OKC Thunder: Gilgeous-Alexander’s strong All-Star case faces uphill battle

In closing:

Considering the field, it doesn’t seem likely Shai will be among those selected for the All-Star Game. If he isn’t it won’t be because he hasn’t produced an effort worthy of inclusion.

Over the years we’ve heard coaches state publicly they’ve made calls to other teams to request their player’s addition to the team. The takeaway being ‘you vote for my guy(s) and I’ll vote for yours.  A quid pro quo if you will.

And there is the politics of relationships. It happens with other things like voting for Coach of the Year. Gregg Popovich for example would be well received if he said ‘this guy should be on the team’ to others. So influence is a definite factor with the voting.

And while it might seem like that conversation wouldn’t happen the coaches are cognizant that making an All-Star team impacts contract bonuses and eventually can affect Hall of Fame nominations and acceptance.

We’ll find out next week. What do you think?