NBA All-Star blog – Page 8 – NBA Blog

Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook barely speaking at NBA All-Star

Wondering how former Thunder teammates and current West All-Star teammates Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant are getting along at All-Star weekend? They’re barely interacting, according to reports. Here’s the Oklahoman:

While being ushered to the interview area at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Saturday, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were about to come face-to-face.

That was, until Westbrook and Philadelphia’s Nik Staukas converged to shake hands. Wearing a long-sleeved hoodie under his practice jersey, Durant walked around the pair as a Thunder staffer tapped Durant on the arm…

Day 2 of Westbrook-Durant at All-Star Weekend? Avoidance on and off the court.

Kevin Love will miss 2017 NBA All-Star game

Cavaliers forward and 2017 NBA All-Star Kevin Love underwent arthroscopic surgery to remove a loose body from his left knee this morning at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. The procedure was performed by Dr. David Altchek with Dr. James Rosneck of the Cleveland Clinic present.

Love will now undergo a period of rest and rehabilitation and his return to play is estimated at approximately six weeks.

Love made the 2017 Eastern conference NBA All-Star team. A replacement for him should be announced very soon. The All-Star game is this Sunday.

Kemba Walker makes NBA All-Star team

The Charlotte Hornets have themselves an All-Star. The reserves were announced earlier today. Here’s the Charlotte Observer reporting:

Point guard Kemba Walker was named an Eastern Conference All-Star reserve Thursday, the first time the Charlotte Hornets/Bobcats have had an NBA All-Star since 2010.

Walker was selected as one of seven reserves, in a vote of Eastern Conference head coaches. He is having his best of five NBA seasons, averaging 23 points, 45.9 percent shooting from the field and 41.4 percent from 3-point range.

The Hornets last had an All-Star when forward Gerald Wallace was selected as a reserve for the 2010 game in Arlington, Tex.

Carmelo Anthony does not make 2017 NBA All-Star team

For the first time in a long time, Carmelo Anthony did not make the All-Star team. Here’s the NY Daily News reporting:

It’s probably not a very strong indicator, but Thursday night provided a hint of Carmelo Anthony’s trade value: the NBA coaches do not view him as an All-Star.

The 32-year-old was left off the reserves that were announced Thursday night, marking the first time since 2009 that he won’t be part of the game. It’s also just the second time in 10 years that Anthony isn’t an All-Star.

Anthony finished eighth among Eastern Conference frontcourt players — five below the cut for starting — in the voting that was divided up among fans, players and media. And after the coaches picked the reserves, it was John Wall, Kyle Lowry, Paul George, Kevin Love, Paul Millsap, Isaiah Thomas and Kemba Walker who made the cut.

Hassan Whiteside not closely monitoring All-Star votes

Here’s the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reporting on Heat center Hassan Whiteside and 2017 All-Star voting:

Whiteside isn’t getting his hopes up when it comes to fan voting for the Feb. 19 All-Star Game, even as he puts up All-Star numbers, including his 28 points and 20 rebounds Tuesday against the Warriors.

After ranking ninth among Eastern Conference frontcourt players in last week’s initial release, Whiteside said he won’t be monitoring the weekly returns.

“It’s just a popularity contest at this point,” he said. “Our record was better than the 76ers [at the last balloting release] and Joel Embiid was fourth.”

Whiteside said that the All-Star selections should not turn into a referendum on a team’s place in the standings, with the Heat 11-29 going into Friday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks at BMO Harris Bradley Center, which will mark the midpoint of their season.

“I don’t really feel like All-Stars should even be a record thing,” he said. “It’s the individual thing. That’s why they don’t bring the whole team; they bring a player.”

Not likely that Atlanta will get 2017 NBA All-Star game

Here’s the Atlanta Journal Constitution reporting on possible new locations for 2017 All-Star weekend now that it will no longer be held in Charlotte:

Atlanta is an unlikely destination for the 2017 NBA All-Star game after the league announced that the event would be relocated from Charlotte, according to a person familiar with the situation.

The Hawks and Atlanta are planning major renovations to Philips Arena, which is the major issue facing a move of the game to the city, according to the person familiar with the situation. Securing the necessary hotel rooms may also be an issue.

The NBA made the announcement Thursday, citing the North Carolina’s controversial transgender bathroom law HB2.

