Jeremy Lin: Should the Houston Rockets PG Have Made The All Star-Team?

The NBA All-Star starters were announced on Thursday night for both the Eastern and Western Conference.

Both teams were made up of familiar faces. Rajon Rondo, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Garnett will start for the East. Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin and Dwight Howard make up the West’s starting lineup.

Just missing the cut for the West was Jeremy Lin. The point guard finished right behind Paul in fan voting at the guard position. His 883,809 votes were 45,346 short of the Los Angeles Clippers star.

For much of the season, it looked like Lin had a chance to start in the game. However, he will be at home during the All-Star break, unless he gets chosen to come off the bench.

Was Lin snubbed by not being named a starter?

The Houston Rockets guard took the league by storm last year. At the height of “Linsanity,” it would be hard to find a more popular player in the league, or one that was playing at a higher level. However, that has not been the case this season.

Lin has been very average in his first season with Houston. He’s averaging 12.3 points, 6.3 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game for the No.8 seed in the West.

When asked by NBA.com’s Jeff Caplan if he should be an All-Star, Lin was quick to shoot down the notion.

“Uh, no,” Lin responded. The question came after the Rockets most recent loss. They fell to the Dallas Mavericks, dropping their fifth straight. Lin made multiple miscues down the stretch, including missing key free throws.

“If I could hit a free throw, it’d be nice,” Lin continued.

Lin’s 2012-2013 campaign has been full of ups and downs. He started off the year poorly, failing to shoot over 40 percent from the field in November. His play then picked up, sparked by his return to Madison Square Garden, when the Rockets beat the New York Knicks. He shot 49 percent from the field in December, and finally seemed to be meshing with James Harden, the team’s top scorer.

In January, however, Lin has regressed. The 24-year-old has seen his shooting percentage dip to 40 percent in nine games this month. His struggles have correlated with Houston’s record, as the team is just a half-game ahead of the Portland Trail Blazers for the final playoff spot in the conference.

Still, Lin’s popularity almost got him into the All-Star starting lineup. At one point last season, he had the highest-selling jersey in the NBA. His international fame almost translated into nearly enough votes, but he just missed the cut.

With the fan voting over, it’s unlikely that Lin will make the team at all. Candidates like Russell Westbrook, Tony Parker, Stephen Curry and his teammate Harden, will likely make up the guards that come off the bench.