Rockets' Chris Paul left off 2018 NBA All-Star roster. Morey: "It's pretty outrageous."

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Rockets' Chris Paul left off 2018 NBA All-Star roster

DALLAS – Fond as the Rockets are of referring to Chris Paul as a "Hall of Fame point guard," they cannot call him a 2018 All-Star.

An All-Star selection for nine-consecutive seasons with the New Orleans Hornets and Los Angeles Clippers, Paul was excluded from the Western Conference All-Star team for a second-consecutive season after the vote of conference coaches was announced on Wednesday.


Damian Lillard of the Trail Blazers, Russell Westbrook and Klay Thompson of the Warriors were selected, joining James Harden and Steph Curry in the pool of Western Conference guards heading to the All-Star game Feb. 18 in Los Angeles.

Paul missed 17 games in the first half of the season, but the Rockets are 23-5 in games he has played, 18-0 when Paul, Harden and Clint Capela all play.


It is not unprecedented for a player missing that many games and more being selected as an All Star. In 2015, Kevin Durant was chosen by the coaches though he had played in just 19 games, averaging 25.5 points, at the time of the voting.

"It's pretty outrageous," Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said. "I think it was based on simple games missed. It's similar to honors in the past where new standards are getting applied selectively.

"Chris, you have to look at the impact in those games. We're 18-0 in Chris and James and Clint. Obviously, he was the primary guy driving winning when he was playing and James was out (going 4-3.) If you look at with winning as the focus, the wins Chris made happen for us, even in a shorter window, were more than enough to get selected."


The Warriors will have four All-Stars with Draymond Green and Kevin Durant joining Curry and Thompson. The Timberwolves have two All-Stars, Jimmy Butler and Karl-Anthony Towns. The Pelicans have a pair of All-Star starters with DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis. LaMarcus Aldridge and Westbrook round out the selections from the Western Conference.

Paul is averaging 19.1 points, 8.9 assists and a career-high 5.9 rebounds. He has had at least six rebounds in a career-high 10-consecutive games.

Reserves from the Eastern Conference are Kyle Lowry of the Raptors, Bradley Beal and John Wall of the Wizards, Victor Oladipo of the Pacers, Kristaps Porzingis of the Knicks, Kevin Love of the Cavaliers and Al Horford of the Celtics.

LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, DeMar DeRozan, Joel Embiid and Kyrie Irving were named as starters from the Eastern Conference.

With the pool of All-Stars determined, team captains Curry and James will choose the teams, with James choosing first. The teams will be announced on Thursday.

Paul was not the only notable star excluded from the All-Star rosters, with Paul George, Andre Drummond, Goran Dragic and Lou Williams particularly conspicuously left off the teams despite strong seasons.

The Rockets, with the NBA's second-best record, are the only team among the top three in either conference with just one All-Star selection. Porzingis in the only player from a team with a losing record selected.