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As we continue to work our way through the endless summer between the Finals and Opening Night, we'll pause each Friday to briefly consider and count down some NBA-related topic of note. We like starting lineups and round numbers, so we'll run through a handful of items each week. With a nod to our friends at Dr. Saturday , welcome to Ball Don't Five . This week's installment: The Top Five Retired Players That Never Made an All-Star Team. 5. Lamar Odom . It’s arguable that Odom never truly had an All-Star season, so his placement on this list is more of a career honor than a knock at, say, the assistant coaches in the East during the 2003-04 season. Those coaches were likely still considering Odom, who averaged over 17 points, nearly ten rebounds, 4.1 assists and a block per game with the playoff-bound Miami Heat that year, a flighty ne’er-do-well who hadn’t paid his dues. In opposition to, say, Jamaal Magliore – who made the damned All-Star team that season. [ Follow Dunks Don't Lie on Tumblr: The best slams from all of basketball ] 4. Rod Strickland . Like Odom, Strickland struggled with image issues throughout his career, which likely (needlessly) cost him votes as a reserve. He dealt with academic problems at DePaul, immediately entered a point guard controversy (which was not his fault) upon entering the league with the Knicks, and after being traded to San Antonio in his second season he infamously decided a behind-the-head pass late in a Game 7 loss would be the right move (it sailed out of bounds). Strickland played killer basketball throughout the 1990s, but he could never crack the roster.
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