The Golden State Warriors are sending four players to the 2018 All-Star Game. Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant are starting, and Klay Thompson and Draymond Green are reserves, marking the second year in a row that the team has had a quartet of selections.
All four Warriors are very deserving, but not everyone thinks so. Reigning MVP Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder, who was voted as a reserve, was none too pleased with the news. Westbrook, who understandably wanted teammate Paul George in the game, was not quiet with his dissatisfaction.
Russell Westbrook called it “outrageous” that Paul George was not named an All-Star: pic.twitter.com/62vmKKbFSx
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) January 24, 2018
Asked about George’s snub, Westbrook said, “Unbelievable. I think it’s just outrageous, in my opinion. I don’t know who else made the team but got four people from one team, you’ve got guys complaining about getting snubbed until they get in, you’ve got guys just talking about it all the time. But the guys that deserve it -- should be in -- are not. I just don’t understand. Doesn’t make any sense.”
The “four people from one team” line is very clearly a shot at the Warriors, as no other team has more than two selections. And the line about “guys complaining . . . until they get in” was a clear shot at Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers, who last week stated that he was tired of being snubbed.
Westbrook’s complaints are a little bit bizarre. While George absolutely would have been a deserving All-Star, it’s not like the Dubs got in without merit. I’ve read a lot of ballots and mock ballots from top analysts, and haven’t seen a single writer suggest that Golden State should have fewer than four selections.
And as for Lillard, it’s not like his “complaints” actually had any impact on the All-Star selection. So Westbrook’s comments end up missing the mark a bit.
Westbrook doubled up on his comments by adding, “There are certain All-Stars in this league. Everybody’s not an All-Star. Just because you get voted in don’t mean you’re an All-Star.”
Westbrook standing up for his teammate is great. But at the expense of some of the league’s top players is just weird.