Better Watch Out For Flying Pigs Today

Not a lot of surprises on the list of reserves for the NBA All-Star Game. Brandon Roy is there. Kevin Durant is there. But there is one name that, going into the season, I never ever ever would have expected to see in an All-Star Game.

Zach Randolph finally is an All-Star. And why not? He’s averaging 21.0 points, 11.6 rebounds, shooting 50 percent from the field, and leading the league in offensive rebounds. Most important, his team is 25-19 despite starting the season 1-8.

Remember when Randolph was a Trail Blazer? When he was the face of the franchise and signed a big contract and declared his intention to be an All-Star? It didn’t happen because anybody with any understanding of basketball would have bet their house that he would never play for a winner.

That was partly because of all the peripheral stuff. You can relive some of that nightmare here. I don’t know whether he has put that behind him, but now he’s an All-Star. Who could have imagined that?