What are the chances Damian Lillard starts in the All Star game?

[BBert]

Coach doesn't decide unless there is an injury.

Coaches pick the bench, Silver picks the replacements, I thought?

 

[BBert]

No way Lillard can be left off the all star team.

It would be very groovy if he started, but unless he is being heavily marketed in China, I don't see it.

I expect Lillard to make another jump in his game this year. He's that good.

 

[riverman]

Coaches pick the bench, Silver picks the replacements, I thought?

I understand making the rirst team is the fans vote but the coach dishes out minutes once the roster is set and I don't see Dame on that first team. I think the right coach may give him MVP type minutes though

 

[KingSpeed]

Fans pick starters

Coaches pick fans

Silver picks injury replacement

Coach picks who starts if a starter is injured.

 

[chris_in_pdx]

All Star Starters are household names. They are names that people in Bangkok, Frankfurt, Buenos Aries, Moscow, and Beijing recognize. Lillard may be in that category soon, but he's no where near that now.

 

[Boob-No-More]

Also, how about THIS? Two years ago, Paul George didn't even make the TOP 15 in All Star voting. Last year, he was a starter! He jumped over at least 14 people! Why can't Lillard have a jump like that?

Because he doesn't have players like Shane Battier and Jeff Green ahead of him.

BNM

 

[Natebishop3]

I see where Eric is coming from, but I tend to agree with BNM.

Yes, Dame has a ton of national branding right now. More so than even Steph Curry last season, but it will be difficult to beat out CP3 for the point guard spot, and then he has to compete with Curry, Kobe, Westbrook, Kobe, etc etc etc. That doesn't even take into account guys like Jrue Holiday, Goran Dragic, Eric Bledsoe, Tony Parker, or even someone like Trey Burk. The west is completely stacked at point guard right now. It will be difficult for anyone to dominate the All-Star nominations for the next decade. To get a nod is a huge honor right now at that position. Just look at some of the point guards in the west right now:

OKC - Westbrook
LAC - Chris Paul
PHX - Goran Dragic
GSW - Steph Curry
UTH - Trey Burk
NOR - Jrue Holiday
SAS - Tony Parker
DEN - Ty Lawson
MIN - Bricky Rubio
MEM - Mike Conley

Even the guys that aren't really All-Star material are still really solid.

HOU - Beverley
LAL - Lin
DAL - Jameer Nelson
SAC - Darron Collison

There isn't really a horrible point guard starting in the west right now. When was the last time so many good point guards were all in the league at the same time, and mostly still really young? Parker and Paul are the elder statesmen, but they're not even that old.

 

[Rhal]

Am I the only one hoping we have a great record and both LMA/Lillard get left off.
Id feel sorry everytime an allstar at their position suits up against us because they will be playing against a beast mode version of Lillard or LMA

 

[Natebishop3]

Am I the only one hoping we have a great record and both LMA/Lillard get left off.
Id feel sorry everytime an allstar at their position suits up against us because they will be playing against a beast mode version of Lillard or LMA

I would be surprised if LA was left off, but Dame will have to have a really good fucking first half of the season to make the team. He's going to be competing with some very capable players for those four or five guard spots.

 

[Rhal]

I would be surprised if LA was left off, but Dame will have to have a really good fucking first half of the season to make the team. He's going to be competing with some very capable players for those four or five guard spots.

Its going to be hard for either one of them. The players who will have a valid argument for an AS game is going to be 13-15 deep at both guard and forward positions.

 

[Natebishop3]

Its going to be hard for either one of them. The players who will have a valid argument for an AS game is going to be 13-15 deep at both guard and forward positions.

Yup. I suspect it will have as much to do with the team's success as it does with their own. If we are in the top three of the west again, I could see both guys making the team. If we're in the bottom half of the top 8, I could see them both missing.

 

[BigGameDamian]

25% chance.
Some one could get injured. But if Westbrook has the thunder in the playoffs by himself then it will be between him and cp3/curry/Lillard/dragic, in that order.

Durant is only out 6-8 weeks.

 

[Nikolokolus]

Starting in an all-star game is maybe the most worthless honor I can think of because of how it's determined. All-NBA is where it's at.

 

[Boob-No-More]

Starting in an all-star game is maybe the most worthless honor I can think of because of how it's determined. All-NBA is where it's at.

Ironically, getting picked as a reserve is more of an honor than getting voted as a starter.

BNM

 

[Nikolokolus]

Ironically, getting picked as a reserve is more of an honor than getting voted as a starter.

BNM

That too.

 

[Wizard Mentor]

If the blazers start 50-0, Lillard will start in the all-star game.

 

[Shooter]

Zero, if tonight's first half is any indication.

 

[blue9]

If we're basing it off the first half game of the season? Zero.

 

[KingSpeed]

In the grand scheme of things, not that many people vote. Lillard has 558,000 Twitter followers. If they would each vote for him 3 times, he would be the leading vote-getter.

 

[KingSpeed]

Zero, if tonight's first half is any indication.

Doesn't matter how you play in one half of basketball. Doesn't matter if you don't play at all (see Kobe last year). What matters is that you are POPULAR and I started this thread to ask, has he become that popular?

 

[KingSpeed]

If we're basing it off the first half game of the season? Zero.

But we're not.

 

[KingSpeed]

If the blazers start 50-0, Lillard will start in the all-star game.

No. He'll start if people vote.

 

[KingSpeed]

Curry (after finishing 8th in 2013) was the leading vote-getter among guards in 2014. He had 1,047,281 votes. So if each of Lillard's Twitter followers votes twice for Lillard, he'll be a starter. It's that simple. Doesn't matter how he or anyone else plays. We just need to organize the vote.