James Harden Replacement Announced For NBA All-Star Weekend; Leaves Fans Delirious

Days before the All-Star break, the Philadelphia 76ers announced that James Harden will be sidelined due to a hamstring strain. Recently acquired, fans remain excited over Harden and Joel Embiid teaming up. However, what seems to have caught fans’ attention is Harden’s replacement for the All-Star game.

According to various reports, Cleveland Cavaliers center, Jarrett Allen, will replace Harden.

Fans seemed to have interesting reactions, most happy to see Allen play in Harden’s stead.

NBA fans react to the James Harden All-Star game replacement

Following Allen’s selection, the NBA All-Star game will now have two Cleveland Cavaliers players on the court. The other is Darius Garland, who will be playing with his teammate on Team LeBron James.

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What fans really noticed, however, was that this means more Cavaliers are in the All-Star game than the Los Angeles Lakers. With Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook out, the Lakers only have LeBron James representing them at the game as the captain. As injuries have only added to the Lakers’ pile of trouble this season, fans have agreed that James is probably the only deserving icon from the team.

Most fans did remain excited about Cleveland getting another player, especially since the game is scheduled to take place in Cleveland. Interestingly, Toronto Raptors star, Pascal Siakam, and Milwaukee Bucks guard, Jrue Holiday were the other two names included in reactions. As per certain fans, Siakam or Holiday were snubbed and deserved to play instead of Allen.

Of course, some loyal fans stuck with Allen. They defended the NBA’s decision and argued that he was indeed a better choice than anyone else. Some are even excited over an Embiid-Allen matchup. Additionally, some wondered if Harden not being there will make the game less interesting.

With his recent trade to the 76ers, everyone is eager to see the 32-year-old donn the court.

Here’s a look at the complete and updated All-Star roster.

Team LeBron James

1. Giannis Antetokounmpo
2. Stephen Curry
3. DeMar DeRozan
4. LeBron James
5. Nikola Jokic
6. Jarrett Allen
7. Jimmy Butler
8. Luka Doncic
9. Darius Garland
10. Donovan Mitchell
11. Chris Paul
12. Fred VanVleet

Team Kevin Durant

1. Joel Embiid
2. Ja Morant
3. Jayson Tatum
4. Andrew Wiggins
5. Trae Young
6. LaMelo Ball*
7. Devin Booker
8. Rudy Gobert
9. Zach LaVine
10. Khris Middleton
11. Dejounte Murray*
12. Karl-Anthony Towns

NOTE: * Ball and Murray have replaced Durant and Draymond Green, respectively.

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