MEMPHIS, Tenn. — If Brook Lopez was upset about being left out of this year’s All-Star Game, he did a good job of hiding it.
The Nets center, considered by many to be the most deserving player not headed to Houston for next month’s All-Star festivities, took the high road when he met with reporters before the Nets’ 101-77 loss to the Grizzlies Friday night.
“I was a little disappointed that there was no one from our team at all,” Lopez said, who scored 18 points and had three blocks. “It’s tough for me to envision a team with the best players in the Eastern Conference not include Deron [Williams] or Joe [Johnson].”
Though the Nets felt their backcourt was All-Star worthy, the biggest snub on the team was clearly Lopez, who leads all NBA centers in scoring and entered last night’s action as the only player averaging more than 18 points, seven rebounds and two blocks.
“I just thought Brook should have made it,” Williams said. “I thought he was an All-Star this year. He’s been the most consistent for us all year and has played consistent basketball, so for him to not make it, we feel hurt for him. That’s the main thing.”
Nets interim coach P.J. Carlesimo was incredulous as well.
“They must just feel our chemistry is unbelievable,” Carlesimo said, “because we’re winning games with limited talent here.”
With Kevin Garnett being voted in and the league’s coaches choosing to select big men Tyson Chandler, Joakim Noah and Chris Bosh, it was clear Lopez wound up being the odd-man out among a talented group.
But when he was asked if he was a better player than any of the others who made the team ahead of him, Lopez passed on the chance to stir up controversy.
“I think they’re very deserving All-Stars,” he said. “They’re huge parts of their team.”
When the reserves were announced on TNT Thursday night, analysts Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith said they thought part of the reason the Nets went unrepresented was because of the coaches taking into account the fact Avery Johnson had been fired last month.
“I don’t know,” Williams said with a sigh when asked for a reaction. “I guess Brook got him fired, too. People say what they want.”
Carlesimo clearly wasn’t thrilled with that theory, either.
“The TNT guys know what the coaches were thinking about,” Carlesimo said sarcastically. “Most people can’t read minds, so those guys knew what the coaches were thinking about. They’re the only ones who really knew what went into those selections.”
But, regardless of their reasoning, the Nets are without an All-Star, something practically everyone in the organization didn’t think was a possibility before Thursday’s announcement.
“I just think you can very easily and very intellectually make a case for all three of our guys being on the team, particularly when you couple it with the fact that we’re up fairly high in the Eastern Conference,” Carlesimo said. “It’s just disappointing that the coaches didn’t see it that way. But I said all along it’s the other 14 coaches that are going to determine it, and I believe that they voted the correct way, and if they voted the correct way, that’s just how the coaches feel.”