CLEVELAND: LeBron James is entering All-Star weekend as the only chosen one.
Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving were both left off the Eastern Conference reserves list for the Eastern Conference, as selected by the coaches, leaving James and coach Tyronn Lue as the only representatives from the first-place Cavs.
The Atlanta Hawks received four All-Stars last season when they were the team leading the East at the All-Star break. Three of them were selected by the coaches and a fourth, Kyle Korver, was added as an injury replacement. The Hawks had a bigger lead and a better record than the Cavs do this season, but it’s still at least mildly surprising to see the best team in the conference with just one representative.
The Hawks’ Paul Millsap, the Miami Heat’s Chris Bosh and the Detroit Pistons’ Andre Drummond were the only other post players selected in the East.
The host city Toronto Raptors (Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan) and the Heat (Bosh and Dwyane Wade) are the only East teams with two representatives.
Love, a three-time All-Star from his days in Minnesota, is averaging 15.7 points and 10.8 rebounds. He’s also shooting under 42 percent, a career-low in a season when he was healthy. He is 0-for-2 in All-Star games with the Cavaliers.
He is one of four players in the East averaging a double-double, although the only one of the four to make the All-Star team was Drummond. The Chicago Bulls’ Pau Gasol and the Heat’s Hassan Whiteside were both left off, along with Love.
Love can still be added as an injury replacement. He would have to be appointed to the team by the commissioner’s office.
Irving, who has appeared in each of the last three All-Star games, lost his starting spot this year when Lowry surged past him during the final week of voting. He was unlikely to be added by the coaches because he has played in only 18 games this season.
The rest of the East reserves are the Bulls’ Jimmy Butler, the Washington Wizards’ John Wall and the Boston Celtics’ Isaiah Thomas. The East starters are James, Lowry, Wade, the Indiana Pacers’ Paul George and the New York Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony.
The West reserves are the Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green and Klay Thompson, the San Antonio Spurs’ LaMarcus Aldridge, the Sacramento Kings’ DeMarcus Cousins, the New Orleans Pelicans’ Anthony Davis, the Houston Rockets’ James Harden and the Los Angeles Clippers’ Chris Paul.
The West starters are the Warriors’ Stephen Curry, the Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant, the Spurs’ Kawhi Leonard, and the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.
The Cavs’ coaching staff will direct the East despite Lue’s 2-1 record after the Cavs fired David Blatt last week.
“It’s a tribute to Coach Blatt and the players and the hard work the assistant coaches put in to get us to this point,” Lue said. “It’s going to be a great honor to represent the Cleveland Cavaliers and have a chance to do this. I know my coaches are excited and I know it’s going to be a surreal moment.”
Jason Lloyd can be reached at jlloyd@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Cavs blog at www.ohio.com/cavs. Follow him on Twitter www.twitter.com/JasonLloydABJ.