Golden State Warriors David Lee and Stephen Curry Will Headline 2013 Western Conference All-Star Snubs
January 21, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors power forward David Lee (10) shoots the ball against Los Angeles Clippers power forward Lamar Odom (7) during the third quarter at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Clippers 106-99. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
David Lee is quietly having another monster season, and the majority of the “oohs” and “ahhs” are thrown at the more exciting front court players like Dwight Howard and Blake Griffin.
Lee dunks, but let’s be honest, the guy doesn’t have a 40-plus inch vertical.
And that robs him of the notoriety given to guys who own it with arial attacks. Lee does his damage with his mobility, all around versatility and deadly mid-range face-up game. He’s a consummate power forward and the only player in the league to be in the top-10 of scoring and rebounding.
Add to this, the Golden State Warriors are playing phenomenally well and riding strong in a tough Western Conference loaded with potential 50-win teams. The Warriors are 25-15 and just defeated the L.A. Clippers by a score of 115-94.
They then played the Cllps two nights later at Staples, but received the opposite end of a brutal game, losing 115-94. But they showed at their best they can hang with the best in the West (whether or not you are buying on the Clippers’ title chances or not).
The problem is that if they nominate a honorary Warrior to substantiate the Warriors’ great team play so far, it will likely be Stephen Curry. Basically, if the coaches select Curry, they’ll likely snub Lee in favor of LaMarcus Aldridge and Kevin Love. They won’t choose Lee over Marc Gasol either, citing the need to have at least one center.
It begs the question: “Will Lee be one of those guys who is continually left out of the All-Star loop because he just isn’t flashy enough?”
How can Lee make the All-Star team in the Western Conference when Blake Griffin is going to be a lock, regardless of all-around inferiority in play?
The fans are always going to elect the guys who jump over cars and do KIA commercials. Not the shy guy from Florida who quietly puts up better numbers.
Perhaps the really perplexing part is why fans don’t find Lee exciting enough? His passing skills and shooting abilities render him a very effective part of a highly efficient Golden State offense. He meshes well with Stephen Curry, which is a great sign since Curry is the cornerstone.
January 21, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry (30) shoots the ball against Los Angeles Clippers shooting guard Jamal Crawford (11, left) during the fourth quarter at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Clippers 106-99. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Yes, what is being implicated is that Curry and Lee should both be selected.
Curry should make it instead of Tony Parker, because at this point he is a better player. Curry is posting 20.5 points per game this season and dishing out 6.6 assists per night, while also coming up with 1.7 steals a game and hitting 45.5 percent from distance.
Parker, comparatively, averages 0.8 points less (19.7), 0.7 assists per game more, but has only roughly half the steals as Curry. Parker is hitting 41.7 percent from three, but this is his first year close to or over 40-percent since 2006-07, so it may be sample size error here. Parker will finish around 38-percent, or lower, possibly. Book it.
The point is, Curry has played a bigger hand in a team’s success than even Parker has. Curry has taken a LeBron-on-the-Cavs role on with the Dubs this season and often he has a play in all fourth quarter baskets (it’s happened several times this year).
It’s kind of a reluctant passing of the guard kind of thing to select Parker.
And while the same kind of principle may not apply in Lee’s case, I fear he may be one of the best players ever to never make a single All-Star appearances.