No room for Brand on All-Star team
Elton Brand was not among the replacement players selected Friday for the NBA All-Star game at Las Vegas.
Commissioner David Stern chose Denver forward Carmelo Anthony and Dallas forward Josh Howard to replace Houston center Yao Ming and Utah forward Carlos Boozer on the Western Conference squad for the Feb. 18 exhibition at the Thomas & Mack Center. Yao and Boozer have been sidelined because of injuries.
Anthony sat out 15 games while suspended for his role in the Dec. 16 brawl in New York, but he leads the league in scoring at 30.8 points a game. Howard has a 19.6-point average for the Mavericks, who have an NBA-best 41-9 record.
“Those guys are definitely deserving,” Brand said of Anthony and Howard before the Clippers’ 90-89 victory over at Philadelphia 76ers.
Brand is averaging 20.8 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocked shots. A two-time NBA All-Star, he averaged 24.7 points, 10 rebounds and 2.54 blocks last season while leading the Clippers to one of their best seasons.
Although his production dropped off, Brand is not alone in thinking that his All-Star exclusion probably had more to do with the Clippers’ performance. At 25-25, the team is considered among the NBA’s biggest disappointments.
“It’s like I’ve said all along, it usually comes down to wins,” Brand said. “But I’m not disappointed about not making it, I’m disappointed that despite the injuries we had, I couldn’t help lead our team to more wins.”
Added teammate Corey Maggette: “He’s done a lot of good things for this team. Even though he started off slow, he was still shooting at a high percentage.”
Said Coach Mike Dunleavy: “It’s disappointing, but record comes into it a lot.”
*
Maggette was inactive for the second consecutive game because of flu-like symptoms. He participated in shooting drills before the game but lacked enough energy to play, a Clippers spokesman said.... Philadelphia native Cuttino Mobley, who had 17 points, said he had 100 family members and friends at the game.
*
Get our high school sports newsletter
Prep Rally is devoted to the SoCal high school sports experience, bringing you scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
