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The #PekGoesToo Movement as well as the "Bruise Brothers" albums couldn't convince the coaches to vote Nikola Pekovic in as an All-Star reserve in the Western Conference.
With that being said, let's be very clear about one thing--it wasn't because he wasn't deserving, unfortunately the Wolves are in the very competitive Western Conference where there are many more better players and teams when compared to their Eastern Conference counterparts. Minnesota's Kevin Love was named to the All-Star team as a starter by the fans and he joins... Stephen Curry, G, Golden State Warriors Kobe Bryant, G, Los Angeles Lakers Kevin Durant, F, Oklahoma City Thunder Blake Griffin, F, Los Angeles Clippers The coaches decide the reserves and they chose... Chris Paul, G, Los Angeles Clippers Tony Parker, G, San Antonio Spurs Dwight Howard, C, Houston Rockets Dirk Nowitzki, F, Dallas Mavericks LaMarcus Aldridge, F, Portland Trailblazers Damian Lillard, G, Portland Trailblazers James Harden, G, Houston Rockets I don't exactly agree with everyone on that reserve list. I don't deny that the Blazers are having a terrific season, however I don't think Lillard is deserving of his first all-star appearance and I also question Tony Parker. I'm not saying that Pek deserves those one of those spots, however. If I had voted I would have included Sacramento's DeMarcus Cousins, New Orleans' Anthony Davis Memphis' Mike Conley or Phoenix's Goran Dragic before I chose Parker & Lillard. It would be hard for me to 'snub' Pek because he's my favorite Timberwolf of all-time and my favorite active NBA player, too, but there's just a lot of talent in this Western Conference. In the Eastern Conference the starters are... Kyrie Irving, G, Cleveland Cavaliers Dwyane Wade, G, Miami Heat Paul George, F, Indiana Pacers Carmelo Anthony, F, New York Knicks LeBron James, F, Miami Heat The coaches named these players the reserves... John Wall, G, Washington Wizards DeMar DeRozan, G, Toronto Raptors Paul Millsap, F, Atlanta Hawks Joakim Noah, C, Chicago Bulls Roy Hibbert, C, Indiana Pacers Chris Bosh, F, Miami Heat Joe Johnson, G, Brooklyn Nets I think it goes without saying that the Western Conference reserves are much better overall than the Eastern Conference and if the Wolves played in the East, not only would they be tied with Chicago for the #5 seed, they'd also have two All-Stars. Some snubs out East: Cleveland's Luol Deng, Toronto's Kyle Lowry, Detroit's Andre Drummond, Charlotte's Al Jefferson, Indiana's Lance Stephenson & Orlando's Arron Afflalo. Any one of those players are more deserving than Joe Johnson and I don't think you'd find too many people outside of New York that would disagree. HOWEVER, there is still a very small chance that Nikola could be named to the Western Conference All-Star team. It's clear that the Lakers' Kobe Bryant will likely not be able to play in the game despite being named to the All-Star game as a starter. As such, the new commissioner Adam Silver will have to name an injury replacement. While it's more likely that he names someone like Conley, Dragic, Davis, Cousins or even Tim Duncan--there is still a chance, albeit minuscule that Pek could be an all-star.
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Cody AndersonA TWolves fan, bringing you the daily updates. News Archives
August 2017
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