Chicago Bulls star DeMar DeRozan was voted in as one of the five Eastern Conference All-Star starters on Thursday, a well-deserved honor for the 32-year-old who has transformed the Bulls into one of the best teams in the NBA upon his arrival this past offseason.
The Bulls almost got two players named as All-Star starters, with Zach LaVine finishing third among guards behind DeRozan and Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young. While LaVine certainly had an argument to be a starter with DeRozan, one championed by Charles Barkley, Bulls fans shouldn't sweat him falling just short. Even though the Hawks have struggled record-wise this season, Young is putting up some truly monster numbers for the second-best offense in the NBA, so it's okay that he got the nod.
LaVine is a lock to get voted in by the coaches as an All-Star reserve, which would mark his second consecutive trip to the All-Star Game. The Bulls star's numbers aren't quite as prolific as last season, thanks in part to DeRozan's arrival, but he's putting up excellent stats on a team that sits at 30-17 heading into Friday night's game against the San Antonio Spurs.
LaVine had previously been derided as one of those empty stats guys, but he's proving he can play winning ball now that he has better teammates around him. He also seems to have the respect of his peers, as he actually finished second among guards in player voting, behind only DeRozan.
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On the latest episode of Blue Wire's Cash Considerations pod, we discuss DeRozan and LaVine's All-Star candidacy and how it's great to see the Bulls get recognition:
LaVine certainly wasn't sweating his All-Star starter “snub.” On the Bulls' team flight to San Antonio, LaVine got on the PA system and made the announcement himself that DeRozan was named a starter. These two have erased doubts about how they would mesh by becoming one of the most dangerous scoring duos in the NBA.
Cash Considerations: A Chicago Bulls Podcast is part of the Blue Wire Podcast Network. The pod can be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts.
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