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[jcisco loboe'77]

http://www.star-tele...belongs-in.html
Terry said Nowitzki belongs in the All-Star game
By Dwain Price.

DALLAS—"Jason Terry is sure that somehow, some way, Dirk Nowitzki will extend his streak of playing in the NBA All-Star game to 11 years in a row.
“It'll be 11,'' Terry, the Dallas Mavericks' guard, said after today's practice. “He'll make it unless he decides to give it up to [Portland's LaMarcus] Aldridge.
“I don't know why he would ever want to do that. If he gives it to me, that's cool. Don't give it to the enemy.''
Nowitzki is averaging just 17.2 points and six rebounds - his lowest figures since he was a rookie (in the 1998-'99 season). The Western Conference coaches will decide by Thursday if Nowitzki will be on this year's prestigious squad.
From Terry's standpoint, Nowitzki's body of work ought to count for something and should land him a spot on this year's team. Especially since he was the Most Valuable Player of last year's NBA Finals, which the Mavs won in six games over the Miami Heat.
“Dirk has to be there,'' Terry said. “I think he will be.
“If he's not, I know he needs the rest, too, so either way it goes... But I'd love to see him in the game just because he's earned it.''
Terry believes the NBA owes it to Nowitzki to put him in the All-Star game as the Mavs' lone representative.
“Some guys are grandfathered in, and you've seen that throughout the course of the history of the NBA,'' Terry said. “Guys like Tim Duncan.
“Primarily [Duncan's] stats aren't always what they were, but just because he's a perennial all-star he [gets in]. Shaq [O'Neal], the same thing.''
Terry said Nowitzki has earned that same respect from the league as Duncan and O'Neal."

[jcisco loboe'77]

http://www.google.co...wPBfBFEl-GKBHOQ
Mavs’ Dirk Nowitzki wouldn’t mind sitting out All-Star Game
inShare.0AHN Sports Staff.

Dallas, TX, United States (AHN Sports)–"Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks wouldn’t mind missing out on a trip to Orlando for this year’s NBA All-Star game.
“Averaging whatever, 15, 16 points, I don’t think you should be an All-Star,” Nowitzki said, according to ESPNDallas.com. “But we’ll just have to wait and see. I think there is a lot of great young talent in this league that deserves to go. I think LaMarcus Aldridge has been stiff the last couple of years. He’s a great young player, fun to watch. You know Blake and Love are playing great. There is a lot of talent at my position.”
Nowitzki seems to be more focused on shooting for a possible second straight NBA title run than paying attention to making a run at an 11th straight All-Star appearance.
“To me, it’s more about getting right again and getting my body back in rhythm and getting used to all the grinding and running and jumping again,” Nowitzki, who has dealt with a sore right knee, told the website. “I think that’s more important to me than an All-Star appearance at this point. Ultimately, [we want] to make a push after the All-Star break. That’s ultimately where my head is at here.”
Nowitzki is scoring 17.2 points per game, the lowest total since his rookie season and over five points below his career scoring mark (22.8 ppg.).
Nowitzki’s other stats, including rebounds, assists, blocks and steals, are all down, as well."

[jcisco loboe'77]

http://www.oregonliv...vin_love_l.html
NBA All-Star Game: Kevin Love leads top forwards competing with LaMarcus Aldridge for West spot.
By Mike Tokito, The Oregonian.
"Minnesota's Kevin Love and Houston's Luis Scola are two of the top forwards in the Western Conference.
In many minds, the case for Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge making his first NBA All-Star Game seems clear.
By scoring 39 points against Oklahoma City on Monday, Aldridge moved up to No. 5 in the NBA in scoring average at 23.7 points per game, a spot ahead of last season's MVP, Derrick Rose of Chicago, and two spots ahead of All-Star starter Carmelo Anthony of New York.
Coaches must turn in their ballots today to select the All-Star reserves, and those players will be announced Thursday.
Aldridge's scoring average is on pace to be a career high, as is his field goal percentage (.514) and assists per game (2.8).
Still, other forwards in the Western Conference are having good seasons, too. Coaches' ballots have two spots specifically for forwards, and two non-roster specific spots. Here are some of the other top forwards who provide Aldridge's stiffest competition to be the West reserves behind starters Kevin Durant of Oklahoma City and Blake Griffin of the Clippers (statistics through Monday's games):
KEVIN LOVE, Minnesota
• Key numbers, facts: Averaging 25.0 points (No. 4 in league) and 13.7 rebounds (No. 2). Has helped Timberwolves to a 12-12 start, a huge improvement from last season's league-worst 17-65 finish. Made first All-Star Game last season.
• Case for: Has made a big leap in scoring, up 4.8 points from last season, and has put his team in position to challenge for a playoff berth. Likely a shoo-in.
• Case against: Was dinged with an awkwardly timed two-game suspension Monday for stepping on an opposing player's head.

