LeBron James All Star Start Actually a Bad Thing?
LeBron James will once again start in the NBA All Star Game. It is his 11th start in a row, only missing out on starting his rookie season. Interestingly enough though Steph Curry passed James as the leading vote getter:
"LeBron James will start his 11th consecutive All-Star game, although he was surpassed by the Golden State Warriors’ Steph Curry as the top vote getter.James earned 1,470,483 votes in balloting announced Thursday, surpassed only by Curry’s 1,513,324."
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Not even as close as we expected them to be. Curry is getting a ton of buzz as the new star in the league. LeBron has been the standard bearer for a long time while Kevin Durant has joined that conversion over the last couple of years. Now Curry has stuck his nose in there and made it a three man discussion. Good for him and good for the league.
But is James being in the All Star Game, let alone starting, actually a bad thing for James, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the NBA in general?
LeBron has a ton of miles on his legs, has been injured already this season (missing more games in a row than he ever has) and has the weight of an entire city, and even state, on his shoulders. The All Star Game is a part of what some players call the All Star Break. It is a great break for them to relax a little bit with family, get home and recharge the batteries and just not be running, and jumping, up and down the court.
LeBron could ask out of the game. Given the way this season has gone it likely wouldn’t cause a huge amount of backlash and negative PR. Instead James has to think about what is best for him and the Cavaliers. It is important to the league that their best player is participating in the All Star Game but it is much more important that he is healthy for the Playoffs.
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James is unlikely to ask out unless he is seriously injured. Yet it seems that he got a good feel for how rest was really beneficial for him so it is possible he starts to change his tune a little bit as he ages.
Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving did not earn starting spots, we will talk about how that impacts Irving’s contract extension more at a later date, but could still fill in as backups. Irving is far more likely to make it than Love but faces a stiff test in the Eastern Conference full of some very good point guards. Love’s down season could keep him out as well. If they both are not there at least they will get some rest, especially good for Love’s stiff back.
The same would be great for LeBron James but it is unlikely that he will take that route. Rest and relaxation, and maybe another recruiting trip to Miami, could do LeBron some good. Instead he will add more running and more jumping to his already worn down body.
Do you think LeBron James should skip the NBA All Star Game?