The NBA announced All-Star Game reserves on Thursday and Golden State Warriors big man David Lee became the first Warriors player since Latrell Sprewell in 1997 to earn All-Star honors. It was a good day for the franchise, so it's a bit odd that head coach Mark Jackson subsequently called the entire selection process into question and undermined the credibility of the voters in one of his first statements after the All-Star announcement.
NBA All-Star snubs: Mark Jackson makes the Stephen Curry case
Golden State Warriors head coach Mark Jackson decided to get dramatic when asked to respond to Stephen Curry missing out on Western Conference All-Star reserve honors.
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Related: Western Conference reserves | Eastern Conference reserves | Snubs
Why did Jackson go after his fellow Western Conference head coaches who selected the All-Star reserve roster? He believes Stephen Curry got snubbed. Heck, he may even believe that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would have called Curry’s omission a snub. But he most definitely implied that Curry’s absence from the roster qualifies as a gross miscarriage of justice (via the San Francisco Chronicle):
“We know who the jurors are,” Jackson said, referring to the Western Conference’s head coaches. “I think you have to question the process. I’m not going to go all Dr. King on us, but you’ve got to stand for what’s right, man. These guys have changed this whole organization. They have led. They have sacrificed. They have defended. They have competed.”
Steph Curry came close to earning an All-star nod, but then again Jackson came close to going “all Dr. King on us.” The fourth-year guard is shooting 45.1 percent from three-point range this season, and he has posted some impressive efficiency numbers as well (57.4 True Shooting percentage). The Warriors (26-15) are playing well in the ultra-competitive Western Conference, so it’s understandable that Jackson is a bit defensive of his lead guard.
However, it's difficult to argue that the coaches got it wrong by selecting Russell Westbrook, Tony Parker and James Harden to play alongside All-Star starter Chris Paul. For the sake of comparison, here is a look at how Curry stacks up against those three:
James Harden | 25.8 PPG, 5.4 AST, 4.5 REB, 58.3 TS%, 22.0 PER | Rockets’ record: 22-22
Russell Westbrook | 22.7 PPG, 7.1 AST, 5.3 REB, 51.9 TS%, 23.0 PER | Thunder’s record: 33-10
Tony Parker | 19.8 PPG, 7.4 AST, 58.0 TS%, 22.9 PER | Spurs’ record: 34-11
Stephen Curry | 20.9 PPG, 6.6 AST, 4.1 REB, 57.4 TS%, 19.8 PER | Warriors’ record: 26-15
I doubt the Supreme Court of the United States would grant Jackson’s petition for a writ of certiorari if he took his appeal up the chain.
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