<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Three Suns, three first-time All Stars named as reserves NEW YORK, Feb. 1, 2007 ? The Phoenix Suns trio of two-time Most Valuable Player Steve Nash, Shawn Marion and Amar? Stoudemire lead the list of 14 players that have been selected by the coaches as reserves for the 2007 NBA All-Star Game which will be played on Sunday, Feb. 18 at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. Joining the three Suns as Western Conference reserves are first-time All-Star forward Carlos Boozer of the Utah Jazz, Allen Iverson of the Denver Nuggets, Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks and Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs. Two Eastern Conference players are also making their initial All-Star appearance as forwards Caron Butler of the Washington Wizards and Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic has each been invited to Las Vegas. Guards Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton of the Detroit Pistons and Jason Kidd of the New Jersey Nets, forwards Vince Carter of the New Jersey Nets and Jermaine O?Neal of the Indiana Pacers also were named to the Eastern Conference All-Star team. The 14 players selected -- seven each from the Eastern and Western Conferences -- were chosen by the 30 NBA head coaches, who were asked to vote for seven players in their respective conferences -- two guards, two forwards, one center and two players regardless of position. They were not permitted to vote for players from their own team. Previously selected as starters for the East through the 2007 NBA All-Star Balloting Program presented by T-Mobile were Cleveland?s LeBron James, Miami?s Shaquille O?Neal and Dwyane Wade, Toronto?s Chris Bosh and Washington?s Gilbert Arenas. Houston?s Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming, Los Angeles Lakers? Kobe Bryant, Minnesota?s Kevin Garnett and San Antonio?s Tim Duncan will start for the West. The selections of Nash (Canada), Nowitzki (Germany) and Parker (France) along with voted-starters Duncan (U.S. Virgin Islands) and Yao (China), gives the 2007 NBA All-Star Game five international players. Should any player be unable to participate in the All-Star Game due to injury, NBA Commissioner David Stern will select the replacement. Phoenix head coach Mike D?Antoni and the Suns? coaching staff will be on the sidelines for the Western Conference All-Stars, as they previously clinched the best winning percentage through games of Feb. 4 among eligible Western Conference teams for the All-Star coaching honors. The Eastern Conference Coach is yet to be determined with the coaching staffs of the Washington Wizards (27-18, .600) and Cleveland Cavaliers (26-19, .578) still in contention. Last year?s All-Star coaches ? Dallas? Avery Johnson and Detroit?s Flip Saunders ? are not eligible this year. The NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, Feb. 18, will air live on TNT and ESPN Radio beginning at 8 p.m. EST. The game will also be telecast in over 200 countries and broadcast on NBA.com. This year?s NBA All-Stars will be outfitted for the first time by adidas who have created new uniforms inspired by the city of Las Vegas. The deep blue colors of the East All-Star uniforms and the rich red colors of the West All-Star uniforms speak to the bright colors of its famous Strip. Jerseys have "East" and "West" wordmarks on the front along with individual player name, number, and team logo embroidered on the back. Fans will have the opportunity to submit their vote on NBA.com and their mobile phones and have it count towards selecting the MVP of the 56th NBA All-Star Game, as a part of the site's exclusive 2007 NBA All-Star coverage. NBA All-Star 2007 is a week-long celebration that enables fans to experience the thrill of the world?s greatest athletes playing the game they love and features a full slate of community-enhancing activities and fan festivals such as NBA All-Star Jam Session presented by adidas. Following are the complete rosters for the East and West teams for the 2007 NBA All-Star Game at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. Eastern Conference F ? LeBron James, Cleveland F ? Chris Bosh, Toronto C ? Shaquille O?Neal, Miami G ? Dwyane Wade, Miami G ? Gilbert Arenas, Washington R ? Chauncey Billups, Detroit R ? Caron Butler, Washington R ? Vince Carter, New Jersey R ? Richard Hamilton, Detroit R ? Dwight Howard, Orlando R ? Jason Kidd, New Jersey R ? Jermaine O'Neal, Indiana Head coach: TBD Western Conference F ? Kevin Garnett, Minnesota F ? Tim Duncan, San Antonio C ? Yao Ming, Houston G ? Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers G ? Tracy McGrady, Houston R ? Carlos Boozer, Utah R ? Allen Iverson, Denver R ? Shawn Marion, Phoenix R ? Steve Nash, Phoenix R ? Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas R ? Tony Parker, San Antonio R ? Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix Head coach: Mike D?Antoni, Phoenix </div> Source Great picks.. Some are questionable but they are all good picks by the coaches.. Very interesting though for the replacements of boozer and yao
<div class="quote_poster">Carter Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Tony Parker over Carmelo and Josh Howard?</div> I think the suspension affected his votes. And Parker was probably there because they needed another guard.
<div class="quote_poster">McGrady^1 Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">tony parker? over baron davis and so many other guards?</div> Baron Davis has been injured for a while plus his team's record is horrible compared to Tony Parker's.
Parker >>> Howard, guys Carmelo - it's a bit weird but he did miss 15 games... The West is just so loaded with talent, some guys don't get in. I'm glad Detroit got respect (Rip and Chauncey) PREDICTION: The East wins it, fueled by Gilbert Arenas who has so much fun he scores 35 by himself.