PAUL MILLSAP, Utah
• Key numbers, facts: Averaging 16.5 points and 9.8 rebounds, and shooting 51.8 percent from the field. Jazz are 13-10. Would be a first-time All-Star.
• Case for: Has been a key to the resurrection of the Jazz, who are back in playoff position after missing the postseason last season.
• Case against: Is not the leading scorer or clearly the top player for Utah.

DAVID LEE, Golden State
• Key numbers, facts: Averaging 18.4 points and 9.9 rebounds and shooting 51.0 percent from field. Would be a first-time All-Star.
• Case for: Terrific all-around numbers and a tendency to perform well against other top power forwards, including Aldridge.
• Case against: Warriors' 8-13 record. Is not Golden State's top scorer.
DIRK NOWITZKI, Dallas
• Key numbers, facts: Averaging 17.2 points and 6.0 rebounds. Is a 10-time All-Star selection.
• Case for: Led the Mavericks to their first NBA title last season, a compelling reason to vote for him in a shortened season.
• Case against: Numbers are way down, he sat out four games because of injury and poor conditioning, and he has said he does not think he deserves to be picked.
PAU GASOL, L.A. Lakers
• Key numbers, facts: Averaging 16.4 points, 10.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists. Is a four-time All-Star selection.
• Case for: Strong all-around numbers on a 14-11 team.
• Case against: Teammates Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum already are on West team as starters, and coaches might be less inclined to place three players from team with sixth-best record in conference.
RUDY GAY, Memphis
• Key numbers, facts: Averaging 18.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists. Would be first-time All-Star.
• Case for: Has kept Grizzlies afloat in the absence of injured forward Zach Randolph, the team's leading scorer and rebounder last season.
• Case against: Memphis has slipped to 12-13, losing seven of its last 10 games before the ballot deadline.
DANILO GALLINARI, Denver
• Key numbers, facts: Averaging 17.0 points and 5.2 rebounds. Would be a first-time All-Star.
• Case for: Having a breakout season as leading scorer for Nuggets, who at 15-10 have the fourth-best record in the West.
• Case against: Probably the least-known player of the forwards. Also, he suffered an ankle injury Monday and could miss a month.
NENE, Denver
• Key numbers, facts: Averaging 13.3 points and 8.0 rebounds. Would be a first-time All-Star.
• Case for: Like teammate Gallinari, a key player on the team with the fourth-best record in West.
• Case against: Only the fourth-leading scorer on own team despite signing a big contract extension.
LUIS SCOLA, Houston
• Key numbers, facts: Averaging 15.4 points and 5.9 rebounds. Would be a first-time All-Star.
• Case for: A key player for a surprising Rockets team that is tied for the sixth-best record in West.
• Case against: Scoring and rebounding are well down from last season.
TIM DUNCAN
• Key numbers, facts: Averaging 13.8 points and 8.2 rebounds. Is a 13-time All-Star pick.
• Case for: At 35, remains a key player on a team with the third-best record (17-9) in the West. Also, coaches might be inclined to include the four-time NBA champion as a sentimental pick.
• Case against: Was picked last season as, in some minds, a sentimental choice. Averaging only 27.8 minutes, by far the lowest of any of these players."
-- Mike Tokito

[jcisco loboe'77]

http://bleacherrepor...ter-predictions
NBA All-Star Game Starters, Final Ballot and Roster PredictionsBy Eric Ball(Featured Columnist).

"After enduring the painful TNT Tipoff show that teased us till the very end, the 2012 NBA All-Star starters have been announced, via NBA.com.

With the game scheduled to be played at Orlando arena, it comes as no surprise that Orlando Magic forward Dwight Howard was the leading votes with 1,600,390. Los Angeles Lakers forward Kobe Bryant led the Western Conference with 1,555,479.
The votes were 100 percent from the fans, and the reserves will be selected by the head coaches for each side and will be announced next Thursday for the game on Sunday, February 26th.
Here’s the full starting lineup:

Eastern Conference:
G: Derrick Rose- Chicago Bulls (1,514,723)
G: Dwyane Wade- Miami Heat (1,334,223)

C: Dwight Howard- Orlando Magic (1,600,390)
F: LeBron James- Miami Heat (1,360,680)
F: Carmelo Anthony- New York Knicks (1,041,290)

