NBA All-Star 2015: Eastern Conference Roster Predictions
Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
All-Star voting is over, and tonight on TNT the All-Star starters for both conferences will be announced. Right now I will give you my predictions for the starters for the Eastern Conference as well as the reserves and the coach. My post on the Western Conference roster will be posted later today.
Starters (Fan Vote):
G: John Wall (Washington Wizards)
In the 2nd return of votes, Wall was by far the leader for votes among East guards, and for good reason. He's averaged a double double with 18 points and 10 assists per game and the Wizards are #2 in the East.
G: Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat)
Definitely the benefactor of the fan vote this year. He's had a good season in terms of stats averaging 22 points and 5 assists per game, but he has missed his fair share of games and should probably be a reserve in place of Kyle Lowry this year.
F: LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers)
No surprise at all that the best all around player in basketball is leading all players in fan votes after the 2nd return. Although his team isn't living up to pre-season expectations so far this year, LeBron is averaging 25 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds per game and always deserves a starting spot.
F: Carmelo Anthony (New York Knicks)
Another benefactor of fan votes this year. If team success was a key part of being an All-Star, Melo might not even make it. Sure he's averaging 24 points and 6 rebounds per game, but his team has the worst record in the league at 7-36. For a team that playoff expectations at the beginning of the year, they've bottomed out and might finish with a worse record than the tanking 76ers. Don't know how Melo can be proud of being an all-star this season, even if it is for his New York City home crowd.
F: Pau Gasol (Chicago Bulls)
Pau is surprisingly the 3rd highest frontcourt vote getter, but he's had a great season. Averaging 18 points and 11 boards per game, he's been a perfect fit in the Bulls frontcourt with Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson.
Bench (Coaches Vote):
Reserve Guard 1: Kyle Lowry (Toronto Raptors)
Kyle Lowry has been far and away the leader of the upstart Raptors this season. He's averaged 19ppg, 8apg, and 5 rpg, and had even better numbers in the time that DeMar DeRozan was out with a groin injury. He was the biggest snub of all last year in the East and the coaches won't make the same mistake again this year.
Reserve Guard 2: Jimmy Butler (Chicago Bulls)
Let's be honest, 2 Bulls are going to make the all-star team, and with Pau Gasol likely being voted in as a starter, it leaves us Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler. To me it's a pretty easy choice picking Butler. Rose has missed his fair share of games so far this season, and in that time, Jimmy Butler has unexpectedly become one of the biggest scoring threats in the East. Averaging a career high 20 points per game along with 6 rebounds and 2 steals per game.
Reserve Forward 1: Al Horford (Atlanta Hawks)
I consider Horford to be a lock as the first frontcourt reserve. Going from last year the Hawks were the 3rd seed in the East when Horford went down with a season ending injury, and now that he's fully healthy this year, among other reasons, the Hawks are the #1 team in the East and one of the best teams in the league. Paul Millsap could be the frontcourt player for the Hawks this year, but Horford has been more of an impact player for this Hawks team this year.
Reserve Forward 2: Kevin Love (Cleveland Cavaliers)
Let me say that I don't necessarily agree that Kevin Love should be an all-star this year due to the Cavs 21-19 record and his complete lack of defensive ability. At times the Cavs have been better with him off the court than with him on it, but I think due to the lack of star power among front court players in the East, Love is almost a lock among coaches to be put into this game. Love so far this season is averaging 17 points and 10 rebounds per game.
Reserve Forward 3: Nikola Vucevic (Orlando Magic)
In this spot you could put a number of players here. From Vucevic, to Andre Drummond, Greg Monroe, and Jonas Valanciunas. Vucevic is an under the radar player for a still young and growing Orlando Magic team. He's been putting up great numbers this year averaging 19 points and 11 rebounds per game and has grown into one of the best young centers in the game. He's not a household name, but once the Magic are a playoff team in the next couple years he will be.
Reserve Wild Card 1: Kyle Korver (Atlanta Hawks)
Hawks can get either 2 or 3 all-stars this year, which would have been unthinkable before the season. The likeliest all-star is Horford, but if the 2nd spot comes down to either Korver or Teague, it should be Korver. He's been a major reason why the Hawks have the best record in the East, and is on pace to be the first player in NBA history to shoot over 50% from the field, 90% from the free throw line, and 50% from 3pt.
Reserve Wild Card 2: Kyrie Irving (Cleveland Cavaliers)
A 21-19 record wouldn't usually warrant a team getting 3 all-stars, but this could come down to the coaches putting in a player that all fans recognize and is a household name. Kyrie is also putting up decent stats this year averaging 21 points and 6 assists per game. That being said I wouldn't be mad or surprised if the coaches chose to put Hawks guard Jeff Teague in this spot.
Coach: Mike Budenholzer (Atlanta Hawks)
Budenholzer locked up this spot by having the best record in the Eastern Conference by the time voting ended. In his two years he's turned this team from a middle of the pack 1st round exit into a possible title contender. This Hawks team is looking like Spurs East and is ranked in the top 10 in both offensive and defensive efficiency. A 34-8 record and by far the leader in the Coach of the Year race, he deserves it.
There you have it, those are my predictions for the Eastern Conference All-Stars this year. Feel free to comment if you think I missed a player or who you would replace someone with!
*All stats from NBA.com*
Twitter: @thomas_mooney1
