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The Lob and the Jam: Clippers’ DeAndre Jordan and All-Star Weekend

By Ryan Snellings

Feb 15, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (6) holds up his NBA All Star Game jersey during a pre-game ceremony prior to the game against the Atlanta Hawks at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 15, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (6) holds up his NBA All Star Game jersey during a pre-game ceremony prior to the game against the Atlanta Hawks at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports /
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Matthew De Silva (@matthewde_silva)

  • Gordon Hayward is the dark horse in this race. As the first Utah Jazz player at All-Star Weekend since Deron Williams (2011), he has something to prove in his first appearance.
  • As much as I love Splash Brother Klay Thompson, I’m going with Eric Gordon of the Houston Rockets. This season, he trails only Steph Curry for three-pointers made per game, so he’s a strong value bet.
  • It’s impossible to choose anybody except Aaron Gordon. In the 2016 Slam Dunk Contest, Gordon was robbed by the judges. We all know Zach LaVine’s terrific, but Gordon’s creativity (seriously, a spinning hoverboard!?) is unparalleled. The Slam Dunk Contest demands a showman and that’s exactly what we’ll get from Aaron Gordon.
  • There’s a man in the Mile High City named Nikola Jokic and he will run away as the Rising Stars MVP. His court vision puts many starting point guards to shame, he scores and rebounds with ease.
  • The West has won the All-Star Game in 5 out of the last 6 years, so I’ll slide my chips onto Russell Westbrook. He plays every game with the ferocity of a lion and the All-Star Game will be no different. Russ might not beat Golden State in the playoffs, but he will make damn sure that none of the Warriors have a crack at All-Star MVP. If the East somehow pulls off the upset, then Giannis Antetokounmpo will be up for the award. (Prediction: West 184, East 167)

I am dying to see Russell Westbrook play alongside Golden State’s “Death Star lineup.” Westbrook is the elephant in the room, and coach Steve Kerr knows it. As a leader and diplomat, Kerr can make light of the situation and use the opportunity to extend an olive branch to Westbrook. Whether Russ accepts it is another question entirely.  (P.S. James Harden playing alongside the Warriors would also make for some interesting storylines.)

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