First Time All-Stars 2009-2010

I think Smith is right at #1. I might put Bynum at #2, simply because the center position in the West is so thin.

I’d probably drop Bargnani in favor of Andrew Bogut.

Rajon Rondo

Near the top.

If not, he could also make it.

Opens up the field at the guards for the East team, as does Rose’s nagging ankle injury, as he definitely isn’t playing at the same level he was last year, and he needed to improve on that performance to get into the All-Star game. Given how good Jennings has been so far (hell, he’s in some writers’ MVP rankings, let alone ROY rankings), it seems like a spot is his for the taking. As of now, he’s considerably outplayed his competition (Harris is injured, Rondo has been good but hasn’t been putting in mind-blowing performances like he did in the playoffs, and Williams hasn’t played as well).

Rest of the list is okay, although I agree with Dex that Bogut gets the nod ahead of Bargnani. That said, Joakim Noah or Al Horford might get spots also, although probably at the forward slots.

We can assume that the starting five for the East, barring injuries, will be Arenas-Wade-LeBron-Garnett-Howard. Granger, Johnson, Pierce, and Bosh are essentially locks. Josh Smith likely takes one of the extra spots, so that leaves a guard spot and one extra slot. Guard spot goes to either Rondo or Jennings, and the extra spot is a competition between whoever didn’t get the guard spot, Noah, Horford, Bogut, and Bargnani. It depends a lot on how teams are doing come February (Milwaukee could run out of steam by then for instance, although with Redd coming back and Skiles’ taskmaster style, I doubt it), but this looks like the current picture out East.

The West field is complicated because Paul is now injured, and that, similar to Nelson’s injury, opens the field considerably. Nash probably wins the fan vote if Paul doesn’t come back soon enough. Kobe, Nowitzki, and Duncan are locks. Question then is the center spot, and it’s essentially Bynum or Stoudemire. IMO, we’ll have a better record than Phoenix come February, so I’d wager Bynum takes the starting gig.

The West reserves are in serious flux from last year given how some teams dropped off, so we may see a lot more new faces. Roy, Melo, and Billups are locks, so that leaves a forward slot, the center slot, and the two extra slots. The extra forward spot is between Gasol and Durant; honestly, it doesn’t really matter since whoever doesn’t take the spot will likely get one of the extra spots. Williams takes the other extra slot, and I’d put Stoudemire at the center spot.

I think Western Conference Center is gonna be Bynum and Nene, although my wildcard is Chris Kaman.

Josh Smith is right where he should be. He’s like a better attitude and over looked LeBron he blocks he dunks and he can shoot, and the other guys are really good