We’ve hit the midway point to the NBA season and the All Star festivities will be without another big name this weekend with Anthony Davis deciding to sit out with a sprained shoulder he suffered on Saturday in Chicago. For Davis the move is smart to hopefully get enough rest and treatment to help New Orleans make a push in the second half of the season for that 8th seed where they sit two and a half games out behind Phoenix.
Following from ESPN.com’s Marc Stein.
Pelicans star Anthony Davis has just made the announcement himself that he's OUT of the All-Star Game –> pic.twitter.com/SbHbYN2Kgl
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) February 12, 2015
The All Star game this year has taken quite a hit already though with stars such as Carmelo Anthony (Knee), Dwayne Wade (Hamstring), Kobe Bryant (Shoulder), and Blake Griffin (Elbow) luckily the NBA has enough star power to help replace these big names even though the names mentioned bring a lot to the table entertainment wise. Adam Silver will select the replacement for Davis and the choice of who will get the start is in the hands of Western Conference Coach Steve Kerr, if I had to take a guess I’d say LaMarcus Aldridge will get the start for The Western Conference All Stars now.
The replacement for Anthony Davis will be announced tomorrow, just a couple names I can see Silver going with would be DeAndre Jordan or Dirk Nowitzki to fill the void. This could be one of the most injury riddled halfway points that I can remember and it’s not good for All Star weekend, but it should still be an excellent game either way. It’s just sad to see the second year Power Forward dealing with the nagging injury in the brilliant season he is having at a point where he should be prepping mentally and physically to carry his team to the postseason. It is unknown if Davis will miss extended time after The All Star Break, as he is on a day to day timetable.
Anthony Davis Replacement UPDATE:
Dirk Nowitzki has been named Davis’ replacement.
