The Utah Jazz are doing all they can to ensure Rudy Gobert will never be snubbed for the All-Star Game again.
In the wake of the reigning Defensive Player of the Year being left off the finalized All-Star rosters announced Thursday night, Utah is proposing an overhaul of the process used to select reserves, which currently consists of a coaches' vote. The Jazz's plan, by contrast, would utilize a vote by a committee of coaches, former NBA players, scouts, analysts, and media members who have full access to all the data and information needed to choose the most deserving players.
Utah general manager Dennis Lindsey announced the motion during a local radio appearance Friday afternoon.
Dennis Lindsey announces the proposal on @1280thezone. The GM, Jazz coach Quin Snyder, team president Steve Starks and Greg Miller, Utah’s rep on the NBA Board of Governors, are all in favor of this system. They adamantly believe Rudy Gobert is deserving of being an All-Star.
— Jody Genessy (@DJJazzyJody) February 2, 2019
Gobert faced a swell of undue criticism Friday after video surfaced of him tearing up while describing to reporters what it was like to learn that he again failed to make the All-Star Game. Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green was the most notable among those poking fun at Gobert, posting a tweet suggesting he should also cry for not being selected.
Jazz point guard Ricky Rubio, on the other hand, tagged the NBA in a post questioning why defense and winning seem to have no significance when it comes to All-Star voting. Coach Quin Snyder was even more direct.
“Rudy Gobert absolutely should be an All-Star…” he said, per ESPN's Tim MacMahon.”This is clear, not subjective, and shows the All-Star system is flawed.”
Deserving players are left out of the All-Star Game every year, especially in the Western Conference, where individual talent is consolidated at an alarming level. While doing away with conferences when choosing All-Stars is a simpler way of overhauling the selection, good on the Jazz for taking a proactive approach to righting what they perceive is objectively wrong.
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