Steph Curry was poised to start his ninth All-Star Game before he got hurt. Now one All-Star snub will get added to the Western team.
Golden State’s Stephen Curry is expected to miss multiple weeks with a left leg injury, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 5, 2023
Curry hurt his knee Saturday night against the Dallas Mavericks, and won't play in the All-Star Game on Feb. 19.
Commissioner Adam Silver gets to choose the replacement, and Sacramento's De'Aaron Fox could be the one. Fox was fifth in the player vote and fifth in the media vote among Western Conference guards, though only eighth in the fan vote.
Confirmed via league office: NBA commissioner Adam Silver will select an injury replacement if a player is unable to participate in the All-Star Game, but at this point they aren’t saying when or if that will occur. De'Aaron Fox has to be on the shortlist if Steph Curry is out.
— Jason Anderson (@JandersonSacBee) February 5, 2023
But there's a possible wrinkle. Kyrie Irving was voted an All-Star starter for the Eastern Conference, but he was traded to the Western Conference's Dallas Mavericks on Sunday. Would Irving slide into Curry's starting spot, even though the teams will be chosen by a pre-game draft?
Kyrie Irving is expected to arrive for a physical on Monday in Dallas and travel to make his Mavericks debut vs. the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday (10 PM ET, ESPN), source tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 5, 2023
If that's the case, then Silver might go with James Harden or Jalen Brunson to replace Curry, if Irving is considered a West player after Wednesday.
The other question is who replaces Curry as a starter, assuming it's not Irving. It might have been Ja Morant, who started the 2022 game, but the recent story about his entourage threatening the Indiana Pacers with laser sights could make the league wary about rewarding him. If that's the case, it could be Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (31 points per game on 50.8 percent shooting for the Thunder) or Damian Lillard (30.9 points per game), a seven-time All-Star who has never started the game.
If an Eastern guard is tapped for the starting lineup, expect it to be Boston's Jaylen Brown, who won the media vote and finished third in both the fan and player votes.
Of course, Curry may not be the only All-Star sidelined by injury this year. Luka Doncic has an injured heel, Zion Williamson has missed his last 15 games with a hamstring injury, and Kevin Durant is also out.
That's why All-Star snubs shouldn't make fans panic. Often, it just means the snubs become injury replacements a week later. No one remembers or cares how an All-Star gets selected. It just matters that a player made it.
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