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The NBA released their third round of voting results for the NBA All-Star Game. You can continue voting up to midnight on the 18th, and the votes will be tallied up and final winners and losers will be announced on the 21st. The All-Star reserves will be announced on the 28th of January . . . and as a Utah Jazz fan that's the date you circle on your calendar. After all, it's unlike that a Jazzman will jump up from nowhere to be a top vote getter in the next three days. The results are pretty clear cut in this case, though there are some slim races to keep an eye on: the 3rd starting front court spot for the West, the 3rd starting front court spot in the East, and the 2nd starting back court spot in the East. All-in-all, not much drama for the next few days, so here are the results to date:
Western Conference | Eastern Conference | |||||||
Backcourt | Team | Votes | Backcourt | Team | Votes | |||
1 | Stephen Curry | Warriors | 1,206,467 | 1 | Dwyane Wade | Heat | 736,732 | |
2 | Russell Westbrook | Thunder | 609,901 | 2 | Kyrie Irving | Cavaliers | 399,757 | |
3 | Chris Paul | Clippers | 410,284 | 3 | Kyle Lowry | Raptors | 367,472 | |
4 | Klay Thompson | Warriors | 386,053 | 4 | Jimmy Butler | Bulls | 356,561 | |
5 | James Harden | Rockets | 319,596 | 5 | John Wall | Wizards | 281,936 | |
6 | Rajon Rondo | Kings | 157,298 | 6 | DeMar DeRozan | Raptors | 262,683 | |
7 | Manu Ginobili | Spurs | 144,712 | 7 | Derrick Rose | Bulls | 217,986 | |
8 | Andre Iguodala | Warriors | 142,047 | 8 | Jeremy Lin | Hornets | 155,475 | |
9 | Tony Parker | Spurs | 123,136 | 9 | Isaiah Thomas | Celtics | 111,838 | |
10 | Damian Lillard | Trail Blazers | 105,797 | 10 | Reggie Jackson | Pistons | 57,736 | |
Frontcourt | Team | Votes | Frontcourt | Team | Votes | |||
1 | Kobe Bryant | Lakers | 1,533,432 | 1 | LeBron James | Cavaliers | 830,345 | |
2 | Kevin Durant | Thunder | 774,782 | 2 | Paul George | Pacers | 569,947 | |
3 | Draymond Green | Warriors | 499,947 | 3 | Carmelo Anthony | Knicks | 368,336 | |
4 | Kawhi Leonard | Spurs | 487,626 | 4 | Andre Drummond | Pistons | 361,307 | |
5 | Blake Griffin | Clippers | 396,630 | 5 | Pau Gasol | Bulls | 294,172 | |
6 | Anthony Davis | Pelicans | 326,070 | 6 | Chris Bosh | Heat | 266,817 | |
7 | Tim Duncan | Spurs | 303,498 | 7 | Kristaps Porzingis | Knicks | 248,783 | |
8 | Zaza Pachulia | Mavericks | 299,584 | 8 | Kevin Love | Cavaliers | 241,700 | |
9 | DeMarcus Cousins | Kings | 267,087 | 9 | Hassan Whiteside | Heat | 226,039 | |
10 | Enes Kanter | Thunder | 261,608 | 10 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | Bucks | 60,953 | |
11 | LaMarcus Aldridge | Spurs | 176,956 | 11 | Jonas Valanciunas | Raptors | 45,743 | |
12 | Dwight Howard | Rockets | 155,975 | 12 | Marcin Gortat | Wizards | 34,747 | |
13 | DeAndre Jordan | Clippers | 133,484 | 13 | Joakim Noah | Bulls | 34,274 | |
14 | Dirk Nowitzki | Mavericks | 128,962 | 14 | DeMarre Carroll | Raptors | 31,861 | |
15 | Harrison Barnes | Warriors | 113,607 | 15 | Paul Millsap | Hawks | 29,576 |
Yes, Zaza has more votes than Dirk. This is the world we live in. And, just to make sure no one misses this, there are no current Utah Jazz players on these lists. That's all well and nice, but how do the Jazz players compare to their Western peers they will be fighting against for reserve spots?
