D’Antoni not surprised to see Gasol left off All-Star team

Of all the surprises this season, this wasn’t one of them: Pau Gasol was left off the All-Star team.

Lakers Coach Mike D’Antoni thinks he knows why. The Lakers (16-30) are 14th in the Western Conference.

“When you’re not in the top eight, top nine, I’m a firm believer that, you know what, numbers don’t mean a whole lot if you’re not winning,� D’Antoni said Friday. “So you’ve got to be very careful about putting somebody on the All-Star team that doesn’t have [victories]… unless you’re in the East, probably. If you don’t have a winning record, it’s really tough to get in there.�

Gasol, 33, has played better this month, averaging 20.6 points and 12.1 rebounds. The Lakers, though, have lost 17 of their last 20 games.

“He’s had All-Star numbers but he didn’t have them all year. He had them the last couple of months,� D’Antoni said. “To be fair to everybody else, it makes it tough.�

Gasol, a four-time All-Star, hasn’t made the team since 2011.

Blake Griffin, Kevin Durant and Kevin Love were voted frontcourt starters in the Western Conference by fans. The West coaches picked Dirk Nowitzki, Dwight Howard, LaMarcus Aldridge as reserves down low.

The Clippers’ DeAndre Jordan and Sacramento’s DeMarcus Cousins were left off the team and might also have been selected ahead of Gasol.

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