Top candidates for the Western Conference All-Star team

Russ looks like he might repeat last year’s performance With the voting for the All-Star game just opening up, it’s time to start thinking about who will represent the Western Conference in the annual mid-season showcase. Even though the conference has seen a dip in play compared to the past four or five years, there are still many candidates who are worthy of being named to this team.Voting is now broken down so you can vote for two starting backcourt players and three starting frontcourt players, meaning that there doesn’t have to be a traditional starting lineup of point and shooting guards, small and power forwards, and a center. However, with the voting just having started, I will take a look at each position and see who the top three candidates are:

#1 Point guards

The #1 for the number one in five  

 

The glory days of the Western Conference point guard might be over, but this is still a field that contains possibly three of the top 10 players in the league period. Guys like Mike Conley, Tony Parker, Rajon Rondo, and even the resurgent Deron Williams have had strong years, and yet even they will be irreverently “put under consideration” for spots this year unless they go on an unforeseen hot streak.

Eric Bledsoe and Damian Lillard are having really good years, but they are trying to carry struggling squads and proving to be not quite up to the task, putting up big stats that are translating into an under .500 record.

As it stands right now, there are three guys who are frontrunners for the spots and it isn’t particulalry close. Stephen Curry, the MVP leader and current best player in the league, is a shoo in, as are Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook, who is having a career year right now, and the ever-steady Chris Paul, who makes up for his slightly above average scoring numbers by having impeccable control of the game. Another player might break into this list as well, but these three are all but assured a trip to Toronto in February.

1. Stephen Curry

2. Russell Westbrook

3. Chris Paul