My NBA All-Star team selections

There are few basketball debates that get more heated, subjective, and ultimately irrelevant, than discussing who should make the NBA All-Star teams.

Yet despite all that, it remains a fun topic, and it would only be right that I weigh in with whom I think should be selected this season.

Part of the reason the All-Star teams generate so much chit-chat is because there is no real set criteria. Fans around the globe vote for the starters, and then the coaches in the respective conferences choose the bench players. Yet neither voting demographic has clear parameters on how to choose the squads that will represent the Eastern and Western Conferences at the All-Star Weekend.

Do you reward the teams that have been successful over the first half of the season and ensure they are well represented, or do you simply pick the best players, regardless of their team’s record? Do you pick the players that have consistently produced, or do you pick the most entertaining players that will put on a good show? Do you factor in a player’s entire career or are you basing selections purely from the sample size of this current season?

With so many questions, and therefore so many variables to consider, it’s no wonder that opinions vary so wildly. Which, let’s be honest, only increases interest in the All-Star teams.

I do find it slightly strange that I care so much about the announcement of the rosters, yet struggle to maintain interest in the actual game itself. For me, part of the attraction of elite-level sport is the competition and intensity, and there is very little of that in the All-Star game, which renders it a glorified highlight reel waiting to happen.

Yet be that as it may, I still care about the squads themselves, and below are the teams I would select for the 2015 All-Star Game, even though the official starters have already been confirmed.

Just a warning: get ready for a multitude of extremely contradictory statements in my selection justifications.

Eastern Conference

Starters
John Wall
Jimmy Butler
LeBron James
Pau Gasol
Chris Bosh

Reserves
Kyle Lowry
Jeff Teague
Kyrie Irving
Dwyane Wade
Kyle Korver
Paul Millsap
Al Horford

Major snubs: Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Love.

My starting five in the East took a fairly short time to decide on. Wall has taken his playmaking to a higher level this season, and his speed and passing is the perfect ingredient for an All-Star game. His backcourt partner will be Chicago’s Butler, who has surprisingly elevated his offensive game to such a level that he is now a legitimate two-way star.

This LeBron kid looks like he has a bit of potential and a bright future, so I thought I’d give him a run at small forward, so he joins ex-Heat teammate Chris Bosh, and the Bulls’ Pau Gasol in the frontcourt.

Bosh has shown just how much he sacrificed being the third wheel in The Big Three in Miami, by returning to his Toronto Raptors form and being the number one option on offence for the Heat, while still being a great defensive player. Meanwhile, Gasol has been rejuvenated in Chicago, posting career highs in a number of categories and being the Bulls’ most consistent contributor.

On the bench, I love the fact I’ve selected three point guards. Though cynics will say it’s because I’m biased from being an ex-point guard myself, it actually comes from an awareness that All-Stars games are lot more fun when you have plenty of passing, and selecting three floor generals in the reserves will ensure the ball gets to the right hands at the right time for some entertaining basketball.

Not only that, but Lowry, Teague and Irving all deserve their selections anyway, with Irving’s flashy play, in particular, tailor-made for this type of event.

Wade was expected to fall off a cliff this season, but despite sitting out a number of games, he’s been brilliant and earns yet another All-Star nod to his glittering career. Korver may not have the gaudy stat totals of other players here, but his shooting percentages are absolutely crazy, and he’s the most important and valuable player on the best – and most entertaining – team in the East.

Millsap and Horford round out the bench, giving Atlanta four players in the Eastern reserves, but far from being a token nod to the Hawks’ success, it’s recognition for the consistently high play of said quartet, especially their two post players.

Melo misses out because the Knicks are terrible, he’s missed plenty of games, and I also don’t buy into the rubbish that the host city needs to have a representative on the roster. Meanwhile, Kevin Love has been well down on production and effort, and other players are simply more deserving this year.

Western Conference

Starters
Steph Curry
James Harden
Kevin Durant
Anthony Davis
Marc Gasol

Reserves
Mike Conley
Damian Lillard
Russell Westbrook
Klay Thompson
Blake Griffin
LaMarcus Aldridge
DeMarcus Cousins

Major snubs: Chris Paul, Dwight Howard, Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki and Kobe Bryant.

Out West, Curry and Harden pick themselves, with both players probably in the top three candidates for the MVP award. Shooting, ball handling and passing are all extremely well covered with these two individuals, in what is a mouth-watering backcourt combination.

Durant’s selection may cause some eyebrow raises (hopefully not Anthony Davis’) due to the fact he has missed a lot of games via injury this season. Yet can it really be an All-Star game without the reigning MVP, and one of the best two players on the planet?

The Unibrow leads the league in PER and has ascended into the realm of superstar, so he rightfully takes his spot in the West’s starting five. He’ll be joined by the other Gasol brother, who has slimmed down this season, but maintained his intelligent, all-round game, which has Memphis positioned as a scary proposition come playoff time.

For the back-ups, I’ve once again gone with three point guards to ensure there is plenty of pace and passing. Lillard and Westbrook will provide excitement and entertainment when they get on the court, while Conley’s steady play will be required when you look at all the ‘hotdogs’ on this roster.

Klay was probably already deserving of a spot on the bench, but his 37-point eruption in the third quarter against the Sacramento Kings – an NBA record for most points ever scored in a quarter – sealed the deal. He finished with 52 points that night, and his shooting will always be a welcome addition to a game like this.

The contrasting styles of Griffin and Aldridge make for an interesting duo of power forwards on the bench. Both actually have legitimate claims to the starting position, yet via different methods of play. Griffin has an improved outside game this year, but remains a highlight reel player, while Aldridge’s mid-range game eschews the advanced metrics crowd, yet remains brutally effective.

Last man on the bench is the Kings’ Boogie Cousins, who is as talented as any player in the league, and simply deserves to be on the team, even if the narrative around him finally growing up is a little overstated.

Those missing out include Chris Paul, because there is a plethora of talented point guards in the West, and even though CP3 may still be the best of them, someone has to miss out, and I wanted to give Conley his first All-Star berth. There is also the very mature reasoning that I hate the Clippers.

Dwight Howard’s game may be as close to his dominant Orlando days as ever, but it remains aesthetically challenging, especially for an event that’s meant to be entertaining.

Meanwhile, Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki and Kobe Bryant can all make strong cases to be invited, but the veterans would probably prefer the time off anyway. In fact, Kobe is likely done for the season with a shoulder injury, and the Lakers’ poor record counted against him being selected in the first place.