By the end of this month, the NBA will announce the rosters for the 2010 All-Star Game. Between the fans (who vote for the starters) and the coaches (who pick the reserves), we usually end up with a pretty representative list of the who’s who of the 2009-10 NBA season, even though there are usually one or two minor headscratchers.
With that in mind, here are my picks (for now), which are based on some ambiguous combination of the player’s individual performance and his team’s overall record. (Check back tomorrow for the West All-Stars.)
THE NO-BRAINERS
1. LeBron James, Cavs
He’s averaging 30-7-8 with 51% shooting, 1.5 steals and almost a block per game. Moreover, his team currently holds the #1 seed in the East.
2. Dwight Howard, Magic
He’s averaging 17-13 with 60% shooting and 2.5 blocks. Pencil him in for the next 10 years, assuming he stays healthy.
3. Dwyane Wade, Heat
The Heat are just above .500, and Wade’s numbers (46% shooting) aren’t as good as in years past, but he’s averaging 27-5-6 and his team is sitting in the #6 spot right now.
4. Paul Pierce, Celtics
The C’s have been without Kevin Garnett for 10 games and are still holding on to the #2 seed in the East. Pierce is averaging 18-5-4 and his hitting almost 47% from long range.
5. Chris Bosh, Raptors
The Raptors are a .500 team and Bosh is averaging 24-11 while shooting 52% from the field.
6. Joe Johnson, Hawks
The Hawks are sitting at #3 and JJ is posting 21-5-5, while shooting a respectable 45% from the field.
