Despite stellar play, Paul not one of reserves picked
DALLAS — Fond as the Rockets are of referring to Chris Paul as a “Hall of Fame point guard,” they cannot call him a 2018 NBA All-Star.
An All-Star selection for nine consecutive seasons with the New Orleans Hornets and Los Angeles Clippers, Paul was excluded from the Western Conference All-Star team for a second consecutive season after the vote of conference coaches was announced Wednesday.
Portland’s Damian Lillard, Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook and Golden State’s Klay Thompson were selected, joining the Rockets’ James Harden and the Warriors’ Stephen Curry in the pool of Western Conference guards heading to the AllStar Game on Feb. 18 in Los Angeles.
Paul missed 17 games in the first half of the season, but the Rockets are 23-5 in games he has played, 18-0 when Paul, Harden and Clint Capela all play. Paul is averaging 19.1 points, 8.9 assists and a career-high 5.9 rebounds.
It is not unprecedented for a player missing that many games and more being selected as an All Star. In 2015, Kevin Durant was chosen by the coaches though he had played in just 19 games, averaging
25.5 points, at the time of the voting.
“It’s pretty outrageous,” Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said. “I think it was based on simple games missed. It’s similar to honors in the past where new standards are getting
applied selectively. … Obviously, he was the primary guy driving winning when he was playing and James was out (going 4-3). If you look at with winning as the focus, the wins Chris made happen for us, even in a shorter window, were more than enough to get selected.”
The Warriors will have four All-Stars with Draymond Green and Durant joining Curry and Thompson. The Minnesota Timberwolves have two AllStars in Jimmy Butler and Karl-Anthony Towns. The New Orleans Pelicans have a pair of All-Star starters with DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis. San Antonio’s LaMarcus Aldridge and Westbrook round out the Western selections.
Reserves from the Eastern Conference are Toronto’s Kyle Lowry, Washington’s Bradley Beal and John Wall, Indiana’s Victor Oladipo, New York’s Kristaps Porzingis, Cleveland’s Kevin Love and Boston’s Al Horford.
LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, DeMar DeRozan, Joel Embiid and Kyrie Irving were named as starters from the East.
With the pool of AllStars determined, team captains Curry and James will choose the teams, with James choosing first. The teams will be announced Thursday.
The Rockets, with the NBA’s second-best record, are the only team among the top three in either conference with just one AllStar selection.