ESPN Panel: Blazers F LaMarcus Aldridge One Of West's Biggest All-Star Surprises

Three of five writers on an ESPN.com panel see Portland Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge as the biggest surprise on the 2013 Western Conference All-Star team.

Nate Drexler, Magic Basketball: LaMarcus Aldridge. He's having a great offensive season, but did you know that his opponents make more than 50 percent of the shots they take against him? All-Stars are two-way players. Aldridge seemed a bit one-dimensional compared to his contemporaries.

Israel Gutierrez, ESPN.com: LaMarcus Aldridge. His numbers don't stand out. He's having his worst season in three years. His team's record isn't great. His teammates, Nicolas Batum and Damien Lillard, could be considered more game-changing players. I'd rather see a Denver Nugget or Marc Gasol make the squad.

James Herbert, HoopSpeak: LaMarcus Aldridge. The numbers are mostly stellar, but he's having the least efficient campaign of his career. Shooting long jumpers more frequently and less accurately, Aldridge is making just 46.8 percent of his field goal attempts. A terrific player, but not one who has particularly stood out this season.

The biggest surprise to me was Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph. A deserving candidate but I expected 2012 All-Star Marc Gasol to go in his spot. Otherwise the roster came down as predicted.

Here's the information on Aldridge's selection to his second consecutive All-Star Game. Here's his reaction via a conference call.

-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter