LeBron coy about all-star selections

INDEPENDENCE, OHIO LeBron James wouldn’t reveal the order he drafted players for his NBA All-Star Game team.

Kevin Love had an idea when he was chosen. “Probably dead last,” Love said, joking.

“Kev would say that,” James said. Cleveland’s all-stars will play together in the Feb. 18 game after James selected his teammate — and former Cavs guard Kyrie Irving — to join him on a squad that will face a team featuring Golden State’s Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green in Los Angeles. Curry also selected Toronto Raptors guards DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry.

As the top two vote-getters, James and Curry were named captains and selected their teams for the game, which the league has acknowledged needs a jolt of excitement, intrigue and intensity following some lacklustre affairs. Last year, the West won 192-182 in a game devoid of defence or much competitiveness.

James, who will be playing in his 14th consecutive all-star game, nabbed Warriors star Kevin Durant with his first pick. But he wouldn’t divulge how the rest of the draft unfolded or the reasons for taking certain players.

“I drafted according to best players available, filling out my roster,” James said, sounding like an NBA general manager. “I picked, Steph picked and my next available guy was there. He took the next one, so I had to go down to who I wanted next. At some point I’ll tell you all the draft, but it won’t be here.”

Before the draft, speculation swirled about whether James would take Irving, his former teammate who requested a trade this summer after reaching three consecutive finals in Cleveland.

James didn’t say when he took Irving, but like Love, he joked about his final pick. “The only thing I know for sure is that Russ (Thunder star Russell Westbrook) went last,” James said of the reigning league MVP. “He’s crazy.”