NY Knicks Beat: David Lee and the Snubs

Yahoo.com had an interesting piece with some quotes from Nuggets' guard Chauncey Billups about the top five all star snubs. Billups seemed content with being left off the roster, here's a look at some other guys.

G – Monta Ellis (notes), Golden State Warriors: Averaging 26 points a game, Ellis ranks not only as the NBA’s sixth-leading scorer, but also as the top-scoring All-Star snub.

Ellis also averages 5.3 assists, 4.2 rebounds and an NBA-high 42 minutes. The biggest knock on him is that he is playing for the NBA’s third-worst team – the Warriors are just 13-31 – and is averaging a league-worst 4.1 turnovers. Ellis had hoped that because New Jersey Nets guard Devin Harris (notes) and Indiana Pacers forward Danny Granger (notes) made last season’s All-Star Game, despite playing for teams with losing records, he, too, would have a chance.

The problem: Harris and Granger play in the East. Ellis makes his living in the deep West.

So … Golden State’s All-Star-less streak continues. The Warriors haven’t had someone play in the game since Latrell Sprewell in 1997.

David Lee.
(NBAE/ Getty Images)

F – David Lee (notes), New York Knicks: Knicks fans are likely wondering how Lee could be left off the East team when he’s averaged 19.4 points, 11.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists. The East coaches also could have put Lee on the roster at center, but instead opted for the Atlanta Hawks’ Al Horford (notes), who is averaging 13.6 points (fourth on team) and 9.8 rebounds.

Even though the Hawks are one of the league’s top teams and the Knicks began Thursday in 10th place in the middling East, it’s curious that Horford would gain his first time All-Star appearance over a guy averaging a double-double.

Lee was also hurt by the fans voting the Boston Celtics’ injury-plagued forward, Kevin Garnett (notes), onto the East team as a starter. If Allen Iverson (notes) or any other East player is forced out of the game because of injury, expect Lee to be named as a replacement.

Josh Smith.
(NBAE/ Getty Images)

F – Josh Smith (notes), Atlanta Hawks: With all due respect to Horford, if there was any other Hawk who looked deserving to join Joe Johnson (notes) in Dallas, it figured to be Smith.

Smith could even be viewed as the Hawks’ Most Valuable Player. His all-around stats show off the depth of his talent: 15.1 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 2.2 blocks and 1.5 steals per game.

How can the East coaches explain Smith’s omission? They’ll blame it on the fans who voted Iverson and Garnett as starters.

Smith’s chances of being named as an injury replacement also could be hurt by the fact that two of his teammates already represent the East.

Chris Kaman.
(NBAE/ Getty Images)

C – Chris Kaman (notes), Los Angeles Clippers: Among the snub-ees, no big man in the West is more deserving of a roster spot than Kaman, who is averaging 20.2 points, 9.1 rebounds and 3.1 blocks.

The Clippers’ record (20-25) didn’t help Kaman’s case. Nor did the Clippers’ co-tenants at the Staples Center. Kaman had said he thought he was more deserving than Los Angeles Lakers forward, Pau Gasol (notes), who had missed 17 games this season because of hamstring problems.

The West coaches, apparently, didn’t agree.