Back Court:
There are three Utah Jazz players I selected to judge against the group, Rodney Hood, and bench players Alec Burks and Trey Burke . None of them are playing at an All-Star level, but they are the three best guards on the roster right now.
Player | Team | G | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PRASB | /min | PER | WS | Box +/- | |||
3 | James Harden | Rockets | 40 | 37.7 | 28.0 | 6.0 | 6.8 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 43.1 | 1.14 | 24.3 | 5.6 | 5.3 | ||
4 | Damian Lillard | Trail Blazers | 34 | 36.5 | 24.7 | 4.6 | 7.1 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 37.8 | 1.04 | 21.8 | 3.8 | 3.9 | ||
5 | Rajon Rondo | Kings | 37 | 35.1 | 11.7 | 6.4 | 11.6 | 1.6 | 0.2 | 31.5 | 0.90 | 17.1 | 2.3 | 1.4 | ||
6 | Klay Thompson | Warriors | 38 | 33.1 | 20.7 | 3.9 | 2.4 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 28.3 | 0.85 | 17.8 | 3.8 | 0.3 | ||
7 | Chris Paul | Clippers | 34 | 32.3 | 18.0 | 3.7 | 9.6 | 2.0 | 0.1 | 33.4 | 1.03 | 24.3 | 5.0 | 5.7 | ||
8 | Andre Iguodala | Warriors | 40 | 27.9 | 7.4 | 4.2 | 3.5 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 16.9 | 0.61 | 13.6 | 3.5 | 2.9 | ||
9 | Tony Parker | Spurs | 38 | 27.3 | 13.1 | 2.6 | 5.1 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 21.9 | 0.80 | 19.7 | 4.6 | 2.5 | ||
10 | Manu Ginobili | Spurs | 35 | 20.2 | 10.4 | 3.0 | 3.6 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 18.1 | 0.90 | 20.0 | 3.0 | 4.9 | ||
- | Rodney Hood | Jazz | 37 | 30.1 | 13.2 | 3.0 | 2.6 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 20.0 | 0.66 | 13.5 | 2.1 | 0.0 | ||
- | Alec Burks | Jazz | 28 | 27.1 | 14.3 | 3.6 | 2.1 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 20.7 | 0.76 | 14.9 | 1.3 | -2.6 | ||
- | Trey Burke | Jazz | 39 | 24.3 | 12.3 | 2.1 | 2.6 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 17.8 | 0.73 | 15.7 | 1.5 | -1.5 |
So who gets in? I think James Harden, Damian Lillard, Rajon Rondo, Klay Thompson, and Chris Paul all have very strong claims to deserve a spot. Not surprisingly, these guys all play 32+ mpg. If one of them does get the shaft it will be Rondo because a) attitude, b) Kings record, and c) Kings will probably get an All-Star in Cousins, and not deserve more than one at this stage. The more I think about it, the more likely Rondo will get shafted.
What about the Jazz? None of our guys are playing at a high enough level to be a threat to make it. I do like our guys, but it's not like they have earned more clout with their on court play than Parker or Iguodala right now. Rodney, Alec, and Trey will all enjoy the All-Star game from home.
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Front Court:
Obviously I picked Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors, and Rudy Gobert to focus on here; after all, they are the Jazz' "Big Three".
