Maybe the only game Kent Bazemore is the 1st selection.
Alright, so you may know my dislike for pregame posts. I just feel they are obvious, and I’m not going to put ground breaking research into a pregame work for 1 of 82 games. So, today we are kicking it hypothetical game style. Who are the 24 players in the league that would be the most fun to play in one game? Believe me this took a lot longer to think of than sticking 12 guys on each side. I even asked myself how in the world does Russell Westbrook and Demarcus Cousins not make it. Injured players are thrown out, which is good because Rondo and Kevin Love would have made it even harder for me. Players can get in by being good, ridiculous, or ridiculously good. Lastly, here are the roster requirements.
NBA All-Fun Roster:
4 Front Court Players
4 Wing Players
2 Point Guards
1 Wild Card
1 Chemistry Guy
That is all that needs to be said, lets get picking.
East All-Fun Starters:
PG – Kyrie Irving dressed up as Uncle Drew: Kyrie’s game is already ridiculously fun. Having him dressed up as Uncle Drew? EVEN BETTER. This also makes for an interesting commercial alter-ego match up at the point guard position, but we will get to that later.
SG – Terrance Ross: Threes. Highlight Dunks. I don’t see a problem here.
SF – Paul George: Same reasoning as Terrance Ross, plus he’s 6’10”. I was between him and Carmelo here, but I would love to watch George outside of the Pacers system.
PF – LeBron James: LeBron is tailored for this, plus as a bonus he’s currently the best player in the world. I believe small ball would be a way to keep the All-Star game competitive, but still have the teams scoring 150. Don’t believe me, ask Houston when they scored 140 last night.
C – Andre Drummond: Dare to call it a total a homer move, but my evidence is here, here (43 second mark), here, here, here….
East All-Fun Reserves:
Carmelo Anthony: Sort of feel like I snubbed him from the starters, but I chose to because I was worried that isolation isn’t All-Fun friendly. Carmelo still has to be here though. He did go 9-12 from three the other night. He’s still fun.
J.R. Smith: J.R. in a All-Fun game just wins.
LARRY SANDERS!: If you haven’t watched this guy play you have been missing out. I also feel like blocking shots can be fun, and could add a defensive spice to the All-Fun game.
Brandon Jennings: I don’t think anyone gets hotter than Jennings in the league. Plus he takes ridiculous heat checks after he gets on fire. In the All-Fun game, he would probably pull up from half court if he gets going.
Josh Smith: Our admiration of Smith dunks is kind of lost in his poor shot selection. This guy can still bang. Plus, I see a fun factor in everyone at home exclaiming “NO JOSH SMITH DON’T SHOOT THAT!” Only in a game that doesn’t matter though, as I feel bad for Hawks fans who have to watch it happen in actual games.
Nate Robinson: First of all, being a 5’9″ player who can dunk is fun. Second, I think we try take Robinson too seriously. Third, I present to you Nate Robinson running in Shaq’s shoes.
Robert Sacre: The thing is, the West has the top 2 chemistry creators in the NBA. Which is completely unfair. So, Sacre goes to the East for the incredible honor. For you that aren’t NBA junkies, this is why.
West All-Fun Starters
PG – Chris Paul as Cliff Paul: Seriously, this game is winning if it is featuring Cliff Paul versus Uncle Drew.
SG – Kobe Bryant: Almost left him completely off the team, but I had to. He’s still Kobe Bean Bryant, and that means he will more than likely always get invited to this game.
SF – Nicolas Batum: Batum is a rangy defender, Has a pretty decent three ball, and is an underrated dunker. He may never become what some hoped he would be, but that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t be exciting to watch. Also, I feel like there is no way Damien Lillard shouldn’t be on here, yet he isn’t, so Batum gets in for Portland.
PF – Kevin Durant: Once again we are going with small ball, and Durant fits the bill of the Power Forward. That puts him on LeBron for the beginning and ends of games, which is just great.
C – Blake Griffin: It isn’t current, but this response still validates it. TIMOFEY. MOZGOV. (Also accepted: KENDRICK. PERKINS.)
West All-Fun Reserves
Stephen Curry: Steph Curry is averaging 3.2 threes and 6.5 assists so far this season. If he stays on that pace he would be the first to ever do it in an NBA season, so he definitely is in.
JaVale “Pierre” McGee: Was it ever in doubt? Of course not! I even tried to put Pierre in the starting lineup. I decided to rationalize that Blake would be more fun, and I am honestly still torn. I mean, JaVale cooks, JaVale falls, JaVale EVEN hydrates. If this hypothetical game ever happens, JaVale and his water gallon are showing up.
Harrison Barnes: You had me at…
James Harden: Sure, he could be having one of those not so pretty 17 free throw games. The beard still makes him fun, and he could have one of his funner games.
Ryan Anderson: I present to you a trip inside Ryan Anderson’s mind: “Okay, pull up shoot that three. Good Ryan, never count by twos. Oh hey, transition? Let’s leak out and get down the court, there are always easy threes here.”
Jamal Crawford: Almost talked myself into Joe Johnson’s handles for the East, then realized that Jamal Crawford is the superior option and had to be on the West. Sorry Joe Johnson, not quite this.
Kent Bazemore: This was the easiest selection in the whole league. This is why.