Ok. I don't get it. Phoenix is 1 game behind Dallas, and they have 3 all stars. San Antonio is doing worse than Dallas, and they have two all stars. Why does Dallas only have one? And Parker is not better than Howard. Howard >>> Parker
I think that the biggest snub is Zach Randolph. Hopefully he gets picked as Boozer or Ming's replacement, because he's having just as good of a year as each. 23.7 ppg and 10.5 rpg are amazing numbers, and while team success is important, I don't think that Randolph should really be held responsible for the Blazer's success, or lackthereof. Look at the core around him. Brandon Roy is a promising players, but he's just a rookie at this point, not a reliable second offensive option. If anything, what Randolph has done with the Blazers (20-27) is amazing, considering that their next two most reliable second options are Roy and Jarrett Jack, especially considering Roy's been out for about half of the season.
<div class="quote_poster">DIRK4L1FE Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Ok. I don't get it. Phoenix is 1 game behind Dallas, and they have 3 all stars. San Antonio is doing worse than Dallas, and they have two all stars. Why does Dallas only have one? </div> that's not how it works. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> And Parker is not better than Howard. Howard >>> Parker</div> Parker is in the top 5 most unstoppable backcourt scorers in the league. Name one thing Howard does that is top 5 in the league? He's a very good solid player and a big part of Mavs success, but he's not quite allstar material imo.
<div class="quote_poster">Carter Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Baron Davis has been injured for a while plus his team's record is horrible compared to Tony Parker's.</div> Hes only missed 5 games and his teams record isn't "horrible", though its not good. Ray Allen was never excluded even though most of the Sonics teams were bad and Allen Iverson's 76ers were terrible before he was moved to the Nuggets. Crazy that Baron gets left out with averages of 20.5 ppg/4.5 rpg/8.7 apg/ 2 spg and hes been playing great defense, had some game winning shots, and overall just having the best season of his career plus hes carrying a team on his back and Parker gets in with 19/3.2/5.6/1.
<div class="quote_poster">Run BJM Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Hes only missed 5 games and his teams record isn't "horrible", though its not good. Ray Allen was never excluded even though most of the Sonics teams were bad and Allen Iverson's 76ers were terrible before he was moved to the Nuggets. Crazy that Baron gets left out with averages of 20.5 ppg/4.5 rpg/8.7 apg/ 2 spg and hes been playing great defense, had some game winning shots, and overall just having the best season of his career plus hes carrying a team on his back and Parker gets in with 19/3.2/5.6/1.</div> Baron is allstar material but Spurs have a much better record so that is for sure a factor. I think most coaches realize that if Tim Duncan wasn't on the Spurs, Parker would easily average 27ppg.
<div class="quote_poster">Voodoo Child Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">I think that the biggest snub is Zach Randolph. Hopefully he gets picked as Boozer or Ming's replacement, because he's having just as good of a year as each. 23.7 ppg and 10.5 rpg are amazing numbers, and while team success is important, I don't think that Randolph should really be held responsible for the Blazer's success, or lackthereof. Look at the core around him. Brandon Roy is a promising players, but he's just a rookie at this point, not a reliable second offensive option. If anything, what Randolph has done with the Blazers (20-27) is amazing, considering that their next two most reliable second options are Roy and Jarrett Jack, especially considering Roy's been out for about half of the season.</div> Agree, hes been amazing this season but, again, lack of national exposure/pimping and his team's poor record will probably exclude him. He definitely deserves to be there but it would probably go to Josh Howard if there was an available spot.
<div class="quote_poster">phunDamentalz Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Baron is allstar material but Spurs have a much better record so that is for sure a factor. I think most coaches realize that if Tim Duncan wasn't on the Spurs, Parker would easily average 27ppg.</div> No way, Parker wouldn't even average over 15 ppg if Duncan wasn't on that team. You think he could shoot 50% from the field if Duncan wasn't right there in the paint? He'd be shooting low 40's like all the other guys who are great penetrators and average shooters.
<div class="quote_poster">Chutney Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Vince Carter over Ben Gordon? Chicago deserved at least one representative.</div> Yeah, I totally agree that Gordon should have made it. The Bulls are doing good this season too; au contraire, there are the Nets who, still, despite their recent run, aren't the team that had 49 wins last year.
<div class="quote_poster">Run BJM Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">No way, Parker wouldn't even average over 15 ppg if Duncan wasn't on that team. You think he could shoot 50% from the field if Duncan wasn't right there in the paint? He'd be shooting low 40's like all the other guys who are great penetrators and average shooters.</div> Seeing as how he basically NEVER dishes to Tim off the fast break, I don't see how Tim is a threat on those plays AT ALL. The Spurs basically have two plays - 1) feed Duncan so he can feed it out to a 3 OR post up 2) Tony goes in the paint and gets whatever he freaking wants. On these plays Duncan is usually out setting a pick which any 7-footer can do. If you eliminate the "feed Duncan" plays, Tony's average would be much higher imo.
