Paul George named NBA All-Star game injury replacement for DeMarcus Cousins

InsideHoops.com
January 27, 2018

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NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has picked Thunder forward Paul George to replace injured Pelicans forward/center DeMarcus Cousins on Team LeBron in the 2018 NBA All-Star Game.

The head coach of Team LeBron, which will be determined by the best record in the Eastern Conference through games of February 4, gets to choose player who will replace Cousins in the starting lineup. Paul George takes his spot on the team roster, but probably won't be selected as a starter.

Celtics head coach Brad Stevens is ineligible to win the honor of the above coaching spot because he coached in last year’s All-Star Game.

When an All-Star can't participate in the game, Silver must choose replacement from the same conference as the player who is being replaced. Cousins is from a West coast team, and of course so is George.

George received the most voting points from NBA head coaches among Western Conference players who were not selected as reserves.

George earned his fifth All-Star selection and third in a row. In his first season with the Thunder after spending seven seasons with the Indiana Pacers, the 6-9 George is averaging 21.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.17 steals per game. He is shooting a career-high 42.6 percent from three-point range for Oklahoma City (29-20).

Cousins sustained a season-ending ruptured left Achilles tendon against the Houston Rockets on Jan. 26. An All-Star selection for the fourth consecutive season, Cousins was voted to start and drafted to Team LeBron by captain LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The 2018 NBA All-Star game will take place on Sunday, Feb. 18 at Staples Center in Los Angeles (8 p.m. ET).

The 67th NBA All-Star Game will air on TNT and ESPN Radio. Featuring a new format in which team rosters were drafted by James and the Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry, the All-Star Game will reach fans in more than 200 countries and territories in more than 40 languages.