For 11th straight year, Warriors don't have an All-Star

--The Warriors' run of non-participation in the All-Star Game reached an amazing 11 consecutive years Thursday when the NBA announced its reserves for the Feb. 26 exhibition in Orlando.

This time around, the complaining about snubs was much quieter than usual.

Guard Monta Ellis is the highest-scoring player not among the 24 players (12 in each conference) selected to play. He's averaging an All-Star-like 22.6 points per game, but he's seen his shooting percentage drop to a very average 43.4 percent on a team that has among the fewest wins in the league.

Forward David Lee is the only other Warrior among the league leaders in a major category, but ranks just 12th in rebounding at 10.0 per game.

--If a case could be made for any Warrior to be on display in Orlando later this month, it would be rookie Klay Thompson.

The left-hander wasn't among the nine rookies chosen to play in the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge, and based on full-season numbers, it would be easy enough to conclude he doesn't belong.

But Thompson, who plays behind Monta Ellis, had a scoring average (6.7) less than half a point below three of the selected players before Thursday's game, and then he went out and contributed 19 points to Golden State's win at Denver.

Just like that, Thompson's average vaulted to 7.3 and ahead of the aforementioned trio -- the Suns' Markieff Morris, the Cavaliers' Tristan Thompson and the Spurs' Kawhi Leonard.

Thompson has hit 15 of his 21 shots (71.4 percent) in the Warriors' four February games.

QUOTE TO NOTE
"I'm astounded that Klay Thompson is not in the rookie-sophomore All-Star game (the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge). What rookies made it? Can you show me nine rookies playing better than Klay Thompson?" -- Warriors coach Mark Jackson.

Copyright (C) 2012 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.