Suns Solar Panel, ep. 178: Special guest Amin Elhassan talks about Booker’s good chance to make the All-Star game

Tim and Dave are joined by special guest Amin Elhassan of ESPN (and formerly in the Suns front office) to talk about the All-Star process.

We know who the starters are going to be. All this other voting — by fans, media and players — only impacts the starters. It’s the 30 NBA head coaches who pick all the other guys — seven reserves for each conference.

We discuss how the reserves are selected by the coaches, what the coaches’ motivations are while making selections and when they’re going to make those selections. Amin has some ‘locks’ that might surprise you before getting to the two wildcard spots.

You might be surprised by Amin’s opinion of Devin Booker’s direct competition and, ultimately, his thoughts on whether Booker will actually make it onto the team when the coaches make their selection later this month. Will Booker get voted in by coaches ahead of a couple of ‘lifetime achievement’ nominations and a better-than-expected rookie?

And then we answer a series of listener questions about the Suns as a team, what they should do at the trade deadline, and where the franchise is headed. Once again, you might be surprised by Amin’s take. Should the Suns stay the course, go all-in for a big name, or scale back for another draft pick? And, are the Suns going in the right direction with Monty Williams and James Jones?

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Follow the Suns Solar Panel crew on Twitter @SunsSolarPanel, @Espo, @DaveKingNBA and @RadioTimNBA.

Dave has access to the team as a credentialed media member since 2012, while Greg brings his insights as a former Suns employee for half decade who still has his connections. Tim is a pro radio/podcast personality who grew up in Tucson and now lives in Florida. All three hosts are lifelong, unabashed Suns fans.

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