Doc Rivers Pushing for DeAndre Jordan to Make the All-Star Team

Reserves for the 63rd NBA All-Star Game will be announced tonight, and Doc Rivers says he’s gotten positive feedback from other coaches as he lobbies for DeAndre Jordan to get selected. Per the LA Times:

“I got a great response,” Rivers said, “but that’s why you go under a curtain and you vote for real because [they say], ‘Yeah, I’m going to vote for him’ and then they [pull] that other lever.”

The coaches will select the seven reserves from the West who will be announced Thursday afternoon on TNT: three frontcourt players, two backcourt players and two wild-card players from any position.

The starting frontcourt players are the Clippers’ Blake Griffin, Minnesota’s Kevin Love and Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant. New Commissioner Adam Silver will select a replacement for injured Lakers star Kobe Bryant, though it does not have to be a backcourt player.

Jordan entered Wednesday leading the NBA in field-goal percentage (.645) and rebounding (13.9) while ranking fourth in blocks (2.4). He was also averaging a career-high 9.5 points per game.

Being selected one of the final frontcourt players will be a, well, tall order. Among the other candidates are Portland’s LaMarcus Aldridge, Houston’s Dwight Howard, Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki, Oklahoma City’s Serge Ibaka, San Antonio’s Tim Duncan, Golden State’s David Lee and Memphis’ Zach Randolph.