Los Angeles Lakers point guard Jeremy Lin still belongs in the top-10 among Western Conference guards after the third returns of ballots for the NBA All-Star game in New York in February.
Lin, who is in the midst of another disappointing season, garnered 148,763 votes ahead of San Antonio Spurs' playmaker Tony Parker (75.325), Dallas Mavericks shooting guard Monta Ellis and Memphis Grizzlies court-general Mike Conley.
The 26-year Lin is averaging 10.7 points and 4.7 assists in 26 minutes per game in another up-and-down year. The Lakers acquired the Asian-American star in a trade with the Houston Rockets last summer with high expectation their gamble would play out well.
After getting the starting nod following a season-ending injury to Steve Nash, Lin played with the Lakers starting five for the first 20 games, only to be pulled out in favor of veteran Ronnie Price to give them a better defensive unit.
Another reason behind Byron Scott's decision to place Lin in his second unit is the guard's difficulty to orchestrate the Lakers' Princeton-based offensive system, which is a lot different from the free-wheeling, high-octane offense Lin had with the New York Knicks under Mike D'Antoni and the Rockets under Kevin McHale.
But despite his struggles, Lin's huge fanbase in the Asian market along with loyal purple-and-gold supporters has once again catapulted him into the to-10 among Western Conference guards after finishing in the top-5 in the voting the past two years.
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry remained on top of the Western Conference All-Star voting with 958,014 while Kobe Bryant garnered 862, 568 votes. Rockets shooting guard James Harden is outside looking in at no.3 with 690,843 votes.
New Orleans Pelicans' Anthony Davis received 922,381 votes to top Western Conference front-court, while LA Clippers Blake Griffin (490,786) and Marc Gasol (476,660) rounded out the top 3.
In the East, Cleveland Cavaliers small forward LeBron James continues his supremacy as he rakes up 971,299 votes in the front court, while Chicago Bulls forward Pau Gasol (527,582) and Carmelo Anthony (456,182) are in top 3 as well. Washington Wizards playmaker John Wall and Miami Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade are the pace-setter so far in the East backcourt, with 564,977 and 507,326 votes respectively.
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