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Jarrett Allen deserved the last All-Star spot far more than LaMelo Ball

By Chad Porto

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - FEBRUARY 04: Jarrett Allen #31 of the Cleveland Cavaliers shoots over P.J. Washington #25 of the Charlotte Hornets during the first half of their game at Spectrum Center on February 04, 2022 in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - FEBRUARY 04: Jarrett Allen #31 of the Cleveland Cavaliers shoots over P.J. Washington #25 of the Charlotte Hornets during the first half of their game at Spectrum Center on February 04, 2022 in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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Cleveland Cavalier fans are heated after Jarrett Allen got snubbed.

The Cleveland Cavaliers found out on Monday night that Jarrett Allen was officially not going to the 2022 All-Star game in Cleveland. The Cavs big man was left off the roster as an injury replacement for Kevin Durant after Adam Silver selected LaMelo Ball to fill the final spot. DeJounte Murray was added to the Western Conference team as well. While LaMelo will replace Durant, Jayson Tatum will be the starter for the team.

Fans were not happy about the announcement, with many on Twitter sounding off about how bad of a decision this was. He’s not having a bad year, averaging 19 points, seven assists, and seven rebounds per game, with fine shooting splits of .425/.360/.875. He has offensive and defensive RAPTOR scores of +2.2. and -0.4 respectively, while posting a season box+/- of just +0.1.

For Allen, he’s averaging 16 points, 11 rebounds, and two assists, with shooting splits of .667/.100/.685. He has an offensive/defensive RAPTOR score of +0.6 and +3.6 respectively, with a season box+/- of +3.4. By all accounts statistically, Allen is far more useful and valuable to the Cavs than Melo is to the Hornets.

Not only that, but the Cavs are 0.5 games back from the number one seed in the Eastern Conference, while the Hornets are 9th.

There’s no debate, no stat, no advanced metric one can lean on to say that Melo deserved the spot over Allen. There just isn’t one.

Jarrett Allen humiliated the LaMelo Ball-led Hornets

The travesty of all of this is that Ball got the pick after Allen humiliated him and his team just this past Friday, on Feb. 4. Allen had 22 points and 29 rebounds, while Ball had just 15 points and a box+/- of -20.

Ball was 0-2 in the fourth quarter and scored zero points. He had a turnover, a shooting foul (a three-point foul on Kevin Love, who hit all three shots), and then was subbed out with over eight minutes left to go for Terry Rozier.

Ball didn’t even see the court after the 8:15 mark in the last quarter.

Yet, Silver puts in a guy not good enough to close out a game, over Allen, the catalyst for his team’s win?

Maybe it’s not just the fans who don’t deserve an All-Star vote.

Next. 3 reasons the Cavs should and should not trade for Caris LeVert. dark

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