When the NBA All-Star Game starters and reserves were announced, there were a couple of glaring omissions from the rosters. Among them was Suns guard Devin Booker, in the midst of a season where he is averaging 27.1 PPG on 51% shooting, both career-bests.
“It was always a goal of mine (to make the All-Star Game), but it just reproves the point that the NBA is different from the game I fell in love with at the beginning of all the best players being in the All-Star Game,” Booker said, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic.
“Growing up watching that. And now it’s an entertainment, drama, political-filled league, but we’re a part of it now. It pays well so I guess we should be quiet about it.”
Booker obviously was not the lone snub — Wizards’ guard Bradley Beal was also not among those selected to the All-Star festivities in Chicago. Both Beal and Booker are averaging over 27 PPG, yet will not represent their respective teams unless they’re named as injury replacements.
“It’s a shame that when you look at the system, the way these guys are picked he’s probably a casualty of that,” Suns coach Monty Williams said. “It’s pretty clear that the Western Conference coaches didn’t value what he brought to the table and that’s disappointing.”
He’s a great player and his stats say All-Star. However his team record says otherwise. Even great players on losing teams have a hard time overcoming their teams record to get in
So then just make it a popularity contest. It is a JOKE Russell Westbrook made it this year with what he has done. The NBA should just say ok unless your name is this you aren’t getting in. Once again just another reason not to watch the game as it also has become a farce.
How exactly is it a joke that a player who is averaging 30 PPG over the past two months and has carried his team over the past few weeks while their other star player has struggled with poor play and a nagging injury makes it as a reserve in the AS game?
Westbrook is 10th in the NBA in scoring this season, right between AD and LeBron. To say it is a joke that he make it to the All-Star game based on what he has done this year is an even bigger joke based purely from naiveté.
Well, if we’re talking about scoring, then Devin Booker is 8th.
Just admit it, Westbrook is the turd in the punch bowl.
+ 30 ppg (in recent play mind you) on the Rockets should be graded on a curve with how they play.
What does the team’s record have to do with anything? The NBA All-Star Game (a.k.a. The Kobe Game) has become a joke and a bad one at that.
Trae Young
This is what’s so important to understand about NBA players: every one of them thinks they’re the best at what they do. The good players in particular can’t comprehend that they’re somewhere on a scale. This is why every good young player demands a max contract, and why the NBA has max contracts in the first place.
If there were no such thing as a max contract, a lot of fragile young egos would be destroyed.
There’s no judgement here, mind you – pro athletes are just wired different. But Booker is undoubtedly angry, and he’ll use that anger to grow his game. A “snub” might be really good for his growth.
I agree on the snubs being good for the players. Good for a young booker but not necessarily needed for an older player like Beal
Reproves…. You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.
MLB forces 1 All Star rep from each team. This can easily be done in a not-so-in-your-face way because the NBA has the Rising Stars, All-Star, 3pt, Skills and Dunk Contest. I think usually there is almost one member from each team participating in the events. Like I don’t think a Sixers tank player made any of those, but most of the NBA was probably represented.
The problem is that, there are a lot of stat-getters that are on scrub teams, always have been. Morris is a prime example, scrub team and he is the showcase player. Kevin Love Minnesota years. Michael Redd. You can build a fringe HOF career on a garbage team. Which is what Booker is working towards.
So, putting it in an MLB scenario, Mike Trout should start laying down bunts because he has great stats and his team is lousy? What happens if Booker starts passing off and his PPG drops to 18.5? The Suns go 14-68. Then they’re accused of tanking. And Booker gets the brunt of the criticism.
Yea that makes no sense. Re-think your argument with me. Baseball players get a limited number of at-bats dictated by the game’s pitcher and defense. 3, 4 and occasionally 5 or 6 if you’re the lead off guy and extra innings.
Basketball player can chuck up 50 shots of he wants and his teammates keep feeding him the ball. He can also grab a ton of boards if say, he steals them from teammates or teammates box out a la Westbrook. Not apples to apples. Stat getting in MLB… it’s based off pure ability. Stat getting in the NBA can come with just chucking up a ton of shots to get your PPG. If Booker as you say passed up on shots and got more assists, then he’d probably lead the league in Assists. Generally speaking, those guys find themselves in the playoffs. Booker needs a ticket to go to the playoffs.
Booker is shooting 51%. Did Kobe ever do that? He had Shaq there for years to draw defenders away and give him ample space.
This year there were 3 of 24 players from losing teams. I would prefer there were a few more because the lesser teams get scheduled on TV less often, but that’s not a great reason; selection is more of an player honor. The game was worse to watch last year than usual, seemingly a victim to load management and unwritten rules.
(Hopefully the new official rules will make a difference!)
Good on Booker for speaking out well though by necessity there are snubs every year.
Might as well change the definitions of “snub” and “reprove”!
Team record….which is a team driven stat….should have ZERO impact on a players all star selection…which is an individual driven award.
