead of 2 forwards and one center. This rule came up because in past years, picking a true All-star center was tough because many teams played with a smaller lignup.
The All-Star break is a very good money maker for the league and is also very popular for the fans, but many fans end up disappointed with the games because of the lack of effort given throughout the game. The players mainly focus on showing off their offensive skills and give minimal effort when they are on defense. Most fans are fine with the lack of defense because it allows the players to do crazier dunks and other shots, but many would be more pleased if they gave an effort to stop the very rapid scoring. Sophomore, Mike Erinberg said, “The all-star game is such a joke. Nobody actually tries in the games.”
One of the biggest controversies of this season is whether or not Kobe Bryant should be elected to play on the West All-star team. Kobe is a 16 time All-Star member and 15 time member of the All NBA team. He has earned 4 All-star MVP awards throughout his career. Kobe has definitely proved himself as one of the greatest basketball players of all time, but has not had the “All-Star material season.” He has an average plus/minus rating of -8.8 this season and has missed many games due to multiple injuries.Sophomore, Cormac Madden said,”There’s no reason for Kobe to make an All-stars apperance because he is out with a new injury every week.”
Many of the Lakers losses have been blamed on Kobe’s lack of passing and team play. If Kobe is elected to the 2015 All-star team it will be based off his reputation built in the past years and not this years performance.
This season there has been one point guard who has stunned the whole league. The Trailblazer’s Damian Lillard has had a very eye opening season this year averaging 24.4 points per game and 6.3 assists per game. Many people expect Lillard to be a first year all-star because of his great performance in the first half of this year’s season. Junior, Connor Wischman said, “Lillard was robbed last year when he didn’t make it. He has really improved his passing game and is now one of the elite, scoring point guards in the league.”
Also competing for the number one spot at point guard is Stephen Curry from the Golden State Warriors. Curry has had an amazing season shooting .493 for 3-pointers and averaging 23 points per game. If Curry makes the All-Star team, it will be his second year participating on the Western Conference team. Curry and Lillard have proven themselves as very talented, young players and both deserve to play a major role in the All-Star game this year.
There are other very anticipated all-stars this season including Kevin Durant and Lebron James. Durant has made a great name for himself in the last few years as a very impactful player on Oklahoma City Thunder. Durant will be a sixth year member of the All-Star team. Lebron is another candidate for the most votes to be an All-Star. Although many people dislike some of the decisions Lebron has made lately, they still respect him for the great player he is. Lebron has had some amazing performances in prior All-Star games and many people are looking forward to his show again this year.
This year is predicted to be one of the highest scoring All-Star games because of the rapid increase of scoring in the season. The possible players for this years game will make a very interesting game to watch.