Western Conference:
G: Chris Paul- New Orleans Hornets (1,138,743)
G: Kobe Bryant- Los Angeles Lakers (1,555,479)
C: Andrew Bynum- Los Angeles Lakers (1,051,945)
F: Kevin Durant- Oklahoma City Thunder (1,345,566)
F: Blake Griffin- Los Angeles Clippers (876,451)

Final Ballot:
If the coaches take the fan vote into account, here are the player’s that will likely get the nod off the bench:
East:
Guard: Rajon Rondo, Boston Celtics 547,110; Ray Allen, Celtics (382,147); Deron Williams, New Jersey Nets (208,697)
Forward: Amar’e Stoudemire, Knicks (383,734); Kevin Garnett, Boston Celtics (367,914); Chris Bosh, Miami (324,605)
Center: Joakim Noah, Bulls (236,497); Tyson Chandler, Knicks (166,077)

West:
Guard: Ricky Rubio, Minnesota Timberwolves (397,456); Steve Nash, Phoenix Suns (276,268); Russell Westbrook, Thunder (262,186)
Forward: Pau Gasol, Lakers (470,353); Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks (468,435); Kevin Love, Timberwolves (373,800)
Center: DeAndre Jordan, Clippers (322,056), Marc Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies (285,525)

Predictions:
The Celtics will be well-represented because of their tenure, but neither Garnett nor Allen truly deserves to be there. Then again, neither does John Wall or Jose Calederon, so I’m ok with picking them.
I think the fans did a terrific job of picking the most deserving players (aside from voting ‘Melo a starter), and the one that stands out is Rubio.
It appears as if everybody has been tracking his progress as he continues to get better every night. He deserves the nod, as does Nash. Hopefully they can play together at some point.
Westbrook deserves a spot, as does Nowitzki and Love. Leave the Gasol brothers and Jordan at home.

Projected Reserves:
East: Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Deron Williams, Amare Stoudemire, Kevin Garnett, Chris Bosh and Luol Deng
West: Ricky Rubio, Steve Nash, Russell Westbrook, Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Love, LaMarcus Aldridge, Tim Duncan."




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Edited by jcisco loboe'77, 08 February 2012 - 07:38 AM.

[jcisco loboe'77]

http://www.nba.com/a...ar/2012/players

61st NBA All-Star Game
Eastern
NO. PLAYER (TEAM) POS. HT. WT. BIRTHDATE FROM
7 * Carmelo Anthony (New York) F 6-8 230 05/29/84 Syracuse
6 * LeBron James (Miami) F 6-8 250 12/30/84 St. Vincent-St. Mary HS (OH)
1 * Derrick Rose (Chicago) G 6-3 190 10/04/88 Memphis
3 * Dwyane Wade (Miami) G 6-4 220 01/17/82 Marquette
12 * Dwight Howard (Orlando) C 6-11 265 12/08/85 SW Atlanta Christian Academy (GA)
1 Chris Bosh (Miami) F 6-11 235 03/24/84 Georgia Tech
9 # Luol Deng (Chicago) F 6-9 220 04/16/85 Duke
55 # Roy Hibbert (Indiana) C 7-2 260 12/11/86 Georgetown
9 # Andre Iguodala (Philadelphia) F-G 6-6 207 01/08/84 Arizona
55 Joe Johnson (Atlanta) G 6-7 240 06/29/81 Arkansas
34 Paul Pierce (Boston) F 6-7 235 10/13/77 Kansas
8 Deron Williams (New Jersey) G 6-3 209 06/26/84 Illinois

Western
NO. PLAYER (TEAM) POS. HT. WT. BIRTHDATE FROM
35 * Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City) F 6-9 235 09/29/88 Texas
32 * Blake Griffin (L.A. Clippers) F 6-10 251 03/16/89 Oklahoma
24 * Kobe Bryant (L.A. Lakers) G 6-6 205 08/23/78 Lower Merion HS (PA)
3 * Chris Paul (L.A. Clippers) G 6-0 175 05/06/85 Wake Forest
17 * # Andrew Bynum (L.A. Lakers) C 7-0 285 10/27/87 St. Joseph HS (NJ)
12 # LaMarcus Aldridge (Portland) F 6-11 240 07/19/85 Texas
33 # Marc Gasol (Memphis) C 7-1 265 01/29/85 Barcelona, Spain
42 Kevin Love (Minnesota) F-C 6-10 260 09/07/88 UCLA
13 Steve Nash (Phoenix) G 6-3 178 02/07/74 Santa Clara
41 Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas) F 7-0 245 06/19/78 Wurzburg, Germany
9 Tony Parker (San Antonio) G 6-2 185 05/17/82 Paris, France
0 # Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City) G 6-3 187 11/12/88 UCLA

* – denotes starter
# – denotes first-time selection
| – denotes injured and will not participate