Draymond Green, Klay Thompson added to All-Star Game as reserves.
Warriors land four on All-Star team for second consecutive season
OAKLAND >> The Warriors will display their riches once again. For the second consecutive year, the Warriors will feature four players in the NBA All-Star Game, marking the first time in NBA history such a thing as happened for any team.
Warriors forward Draymond Green and guard Klay Thompson on Tuesday were named among the reserves for the 2018 NBA All-Star game on Feb. 18 in Los Angeles, as voted by NBA coaches. Last week, Warriors guard Stephen Curry and forward Kevin Durant were named starters.
This marks just the ninth time overall in NBA history that a single team will have four players in the All-Star Game.
“We’re obviously very lucky to have these guys all together at once on one roster,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said before Tuesday’s game against the Knicks at Oracle Arena. “What I love is they’re so unselfish and they play together so well. That’s why they’re all All-Stars.
“It wouldn’t work if they were selfish and they were looking for their own shot or their own points and that kind of stuff.
So I’m really thrilled the coaches recognized Draymond and Klay for their contributions to our success.”
Those qualities will cement three All-Star appearances for Green and four for Thompson. But on Tuesday morning, Green sounded unsure of his chances, mindful of the “deep pool” of candidates coaches could choose.
“I was shocked. I’m never quite sure. I was surprised,” Green said following the Warriors’ win over the Knicks. “You can never be too sure. There’s a lot of good players in this league, especially in the Western Conference.
“There are guys who didn’t make it that deserve to make it. I can’t be sure I’ll make it over those guys.”
Such a development irritated Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook, who questioned Paul George’s exclusion and why the Warriors had four players make the AllStar game.
“There’s going to be a couple of guys that gets snubbed every year. Paul George is an All-Star player no matter who puts him in the game,” Durant told Bay Area News Group. “He’s a super star. He’s a star. It will mean a lot to me if I was Paul as well or his teammates. I’m sure he deserves to be in there along with a lot of other guys.
“But that’s what it is. Everybody gets snubbed. That’s how it is. I don’t know what to say to that. But everybody that is in there deserves to be in there.”
Green collectively only trailed behind Durant, New Orleans’ Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins, all of whom received starting positions.
Green also has averaged 11.3 points on 46.3 percent shooting, 7.9 rebounds and 7.6 assists, numbers that have produced two triple doubles season. While Green ranks fifth in assists in the NBA and second among forwards behind Cleveland’s LeBron James (8.7), Green averages 26th in total rebounds per game and has shot only 31.2 percent from 3-point range.
“I want to be an AllStar and one of the top guys in the league,” Green
said. “But at the end of the day, I’m here to win championships.”
Thompson said he feels the same way.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” said Thompson, who has averaged 20.9 points, while remaining prolific from the field (48.9 percent) and from 3-point range (45.4 percent). “But we have a long ways to go to get to where we want to go.”
In the meantime, Thompson said he also plans to participate in the NBA’s 3-point shooting contest on Feb. 17 after winning the competition against Curry in 2016 and falling one point shy of reaching the final round in 2017. Meanwhile, Curry will not participate.
Curry has other things on his mind.
In a move to bolster
both fan and player interest in the NBA All-Star game on Feb. 18 in Los Angeles, Curry and LeBron James were named as captains after leading the NBA in fan, player and media votes. James will pick first and then Curry will select second among a handful of starters that include Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, DeMar DeRozan, Kyrie Irving, Joel Embiid, Anthony Davis, James Harden, DeMarcus Cousins.
James and Curry will then fill out their roster by picking alternatively among a group of reserve players, including Thompson, Green, Russell Westbrook, LaMarcus Aldridge, Jimmy Butler, Damian Lillard and Karl-Anthony Towns.
Though Green and Thompson jokingly threatened
to demand trades if Curry does not select them, Curry counted he “ain’t worried about what they’re saying.”
“I might have to do some ‘Real GMing,’ if that’s a word, with trade packages to offer LeBron,” Curry said. “I can position myself in the draft. It’ll be cool having KD, Klay and Draymond available.
“I’m sure I’ll have, if not all three, at least one of them on my team.”