Now nine weeks into the regular season, and the NBA has announced that All-Star voting will open on Christmas Day with an exclusive partnership with Google.  That means this will be our last update before voting begins.

So let’s get to it:

Hurrikahane:

Team Embiid:

1. Starter 1: Joel Embiid
2. Starter 2: Kevin Durant
3. Starter 3: Russell Westbrook (4th update swap) Damian Lillard
4. Starter 4: Kawhi Leonard
5. Starter 5: Kemba Walker
6. Bench 1: Ben Simmons
7. Bench 2: Steph Curry
8. Bench 3: Jrue Holiday
9. Bench 4: Karl-Anthony Towns
10. Bench 5: DeMar Derozan
11. Bench 6: Jimmy Butler
12. Bench 7: Kyle Lowry

Team LeBron:

1. Starter 1: LeBron James
2. Starter 2: Anthony Davis
3. Starter 3: Giannis Antetokounmpo
4. Starter 4: James Harden
5. Starter 5: Victor Oladipo
6. Bench 1: Damian Lillard (4th update swap) Russell Westbrook
7. Bench 2: Rudy Gobert
8. Bench 3: Andre Drummond
9. Bench 4: Blake Griffin
10. Bench 5: Paul George
11. Bench 6: Kyrie Irving
12. Bench 7: John Wall (4th update) Zach LaVine

Pup:

Team Giannis:

1. Starter 1: Giannis Antetokounmpo
2. Starter 2: Anthony Davis
3. Starter 3: Joel Embiid
4. Starter 4: James Harden
5. Starter 5: Victor Oladipo
6. Bench 1: Russell Westbrook (4th update swap) Stephen Curry
7. Bench 2: Kemba Walker
8. Bench 3: Paul George
9. Bench 4: Nikola Vucevic (4th update) Andre Drummond
10. Bench 5: Khris Middleton
11. Bench 6: DeMar DeRozan
12. Bench 7: Jimmy Butler

Team LeBron:

1. Starter 1: LeBron James
2. Starter 2: Kevin Durant
3. Starter 3: Ben Simmons
4. Starter 4: Kawhi Leonard
5. Starter 5: Steph Curry (4th update swap) Russell Westbrook
6. Bench 1: Damian Lillard
7. Bench 2: Nikola Jokic
8. Bench 3: Chris Paul
9. Bench 4: Blake Griffin
10. Bench 5: Tobias Harris
11. Bench 6: Kyrie Irving
12. Bench 7: Bradley Beal

Marcus:

Team Giannis:

1. Starter 1: Giannis Antetokounmpo
2. Starter 2: Joel Embiid (4th update swap) Steph Curry
3. Starter 3: Anthony Davis
4. Starter 4: Ben Simmons
5. Starter 5: James Harden
6. Bench 1: Klay Thompson
7. Bench 2: Nikola Jokic
8. Bench 3: Russell Westbrook
9. Bench 4: Andre Drummond
10. Bench 5: Kyrie Irving
11. Bench 6: LaMarcus Aldridge
12. Bench 7: Gordon Hayward

Team LeBron Curry:

1. Starter 1: LeBron James
2. Starter 2: Kevin Durant
3. Starter 3: Steph Curry (4th update swap) Joel Embiid
4. Starter 4: Kawhi Leonard
5. Starter 5: Kemba Walker (4th update swap) Blake Griffin
6. Bench 1: Jayson Tatum
7. Bench 2: Blake Griffin (4th update swap) Kemba Walker
8. Bench 3: Rudy Gobert
9. Bench 4: Damian Lillard
10. Bench 5: Ben Simmons
11. Bench 6: DeMar DeRozan
12. Bench 7: Nikola Vucevic

Takeaways:

• Will Westbrook be a starter?
• • In the same round of updates, I added Russell to the Western Conference starter list and Pup took him out (and added Curry)
• • • Both players are very deserving, with Westbrook now averaging a triple double on the season (would be his 3rd year in a row) and Curry has the Warriors at 6-2 since his return from injury
• Are the Magic and Vucevic for real?
• • With Pup adding Vucevic to his All-Star list that now puts him on two of the three 76th Sense team member’s rosters. Orlando is currently holding the 8th seed in the East, thanks to the stellar play of Nikola so far this season.  If they stay in the fold for a playoff spot and Vucevic keeps up these numbers, it would be hard to keep him out of All-Star weekend
• Bye bye LaVine
• • I was trying to hold off as long as I could, but Chicago is a disaster and LaVine’s numbers have dipped a bit.  Combine that with his injury and it looks like his chances of an All-Star weekend appearance are fading quickly (unless he comes back and does the dunk competition again)

Notable Snubs:

• Hassan Whiteside
• • Hassan still leads this list as he’s averaging 13.5 points, 13 rebounds, and 3 blocks per game.  If Miami can climb their way up the standings and pass teams like the Magic, I could see Whiteside getting the nod over Vucevic
• Marc Gasol
• • Gasol’s numbers have dipped a bit, but he’s still averaging 16 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.5 blocks. It’s just hard to imagine him passing some of the stellar Western conference forwards
• Clint Capela
• • The Rockets are making their way back into relevance in the West and Capela continues his strong campaign, averaging 17 points, 12 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 2 blocks per game. Like Gasol, he’s got some seriously heavy hitters in the West to pass, but if the Rockets can get to a top 4 seed in the Conference he’ll get his fair share of votes