Picking the 2017 NBA All-Star teams is going to be impossible

Voting for the 2017 NBA All-Star Game is due to begin any day now. So what better time for Flanns & Zillz to reveal their early All-Star ballots and concerns?

FLANNERY: We’re more than a quarter of the way through the season, which is about when I start paying attention to All-Star consideration. It’s hard every year, but holy hell it’s going to be impossible to get a consensus on the five starters.

As always the East is a little bit clearer than the West, but I’ve got at least 10 deserving candidates from the lesser conference.

Should we start with the no-brainers and work our way to the close calls?

ZILLER: Let’s do this.

LeBron James is definitely going to start in the East. I’m not sure there are any other locks in the starting five, though DeMar DeRozan is very likely. (Canada’s election turnout is pretty solid.) I have a feeling Dwyane Wade is going to get an undeserved start, too, but we can talk about that in a minute.

In the West ... sheesh. Steph Curry is a lock for a start, and Kevin Durant is almost assuredly there, too. That leaves a starting spot for only one of Russell Westbrook and James Harden. It’s unbelievable that one of those two guys isn’t going to start in the All-Star Game. But that’s going to happen.

I think everything else is up for grabs in the starting lineups. Who should be no-brainers for those spots? LeBron, DeMar, and Jimmy Butler in the East. Curry, Durant, and Kawhi Leonard in the West, in my book.

FLANNERY: The thing about DeMar is that Kyle Lowry might be a better player. And then what do you do with John Wall, Kyrie Irving, and Isaiah Thomas? On this date in F+Z history, I’m going with the all-Canada backcourt of DeRozan and Lowry. You can make a fantastic argument for all of those other guys and you wouldn’t be wrong.

I agree that LeBron and Jimmy Butler should be East locks in the frontcourt. I have a few candidates for that last spot, but I’d like to hear who you have in the mix.

Out West, I’m sorry but I’m going Harden and Russ over Steph. KD and Kawhi are my other two automatics. That last spot, man ...

Before we get into the fan vote aspect, let’s nail down our squads as we’d like to see them regardless of whether D-Wade or Melo get voted in.

ZILLER: A DeRozan-Lowry starting backcourt works for me, though I’d consider Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kyrie Irving and Kemba Walker for Lowry’s spot. All five of those are on my East All-Stars regardless. Up front, Butler and LeBron are obvious. I think I’d go with Paul George as my third, but Paul Millsap and Kevin Love have cases.

Out West, ignoring fan-vote implications, I’d go Harden and Westbrook in the backcourt with Durant, Kawhi and ... Marc Gasol up front, beating out Blake Griffin, Boogie Cousins, and Draymond Green.

To recap, my starting five ballots as of today: Lowry, DeRozan, LeBron, Jimmy, and PG-13 in the East and Westbrook, Harden, Durant, Kawhi, and Gasol in the West. Fan voting is going to kill three of those picks at least.

FLANNERY: I’m going to cheat and have Giannis in my frontcourt and give him the edge over Millsap, Love, and George. Out West, I’d be good with Gasol in that final spot but you could make a case for all of them, really.

East: Lowry, DeRozan, LeBron, Butler, Giannis
West: Harden, Russ, Durant, Leonard, Gasol

Big shock, we agree on nine out of 10.

Let’s fight about something anyway. Do you subscribe to the idea that a team deserves a certain number of spots based on their record?

ZILLER: I think elite teams deserve at least one player on there.

Beyond that, no. It’s an individual honor. There’s really no case for any Spur other than Kawhi, and with just 24 All-Star spots (ignoring injury subs), you risk leaving very good players from bad teams (Anthony Davis, Boogie, John Wall) out of the game, which is silly.

The Warriors are an interesting case here. The Spurs are getting one or two, the Clippers will get two, the Rockets will get one, the Thunder will get one, the Grizzlies should get one. We all know the Warriors and their fans will raise holy hell if they don’t get four.

FLANNERY: In theory I agree with you; the All-Star Game is the most individual honor there is in the sport. However, I do pay special attention to the second- and third-best players on superior teams.

Call it the Chris Bosh corollary. When Bosh was in Miami, he was every bit as good as the guy that put up 20-and-10 numbers for a fringe playoff team in Toronto. His role may have changed, but he excelled with it and I do think that kind of thing ought to be rewarded. Kevin Love, who is putting up All-Star numbers anyway, would be that guy this year.

The Warriors, however, present an interesting case. We both agree on KD as a starter and think Steph will be in there one way or another. We haven’t gone this far yet, but I have Draymond on my list of reserves. That leaves Klay, again, in a battle with Damian Lillard (again) and others for one of the final spots. It’s going to be really tough, but I bet there will be sentiment toward having four just for the sake of the reaction.

Which players are going to get voted in and wreck this for someone?

ZILLER: Wade and Carmelo Anthony are going to get voted in. Melo would make the team anyways, and Wade actually has a solid case due to Chicago being better than expected. Curry will definitely be a starter over one of Westbrook or Harden, but there’s a case for that and he’s an All-Star no matter what. So I don’t actually think the fan vote will cost anyone a roster spot, just a starting nod. If you don’t think Wade belongs, there’s the cost of your fan vote.

Can I say something? Giannis as a frontcourt player is straight up cheating. I cannot stay silent. Part of what has made Giannis’ season so amazing has been that he’s playing point guard!

FLANNERY: Yeah, but he doesn’t guard guards. Defense is half the game, man. I’m sticking with it on this arbitrary made-up list.

Let’s say Wade and Melo get voted in as a starters. I’m guessing that Lowry, DeRozan, and Kyrie Krving would get spots. That makes the road to New Orleans difficult for Isaiah Thomas, John Wall, and Kemba Walker in the backcourt. Someone from the Paul George/Millsap/Love frontcourt troika would also be in danger as well. I’m a firm believer that fans should vote for whoever they want to vote for and if they want Wade or Melo in there than the world will go on just fine. But there will be snubs.

It will be interesting to see who gets the third frontcourt West vote. My hunch is that Draymond would get the vote along with KD and Kawhi. Assuming Curry gets a backcourt spot, that would give us three Warriors in the starting lineup. The case for Klay as the fourth Warrior would be a little bit easier if he was the only Golden State reserve.

It’s going to happen.

ZILLER: I think Anthony Davis or Griffin are much more likely starters than Green, though I could be proven wrong. If that’s the case, and assuming the third MVP point guards not starting plus Chris Paul, Boogie and the other of AD or Griffin get in, we’re down to three spots for Klay and Draymond plus Gasol, Damian Lillard, Karl-Anthony Towns, and whoever else makes a run here over the next four weeks. Gonna be tight. Klay over Lillard or Dray over Gasol will draw some backlash.

It’s always hard in the West, even now that Kobe’s reign of All-Star voting terror has ended.

FLANNERY: Kobe may be gone, but the jokes stay relevant.