Dwyane Wade sees All-Star as teachable moment for kids

Here’s the Palm Beach Post sharing a different perspective for all the fun and glory that is NBA All-Star weekend:

Flanked by his nephew Dahveon, whom he is raising, son Zaire and at the post-game media session Sunday, Wade said he hopes the kids are paying attention to what he did to earn his spot in Toronto.

“These are great moments that hopefully they remember,” Wade said. “Whatever they choose to do in life, they understand how important family is.

“I understand how important it is to take them along the journey and give them something to see, something to strive for. I want them to strive for greatness and strive to be the best. I’m showing them that year after year their dad is one of those people. They see the work I put in behind the scenes, and I think it’s great that they get to see me be here with some of the game’s greatest players that they love and respect. They know their dad is right there with them, so it’s cool.”

An overseas NBA All-Star game someday?

Here’s the Philadelphia Inquirer with reporting on some of what NBA commissioner Adam Silver recently told media here at All-Star weekend:

Sunday marked the first the time the NBA All-Star Game was played outside of the United States. The top players in the world had their showcase at the Air Canada Center.

One would assume the next step is to take the All-Star Game overseas. However, logistically, that would be more difficult than it seems even though the all-star break has been expanded from four to eight days.

“There’s a ripple effect in terms of the number of days we take off on the rest of the schedule,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Saturday.

Right now, teams play an 82-game schedule in roughly 162 days. The amount of days decreased when the additional time was added for the all-star break.

Jimmer Fredette wins MVP of 2016 D-League All Star Game

Westchester’s Jimmer Fredette scored a record 35 points to lead the Eastern Conference past the Western Conference 128-124 in the 2016 NBA D-League All-Star Game on Saturday afternoon at Ricoh Coliseum.

Fredette was named Most Valuable Player after setting a record for points in an NBA D-League All-Star Game and shooting 13-of-19 from the field, including 6-of-12 from three-point range. He added eight assists and six rebounds in 25 minutes.

The West was paced by Los Angeles’ Vander Blue, who finished with 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting and grabbed four rebounds in 16 minutes.

In the NBA D-League’s 10th All-Star Game, Miami Heat assignee Jarnell Stokes hit the go-ahead hook shot with 37.1 seconds remaining as the East rallied from a nine-point deficit midway through the second half after leading by eight at halftime. Stokes scored 17 points for the game.

The East connected on 14 three-pointers and shot 58.1 percent (50-of-86) from the field and 93.3 percent (14-of-15) from the foul line. Meanwhile, the West shot 55.0 percent (55-of-100) but made only 25.9 percent (7-of-27) from beyond the arc and 63.6 percent (7-of-11) from the charity stripe.

Also Saturday, the Three-Point Contest took place prior to the D-League All-Star Game. Los Angeles’ Andre Ingram outscored Fredette 27-20 in the final round to take home the title.

Halftime of the game featured the Slam Dunk Contest, with Canton’s DJ Stephens and the hometown Raptors 905’s John Jordan advancing to the final round. Jordan, a 5-foot-10 guard, secured the victory with a two-handed, 360 tomahawk slam.

Pacers hope to host an All-Star weekend

Here’s the Indianapolis Star reporting that the Pacers are making a push to host a future All-Star weekend:

One of the NBA’s most prized and glitzy events, the All-Star Game, is being held in Toronto for the first time this weekend. Among the abundance of celebrities, crazy basketball fanatics and the sport’s best players is a seven-person delegation from Indianapolis. Their mission, which began two months ago, is to bring the NBA’s midseason classic back to Indiana.

The Indiana Pacers, led by Rick Fuson, its chief operation officer, want the All-Star Game.

Fuson, along with other representatives from the Pacers, the Indiana Sports Corp and Visit Indy, wanted to see the festivities associated with the All-Star Game in person to examine why Toronto was selected and how Indianapolis can become a viable hosting option for the NBA. After Sunday’s game, Fuson and the rest of the group – including Ryan Vaughn, president of Indiana Sports Corp, and Leonard Hoops, president and CEO of Visit Indy – will discuss what they believe would make for a successful bid.

A league official confirmed Saturday that the Indianapolis delegation is in Toronto to observe how Toronto is operating the many events with the NBA. The official also said the 2019 All-Star Game is the earliest year the Pacers could make a bid. Fuson said it’s unclear if the Pacers will bid for 2019 or for a subsequent year. What is clear is that several people with knowledge of the Pacers’ trip this weekend believe the team will submit its bid in the next few months.