Paul George recently went from snub to All-star in the unfortunate aftermath of DeMarcus Cousins' season-ending injury. After LeBron James picked Cousins in the All-star draft, Paul George's entry as Cousins' replacement would automatically mean he will be part of Team LeBron, but the starting spot left by Cousins is still unknown.
The arrival of the All-star swingman in LeBron James' team would mean that he will be paired up with Oklahoma City Thunder teammate Russell Westbrook. Westbrook recently gave comments on how "outrageous" it was that George got snubbed in the original voting.
While George is now part of Team LeBron, it remains to be seen whether the star forward, who is leading the NBA in steals, will be in the starting lineup. Cousins was widely regarded to play the starting center spot in James' team. However, putting George in the starting lineup could be not ideal since starters LeBron James and Kevin Durant play the same positions.
According to sources by Howard Beck from Bleacher Report, Team LeBron's head coach, which would be Toronto Raptors head coach Dwane Casey, would be the one to decide who will replace the 270-pound Cousins.
Knowing Casey's reputation, the head coach has an old-school approach to the game, using two lumbering big men in his starting lineup. This track record of Casey was evident after using a frontcourt that consisted of Serge Ibaka and Jonas Valanciunas in last season's playoffs.
One of the potential big men that can be inserted in the starting lineup is Cavaliers forward Kevin Love. Given that the likes of James, Durant, and Irving like to take the ball to the rim, Love's three-point shooting would allow great spacing. Not to mention, Love would be playing with his championship co-stars in James and Irving.
Still, Casey can go several ways about this. If the Raptors head coach opts to go with the best player, Russell Westbrook should be the starter. Inserting the former All-star game Most Valuable Player would mean he would either play as a point guard or shooting guard, potentially putting Durant at power forward and Davis at center.
The NBA All-star game will arrive in Staples Center Los Angeles on Feb. 18, Sunday.
