De'Aaron Fox is averaging 25.1 points and 6.2 assists for the Sacramento Kings this season. But he's not a Western Conference All-Star, which might not be due to his play on the court.

NBA head coaches vote for All-Star reserves, picking seven players from their conferences. Some Western Conference coaches were publicly unhappy when the Kings fired head coach Mike Brown in December.

Michael Malone of the Denver Nuggets described Brown's firing as, "No class, no balls." Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors said the firing "seems so shocking when a guy's the unanimous Coach of the Year a year and a half ago." Brown was a longtime assistant of the recovering Gregg Popovich in San Antonio, and it's hard to imagine the Spurs were thrilled with the firing, either.

While no one has said Fox was responsible for Brown's firing, the Kings' front office did not back up their star by making a statement about it. Two weeks later, general manager Monte McNair finally spoke publicly without answering questions about the decision.

In a competitive All-Star group, resentment toward the Kings may have hurt the chances of Fox and the NBA's rebounding leader, Domantas Sabonis. Coaches selected only two reserve guards, Anthony Edwards and James Harden, while Fox had the best statistics of any guard not chosen.

However, Fox may have sealed his fate by requesting a trade, which NBA coaches do not generally appreciate. Kyrie Irving, a player who has made multiple trade demands, was also snubbed at the guard position. Somehow, Harden was spared that blowback, as he's reinvented himself as an incredible teammate for the Los Angeles Clippers this season.

That may be a lesson in predicting the final All-Star reserves. When players are close, the tie goes to the player who hasn't made his coach — or coaches — miserable.