Feb 15, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; Portland Trailblazers guard Damian Lillard (0) dunks during the 2014 NBA All Star dunk contest at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
All Star Time
Thursday the NBA announced the 2017 NBA All star starters. The biggest surprise is that Stephen Curry will start over triple double machine, Russell Westbrook.
Here is the western conference voting results for the guards. ( From ESPN.COM)
Guards
1 Stephen Curry, GS* 1 3 3 2.0
2 James Harden, HOU* 2 2 2 2.0
3 Russell Westbrook, OKC 3 1 1 2.0
4 Klay Thompson, GS 4 8 4 5.0
5 Chris Paul, LAC 5 6 4 5.0
6 Damian Lillard, POR 8 4 6 6.5
7 Eric Gordon, HOU 7 15 6 8.75
8 C.J. McCollum, POR 16 5 6 10.75
9 Andre Iguodala, GS 9 22 6 11.5
10 Manu Ginobili, SA 10 20 6 11.5
* All-Star starter (Curry, Harden win fan-vote tiebreaker)
So it seems like there is some love for our guards out here in the Northwest!
Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum both reached the top 10. It’s doubtful that both would make the team. But with a hurt Chris Paul, that chance may be more likely then you might think.
For most, Lillard is the clear choice to make the team. He ranks 8th in fan voting while McCollum ranks 16th. McCollum has been in the shadow of Lillard, and has the shadow of the Northwest working against him. Lillard is face of the franchise and a fan favorite. But the league knows how good McCollum is, as he ranks fifth in player voting (Lillard was fourth).
Our two guards have been the only bright spots on this Blazers team. They are one of the best backcourts in the league, averaging 49 points per game together. In short, they deserve to be recognized.
Oct 31, 2015; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) shoots the ball against the Phoenix Suns during the second quarter in the Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Mandatory Credit: Godofredo Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
The Case for Lillard
Even though Lillard has his own shoe and commercials, he still falls victim to a small market. However, he’s gotten better every year that he’s been in the league. This season he is averaging 26 points,5.9 assists,4.8 rebounds, 44% from the field,34% from three, and 89% from the free throw line. He currently ranks 7th in the NBA in scoring and 5th in the west. Most importantly, his play will dictate whether Portland makes it to the playoffs .
He ranks 9th in the NBA in usage (30.4) and 64.5% of his points come from unassisted field goals. In otherwords, he’s an elite scorer, but he’s an underrated passer and rebounder as well (12 games of 20pts, 5asts, 5rbds). For a superstar, he is very unselfish and becomes a willing passer when needed.
The Blazers are struggling, but Lillard still has them fighting for a playoff spot.
Oct 25, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard C.J. McCollum (3) celebrates after a basket by Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) late in the fourth quarter against the Utah Jazz at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Portland won 113-104. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports
The Case for McCollum
McCollum splashed onto the scene last year after winning the NBA’s Most Improved Player award. His play has solidified him as one of the west’s top guards over the past two seasons.
And this season has been no different.
CJ is averaging 23.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 47% from the field ,41.8 from three and 89% from the free throw line. His stats are good enough for 15th in the NBA in scoring, and 9th in the west.
CJ has really come into his own this season. He has proven he is more than just a sidekick to Lillard. When Lillard went down and missed 4 games, McCollum picked his game up. He averaged 31.2 PPG,49% FG, 4.6 APG,4.2 RPG, including a career high 43 points in a win against the Timberwolves. He showed that he can lead a team of his own.
McCollum ranks 25th in the NBA in usage (28.2), where 55.8% of his points come from unassisted field goals. He is a dead eye from three and has become one of the best shooters in the league (#1 in the NBA in mid-range 50.3%).
With Lillard back, McCollum is still playing great and has help guide Portland to some of their best wins of the season. He is a weapon coming off the pick and roll and has a nasty crossover that would entertain fans at the game. He deserves to be an All-Star, at least the Three Point Shootout.
May 1, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) shoots the basketball against Portland Trail Blazers guard C.J. McCollum (3) during the third quarter in game one of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Trail Blazers 118-106. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Comparing to Fan Favorite Klay Thompson
Klay Thompson of the Golden State warriors ranks higher than both of Portland’s guards in fan voting. Klay plays on the most popular team in the NBA so its not surprising that media and fans want to see him in the game.
Players ranked him 8th and to be fair Thompson is having another good year. He’s averaging 21 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2 assists per game. Those are good numbers, but are they all-star numbers?
Thompson is a shooter and most of his points come on open looks from 3. This season he is finding even more open looks with Kevin Durant drawing so much attention.
Per NBA.com he only ranks 61st in usage (25 %) as 85.5% of his points come off an assist. He relies a lot on his teammates to get shots. He doesn’t have to go one on one as Durant and Curry handle that responsibility. Thompson trusts in running the fast break or running around screens, but that’s about it for his offense. He is a very good defender and can match up with the best, but even with his solid defense, he shouldn’t be an All-Star over Lillard or McCollum.
The Blazers haven’t played great… but there is no denying that Damian and CJ are two of this season’s top 24 players. They deserve to be in the game amongst their fellow peers.
Here are the Rip City Project’s West All Star Reserves
1: Russell Westbrook,OKC
2: Damian Lillard,POR
3: DeMarcus Cousins,SAC
4: Gordon Hayward,UTA
5: Karl-Anthony Davis,MIN
6: CJ McCollum,POR
7 : Marc Gasol,MEM
I would not be surprised if the coaches vote Chris Paul in and then they end up having to pick an injury replacement. I’m hoping they just leave him off and save all the hassle.
Dame and CJ should both make it, however we’d love to hear your comments on whether our star guards deserve the nod.
More from Rip City Project
This article originally appeared on 
