Jan. 30--LOS ANGELES -- Jimmy Butler likes to play the humble routine, often saying he can't believe a kid from smalltown Tomball, Texas, has landed where he has.
The Bulls shooting guard can still aw-shucks his way through interviews if he wishes. But he will now do so with a sparkling line on his resume -- All-Star.
Butler landed one of the coaches' reserve selections on the Eastern Conference team, which were announced Thursday night. All-Star weekend culminates with the Feb. 15 All-Star Game at Madison Square Garden.
"Nobody can say they thought I'd be in the NBA coming from Tomball, thought I'd get drafted in the first round, thought I'd be a starting player on the Chicago Bulls, thought I'd be a potential All-Star. Nobody could ever call that," Butler said. "But I worked. I worked hard. But that's what I've always done. I'm surprised, but at the same time I'm not."
"I knew he'd be really good. But I didn't know he'd be this good," coach Tom Thibodeau said. "Right from the start of the season, he started fast. He came in in great shape, lighter. He got off to a good start. And he's maintained it. And I don't want to put a lid on it. I don't know where it could go. He's got great drive, great commitment and he plays for the team."
Derrick Rose, who did not land a reserve spot, is happy for Butler, who is averaging 20.1 points. That's up seven points from last season while also delivering Butler's typically strong defense.
"The way that he's been playing in the East, I think he deserves it," Rose said. "He's been helping this team out a lot."
Rose is having the best month of the season after missing all but 10 games to successive season-ending knee surgeries the last two seasons. He made three straight All-Star games from 2010-12 before suffering his knee injuries.
"I'm not going to let that define what type of player I am or how I've been playing," Rose said before reserves were announced. "It would be an honor to be on the team, but if not I'm going to continue working out the same way I've been working out, and hopefully be playing the same way I've been playing.
"We've got a winning a record. If I was to make it, it would be fine. If I don't I have seven days to do recovery stuff, and that's fine with me too.
"The way I've been playing, the confidence I've been playing with, it's been actually fun to play in these games, so I can't worry about like accolades that come with playing right now, all the individual awards and all that. I'm not worried about that. It's all about winning games and being healthy.''
Thibodeau acknowledged deserving players always get left off the team.
"It's unfortunate because you can make the case for a lot of guys," he said. "And there will be some guys that will be left off that should be on there. And certainly you wouldn't be wrong if you said this guy should be on and this guy shouldn't. That's the tough part of it.
"When guys are close I think as coaches we look at, 'OK, what was the availability of the guy, how much did he play, and then what was the impact on winning?' I think Derrick has gotten stronger and stronger as the season has gone along. To me, when Derrick is playing up to his ability he's certainly an All-Star. And I think he's getting stronger and stronger and stringing games together. That's the important thing.''
The other Eastern All-Star reserves are: Kyrie Irving (Cavaliers), Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade (Heat), and Al Horford, Paul Millsap and Jeff Teague (Hawks).
The Western All-Star reserves are: James Harden (Rockets), Klay Thompson (Warriors), Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook (Thunder), LaMarcus Aldridge (Trail Blazers), Tim Duncan (Spurs), and Chris Paul (Clippers).