Beal and Booker were hosed, but this has happened in every league, in every year.
You sooo very right man, why everybody is obsessed with winning records, all-star is for stars not for winning teams.
Winning records has already hijacked the All-NBA awards, why should it take away stars from the celebration & put scrubs just ’cause their team is better?
Really annoys me.
He has been much better & more deserving than CP3 & Mitchell.
CP3 maybe, Mitchell..I’m no
Winning should definitely matter. So should games played. It’s why Booker stood a chance of getting in, but didn’t. Towns has great stats but didn’t play enough games AND wolves have shi**y record.
Paul has been brilliant this year and definitely deserves it over Booker. His stats are quite good but also his clutch stats have been league best so that matters a lot and directly impacts winning. Plus Booker has a lot to prove on D.
In thise era of load management, games missed should be a factor. For the ASG, games played is uneven between teams.
Unfortunately, games missed is not a regular category.
You don’t give any reason why….therefore, no, it shouldn’t matter.
VORP, Win Shares, and Box +/- tend to be higher for players on winning teams, ironically if you take the totals of those 3 stats you will have the league MVP or runner-up. Point leader isnt always the leader in those categories. So team results do factor a bit into how we view stars. Knock on Melo was always that the Knicks stunk.
Sorry but if trey Young is a starter and his team sucks, booker and Beal are all stars over at least 4 people. Bam, Russ and CP3 being 3 of them.
Booker and Beal deserve to be in.
It would help their cause if they bothered to play defense.
The All Star game isn’t exactly known for showcasing solid defense
Oh like Harden does?
All star game is a joke but being named an all star is not as it affects HOF consideration. I’d create 1 on 1 tournaments by position to get into the all star game.
Top 4 centers in each conference play for 2 spots, top 8 forwards, and top 8 guards in each conference play for 4 spots at each position. That leaves 2 spots for coaches and players to vote for from the 1 v 1 tourney losers.
Here is the Western conference guard 1 v 1 tourney. Five minute games that are refereed. Ranks by final voting results
(8) CP3 v (1) Luka
(5) Mitchell v (4) Westbrook
(6) Booker v (3) Lilliard
(7) Ja v (2) Harden
Use the money from the idiotic in season tournament and pay these guys for their participation. If Booker thinks its “political” this is his chance to prove it and beat an established all star. If you think that Westbrook doesn’t deserve it then Donovan Mitchell should be able to expose his weaknesses and beat him. This would appeal to the video generation as playing 1 v 1 has been a part of NBA video games from Day 1.
Not really feasible… players need to be chosen ahead of the weekend and there would be no time to do this tournament. It would be fun to watch for sure
Skip the pointless game then, the 1on1 would be better.
I don’t get how ingram was chosen… Has he really been that good against any particular coaches??? I bet he got in by 1 vote.
End of the day all I have to say is…..
Booker over CP3 and Beal over Lowry
Lowry missed 11 games, Paul 1… Beal has a better case. Booker 3, Mitchell 1, Ingram 5… Ingram also has a lower PER than Booker.
All players are good, but games missed should be important.
Trae young shouldn’t even be a reserve let alone a starter. His team is DEAD LAST. JOKE. Sorry, winning teams get all stars, that’s how it should be. The only real snubs from either conference are Paul George and jaylen Brown. Both get it done every night they play and contribute to winning.
Booker isn’t wrong. The cretins at ESPN got big mad that Steph Curry came along and blew their “Lebron is the only player to care about” narratives out of the water, GSW broke all WINS records, and now those absolute idiots at ESPN listened to NBA twitter and decided wins don’t matter, 73-9 doesn’t matter because “GSW blew a 3-1 lead” to Lebron mattered more, so now no team is trying to win 70+ anymore.
The NBA and ALL MEDIA has to go back to making wins the most important, not singular player feats in losing causes.
The All-Star Game is utterly pointless and a total joke, they should just do the dunk contest, the 3 pt contest and the skills contest and leave it at that.
The all nba teams are for team success. The all star game is for the stars and there is no shot Adebayo and chris paul deserve to be there over Beal and Booker. Hopefully this is rectified with injury replacements or something. Personally I would love to LaVine make it too just so there is a Bull at the event in Chicago
Booker had double the fan votes as CP3 and more players picked Booker over CP3 so how the eff did CP3 get on and not Booker?
Beal was 2nd ranked among players while Young was 3rd but Young blew Beal away amongst fans. The fan vote is overweighted in my opinion especially since fans get to vote multiple times which favors players from bigger cities and those that get hyped by the media.
It should be added that 7 players voted for Tacko Fall so some of the players are as “selective” as the fans.
Take record out of it and look at the stats of each player. Then tell me when picking a 12 man squad for each conference Beal and Booker aren’t one of the 12 players you would pick on your team. Are we picking the BEST players each year to represent the All-Star game? How many more games would these teams lose if they didn’t have Beal or Booker? Wizards and Suns would be competing for the #1 pick right now.