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Anthony Davis out of All-Star Game, Harden, Thompson to start
Sunday's NBA All-Star Game in New York City is down another major player. This one's star power will be missed a little more than the others.
After having sat out the New Orleans Pelicans' last two games with a right shoulder sprain, do-everything forward Anthony Davis announced that he will miss the high-profile exhibition at Madison Square Garden. Davis had been voted in as a starter for the Western Conference and figured to be one of the most talked-about players at the event. Tim McMahon of ESPNDallas.com reported that Dirk Nowitzki will be named as Davis's replacement on the West roster, but head coach Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors will select who starts in Davis's place. Davis announced the news via a team statement.
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This season has been something of a coming-out party for Davis, already a star but now arguably the most statistically productive player in the league. He is averaging 24.5 points (55.1 percent on field goals) 10.3 rebounds, and a league-leading 2.6 blocks per game while flirting with the all-time record for PER at 31.7. Beyond the numbers, Davis has been essential to a limited Pelicans team that relies on him very heavily via big shots and virtually any other way that one person can impact the game.
Soon-to-be 13-time All-Star Nowitzki nabbed the vacant spot ahead of Memphis Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley, his teammate Zach Randolph, and Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan. Conley was considered a snub when the initial rosters were announced, but Silver apparently has deemed the West in need another frontcourt player with both Griffin and Davis unavailable. It is also possible that the 36-year-old Nowitzki will not appear in many more All-Star Games, although it's not as if he's purely a legacy pick. Dirk can still play.
Kerr also announced two new starters for his West squad to replace the injured Kobe Bryant and Blake Griffin. Instead of going with a frontcourt player to replace Griffin, who will miss the exhibition after undergoing surgery to remove a staph infection in his right elbow, Kerr has opted to start a three-guard lineup featuring Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson and Houston Rockets superstar James Harden alongside leading vote-getter Stephen Curry in a three-guard lineup. Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle reported the news Wednesday night on Twitter shortly after the Warriors' narrow win over the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center.
Kerr's decision should make most fans happy. Harden was absolutely deserving of the honor and has made a strong case for himself with two 40-point games this week. Meanwhile, Thompson is the second most-celebrated player on the team with the NBA's best record and garnered lots of media attention after a record-breaking 37-point quarter in January. They figure to be joined in the starting lineup by another forward such as Durant or Aldridge, unless Kerr embraces smallball to the extreme.
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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at efreeman_ysports@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
