The NBA announced on Monday that Kyrie Irving, not Domantas Sabonis, will be named the All-Star injury replacement for Anthony Davis. Davis will miss multiple weeks with an adductor injury, and many thought that Sabonis would be tapped as the natural injury replacement. Sabonis is averaging 20.5 points, 14.3 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and is having an incredibly efficient shooting season, 62.9% on twos and 45.8% from three. Sabonis was more than deserving of an All Star nod this season, but was not selected by the coaches vote, and now the commissioner’s office has snubbed Sabonis again. Kyrie is averaging 24.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and is shooting 51.7% on twos and 40.7% from three (albeit on a higher volume of threes).
Did Adam Silver simply choose the next-highest vote getter from the coach’s votes? Or did he throw Mavericks fans a consolation prize after losing Luka Doncic and then watching AD predictably fall to injury? Or did the league reward the Mavs for sending a 25-year old superstar to the Lakers? Whatever the reason, it’s crap. The commissioner is not required to follow the coach’s votes, or any other metric, and Sabonis was the deserving choice.
While I don’t care about the All-Star game itself, I care about Sabonis not receiving the accolades he’s earned. This is a real shame.
Surprised?
The NBA is looking more ridiculous each week. Real strong WWE-type scripting vibes, with the whole Luka trade thing and now this. Go for the ratings rather than reward actual All-Star-level play.
So they divide all-star voting and choices into two categories of guards and front court players. Then when two front court players go down with injury and they replace them with guards? Why have position classification in the first place?
The bench is selected without positional requirements. Front court and back court designations are only for the starters.
So fans only get to vote for two guards and 3 front court players from each conference, but coaches and Silver get to pick whoever they want? From that, it’s entirely possible for one conference to send just 2 guards or just 3 front court players?
That’s just stupid.
That’s just the All-Star Game.
Team Shaq now has 0 centers. Literally, Lebron is his biggest player, and KD the tallest.
Leads the league in rebounds and double-doubles, top 5 in 3pt%, 20 ppg , and still cant get an all-star nod. Ho-hum, just another day in a small market team. Whatever.
Boycott the All Star game
Not a surprise.
NBA would rather have Luka in LA though.
DS gets to rest- that’s good.
any word on the buy out market?
Kings have a week left to fill the last roster spot. My guess is it will be Isaac Jones and they are waiting to the very last minute to save as much money as possible for a pro-rated contract for remaining games.
I thought we needed 2 more to get to 14?
Nix is on a 10-day, so that counts as a spot filled.
Ah, thanks
a 6′-5″ PG? What have they done with Monte!
6’5″ PF (it was a typo)
Nix is on a 10 day.
The NBA is marketastic . Just Silver doing Silver things .
With all the crap happening in Dalls post-Luka, this feels very much like a way to try and appease the Maverick fans.
Let’s see Domas come out with a statement game tonight!
Ah fuck it dude. Let’s go bowling.
This f@#king guy cares so much, he took time out of his busy day at some tropical resort to push Sabonis for an all-star spot. Can someone local stand on the corner of Stockton and Broadway and push for a lower cost for a bottle of water at Golden One? FFS!
https://bsky.app/profile/mattgeorgesac.bsky.social/post/3lhug42mshc2x
Ahh! so that’s why they chose Kyrie – makes sense now
There’s the dough they’re saving by waiting until the last minute for Isaac Jones’s minimum deal.
The Kings suck so who cares. But on an unrelated note, our schedule to end the year is INSANE. There is zero chance we’re making play-in unless we get serious injury luck or other teams are resting their dudes. All but like one team for a solid month is over .500 and there’s a Nuggets/Cavs/Celtics/Thunder/Knicks stretch in there somewhere too. If they actually do find a way to make the playoffs, they will have earned it.
Even Lithuanian news agency picked up this Kings Herald story:
Skaitykite daugiau: https://www.delfi.lt/krepsinis/nba/tai-absurdas-ir-geda-po-dar-vieno-akibroksto-saboniui-pyktis-ant-silverio-ir-samokslo-teorijos-120085412
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