Stephen Curry on Warriors' All-Stars: 'Why not five?'
Last season, at 43-11, the East-leading Atlanta Hawks sent four players to the All-Star Game.
At 25-1, the Golden State Warriors are on pace to thrash Atlanta's record through 54 games. So should they have as many, if not more, All-Stars?
Stephen Curry thinks so.
"Why not five?" Curry said, according to Inside Bay Area.
Five is an insane amount. It's never been done before. But is Curry right? Do the Warriors deserve five All-Stars?
In short: No. The West, even in a somewhat "down" year, is simply too deep to have five All-Stars from one team. The East, especially last season, has been shallower in talent in recent seasons, and four All-Stars from such a dominant team made sense. Even then, Kyle Korver didn't originally make the team and was an injury replacement.
So which Warriors should make it?
Curry is a lock to make the All-Star team. He's the best player in the league, the reigning MVP (and favorite this season by a mile), and the game's most popular star. He led all players in All-Star voting last season and should repeat as the front-runner this season.
Behind him, though, things get murky.
Draymond Green should be a lock as the Warriors' second All-Star. Golden State deserves at least two, if not three, All-Stars at the minimum. Green has fulfilled his potential as a human Swiss Army Knife this season and has emerged as possibly a top-10 player. He's arguably the best big man in the league right now, though Anthony Davis and Blake Griffin each have a case.
The one thing holding him back is his modest scoring average (14.0 points per game), which is often a factor in who makes the team. That said, the coaches determine who makes the All-Star bench and people in NBA circles understand just how rare and valuable Green's skill set is. Green is averaging 8.8 rebounds, 7.1 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.5 blocks to go along with a league-leading four triple-doubles. He's the most versatile player in the game right now, and people are starting to take notice.
"It means a lot to have the support of fans, but the importance for him is we're winning games and he's helping us do that," Curry said. "Whatever comes of that is just a bonus."
Besides Green, the Warriors don't have another clear All-Star.
Klay Thompson (19.0 points on 47.1 percent shooting, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists) has picked up his play as of late, but he has a ton of ground to makeup on such a competitive Western backcourt. If Thompson maintains his current play over the next four to six weeks, however, he'll have a solid chance at making the team, but there are no guarantees.
Does anyone else with a shot?
Not really.
Andrew Bogut has missed a chunk of time and is only playing 20 minutes a night. Andre Iguodala has never gotten the recognition he's deserved, and averaging less than eight points per game will do him no favors. Festus Ezeli is a backup.
Really, the only other guy could be Harrison Barnes. But he's already missed one-third of the season, and his numbers don't stand out much either. The beauty of the Warriors is that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.
This team has quality depth, but it's also top-heavy. It's an interesting paradox. Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala (those his numbers won't show it) are much better than the rest of the Warriors. But those Warriors are much better than most team's other role players, even if their stats are somewhat pedestrian.
Ultimately, the Warriors are a lock for two All-Stars. Depending on how Thompson plays in the coming weeks, they may end up with three.
But five is simply too much. Sorry, Steph.
