PG - Jason Kidd
SG -Dwyane Wade
SF - LeBron James
PF - Kevin Garnett
C - Dwight Howard
Eastern Conference (my picks):
PG - Chauncey Billups
The Eastern Conference is not as stacked in PGs as the Western, and because of that Billups has to be the front-runner here. He is having one of his most efficient seasons in his career, but he is not as flashy as Kidd is. An up-and-coming PG you may not have heard of goes by the name of Jose Calderon, who plays the Toronto Raptors. I've heard he cannot speak English, but I believe he is able to pronounce a 5.4/1 assist/TO ratio.
SG - Jason Richardson
All I need to say is: "Wade is averaging 4.5 TOs per game." So I'll give my nod to the Bobcats' Jason Richardson. He is hitting an astonishing 2.8 three-balls per game and we all know he is that high-flying dude that you would want to see in an All-Star game. Another player that i considered is the Milwaukee Bucks' Michael Redd, but he is not very fun to watch he is just a solid player overall.
SF - LeBron James
The Eastern Conference is stacked in the SF position with players such as: Rudy Gay, Caron Butler and Josh Smith, but who can leave LeBron out of the starting five? He is obviously the most exiting player to watch in the NBA right now although he has a sub-par supporting cast. Just one thing I may ask of LeBron: "Will you please be in the Slam Dunk Contest?"
PF - Kevin Garnett
Who other than the man himself? You can tell how much he benefits from having Paul Pierce and Ray Allen within whispering distance. He is having a solid season even though he doesn't have to do it all himself any more. Chris Bosh was a close second in the PF position for me, but the thing is he isn't fully developed as a player at this point in his career. He is still inconsistent, but he should be starting All-Star games in many years to come.
C - Dwight Howard
There is only one word to explain this choice, well actually two: "Glass Consumer." That is what Howard is, and that's what he does. Eats the glass, cleans the glass, takes the glass to a nice seafood dinner and then does call it again, etc. The only thing he doesn't do with the glass is use it on offense, because he dunks everything he touches. If he gets good at free-throws and controls his TO numbers, he will be scary good. Still, no one else is very close.
Western Conference (actual):
PG - Allen Iverson
SG - Kobe Bryant
SF - Carmelo Anthony
PF - Tim Duncan
C - Yao Ming
Western Conference (my picks):
PG - Chris Paul
This kid, in just his third year in the league, is taking the NBA by storm. He is already drawing comparisons to the great Isaiah Thomas (as a player, not as a coach) and he deserves the praise. He is averaging over ten assists/game and is doing it with extreme efficiency (only 2.5 TO/game). CP3 could be the best player in the league, and also the most underrated. Other players in consideration were: Steve Nash, having a normal, 12 assists/year; Baron Davis, having an actual monster year; and Deron Williams, a lot of TOs but great PG nonetheless.
SG - Kobe Bryant
The same point I made for LeBron James: "Who else belongs here?" Still arguably the best player in the NBA (at least I think he is).Los Angeles is in contention for #1 spot in the West and Kobe is the main reason why. He is sharing the ball and and taking only 20 shots per game, down from his 27 per game two years ago. Plus... don't make me say it... 81... But if Kevin Martin had stayed healthy, he may have been in consideration, and also, Allen Iverson should be labeled as a SG and not a PG anymore.
SF - Shawn Marion
Yes, Carmelo scores, but Marion does it all. Any stat you can name, Marion excels in it. He is the only SF to average 10 boards/game in the Western Conference and his style of play (run, run, run) perfectly fits an All-Star game. He is most likely the most underrated player in the NBA right now, but his 16 points/game don't scream "SUPERSTAR" at you. There is really no one else even close to him in the West, and I am not sure why he wasn't elected a starter in the first place.
PF - Dirk Nowitzki
Even though he is faking Polish (zki), the defending Western Conference MVP is having another great season. But playing on the boring, offense-running, defense-playing Mavericks does not get him the attention from around the league that he deserves. He may be the most valuable player to his team than any other player in the league. If Pau Gasol had been playing as well as he is now for the entire season, he would be close to Nowitzki; and if Carlos Boozer had been playing as well now as he was in the beginning of the season, he would also be up there with Dirk.
C - Amare Stoudemire
This position choice was the toughest for either team. There are so many big men in the West, it is ridiculous. Marcus Camby is hands down the best defensive player in the league, but that's just it, no one wants to see defense being played in the All-Star game. Yao Ming is as complete a center as there can be, but his game is not very exiting, and he has been in the All-Star game as often as Pacman Jones gets arrested. Also, Chris Kaman is having a breakout year for the Clippers, and Andrew Bynum was breaking out with the Lakers until he was injured almost two weeks ago. But Amare is the most sensible pick here. He is truly a SF/PF with a center's body, his athleticism shines above all the other center's in the West, and watching him in the All-Star game will never get old.
I honestly will probably not watch the game. Although, I believe that the correct choices should go, and the best players at each position should represent them. I think the West wins this game because they have the better players, but obviously it could go either way.
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