West All-Star coach Kerr wants Thompson and Harden to shoot for Kobe's spot
With Kobe Bryant undergoing surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff, there's an open starting spot on the Western Conference All-Star team.
The way injuries are handled for All-Star teams are as follows: Once reserve rosters are announced on Thursday, the commissioner will choose the roster replacement and then the head coach for the team will choose which roster player becomes a starter. In this case, Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr will choose Bryant's replacement from the pool of reserves.
Two locks for the team who aren't starting should be in hot competition for Bryant's spot - Kerr's own sharpshooter Klay Thompson, fresh off of a 52-point outburst, and Houston Rockets star James Harden, who is Steph Curry's primary rival for MVP consideration at the season's halfway point.
Kerr is then faced with installing his own player and thereby starting the Splash Brothers together - which could be a ton of fun - or giving the nod to a possibly more deserving player from a rival team. Kerr seems to have little interest in making that decision.
Steve Kerr to KNBR on Klay Thompson/James Harden starting All-Star game: "How 'bout they shoot for it?"
— Diamond Leung (@diamond83) January 26, 2015
Comparing the two players on raw numbers, Harden is probably a little more deserving. Focusing only on shooting numbers, it's hard not to salivate at the thought of Kerr's suggestion coming to fruition.
| Curry + ______ | Harden | Thompson |
|---|---|---|
| PPG | 27.6 | 22.8 |
| RPG | 5.6 | 3.5 |
| APG | 6.7 | 3.0 |
| SPG | 2.0 | 1.3 |
| BPG | 0.8 | 1.0 |
| FG% | 45.5% | 48.1% |
| 3FG% | 38.5% | 45.8% |
| FT% | 88.7% | 86.4% |
| TS% | 61.6% | 61.5% |
| PER | 27.9 | 22.9 |
| WinShares | 9.8 | 5.9 |
| Real +/- | 6.7 | 3.7 |
Our vote would go to Harden given the choice, but everybody wins if they air an actual competition for the spot on Friday or Saturday at All-Star Weekend.