Player | Team | G | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PRASB | /min | PER | WS | Box +/- | |||
3 | Anthony Davis | Pelicans | 33 | 35.6 | 22.8 | 10.8 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 2.5 | 39.1 | 1.10 | 24.2 | 3.5 | 1.7 | ||
4 | Blake Griffin | Clippers | 30 | 34.9 | 23.2 | 8.7 | 5.0 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 38.2 | 1.09 | 23.6 | 3.9 | 4.3 | ||
5 | Kawhi Leonard | Spurs | 39 | 33.3 | 20.2 | 7.1 | 2.6 | 1.9 | 0.9 | 32.7 | 0.98 | 25.9 | 8.0 | 8.7 | ||
6 | DeMarcus Cousins | Kings | 31 | 33.3 | 26.1 | 11.0 | 2.6 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 42.4 | 1.27 | 23.7 | 2.9 | 1.7 | ||
7 | Dwight Howard | Rockets | 33 | 33.2 | 14.2 | 11.9 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 1.6 | 30.2 | 0.91 | 19.7 | 3.4 | 1.4 | ||
8 | DeAndre Jordan | Clippers | 38 | 33.1 | 11.6 | 13.4 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 2.4 | 28.9 | 0.87 | 20.3 | 5.6 | 3.4 | ||
9 | Dirk Nowitzki | Mavericks | 37 | 30.9 | 17.7 | 6.8 | 1.9 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 27.6 | 0.89 | 20.3 | 4.0 | 2.1 | ||
10 | LaMarcus Aldridge | Spurs | 38 | 29.8 | 15.9 | 9.0 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 27.4 | 0.92 | 19.5 | 4.4 | -0.1 | ||
11 | Zaza Pachulia | Mavericks | 38 | 29.1 | 10.8 | 10.9 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 24.9 | 0.86 | 18.9 | 4.2 | 2.8 | ||
12 | Harrison Barnes | Warriors | 24 | 28.7 | 12.7 | 4.7 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 20.4 | 0.71 | 15.7 | 2.3 | 0.7 | ||
13 | Tim Duncan | Spurs | 35 | 26.2 | 9.2 | 7.7 | 3.0 | 0.9 | 1.3 | 22.1 | 0.84 | 18.0 | 3.7 | 5.5 | ||
14 | Enes Kanter | Thunder | 40 | 20.1 | 11.4 | 7.6 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 20.3 | 1.01 | 23.8 | 3.9 | -1.1 | ||
- | Gordon Hayward | Jazz | 39 | 35.3 | 19.4 | 5.1 | 3.2 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 29.2 | 0.83 | 18.6 | 3.8 | 1.8 | ||
- | Derrick Favors | Jazz | 26 | 32.6 | 16.8 | 8.6 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 29.6 | 0.91 | 23.6 | 3.4 | 3.6 | ||
- | Rudy Gobert | Jazz | 19 | 31.9 | 8.4 | 9.7 | 1.6 | 0.8 | 2.6 | 23.1 | 0.72 | 16.5 | 1.6 | 3.8 |
So who gets in? Once again, the strongest relationships exist between minutes played and performance, and performance with deserving to make the team. (Hmm, maybe Crazy Old Amar isn't wrong 100% of the time?) Anthony Davis, Blake Griffin (if healthy), Kawhi Leonard, and DeMarcus Cousins should all make the team. They've earned it. Dirk is having a good season, but I think his bid will be out of historical sympathies more than earning a spot if he is selected.
What about the Jazz? This is where the rubber hits the road, Hayward is actually averaging the second most MPG out of this group -- but his performance / production is far below what a star player gets you. Well, at least Hayward is getting paid like one. (N.B. Gordon isn't the only overpaid guy in the league. Today GMS overpay because you are actually paying for the cap size, not always paying for the player.) Favors is a tough customer on the court, and has a really nice All-Around game, but it's not like he's dropping five dimes a game as a PF or anything. Gobert gets rebounds, plays defense, and blocks shots. That's his job with the Jazz. He's just not All-Star level in overall performance yet. As it stands right now, if the Jazz don't have an All-Star this season it's not going to be a snub.
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Complications:
There are two complications to look at, a) deserving-ness, and b) injuries. If Kobe Bryant does the honorable thing and elects to be injured this year that opens up another roster spot in the West. If someone else is injured, and you never know with what's been happening this season, that helps everyone's chances out. Unfortunately, opportunity isn't equally rewarded. Deserving a spot makes a difference. Teams that underperform deserve less, and teams that are playing great deserve more. The Pistons from years ago had four All-Stars at once. Did that team deserve more All-stars than the Warriors do this year? If the Dubs get four All-Stars (through deserving) then that changes the equation completely. The Spurs also deserve at least two with how well they have performed, even if it's hard to make a case for anyone outside of Leonard.
Certainly this season none of the Jazz players deserve a spot. But I will say, of late, Gordon Hayward has been doing more with the time he is given, and is playing much better than when he started the season. I love these six Jazzmen, and see them helping the team get a lot of wins when healthy. But this team will still go another year without an All-Star as they continue to search for bright spots during difficult times.
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