Although the NBA All-Star game is a few months away, it’s never too early to predict which players will be voted into the starting lineup. Since it’s a fan vote, the prediction has to balance on-court merit and the player’s popularity.  In the Western Conference, the center is going to be Yao Ming of the Houston Rockets. Not only is Yao having a very good season, he has the biggest fan base in the world behind him — the country of China. His home country will make sure that he’s an All-Star starter this year once again.

At the forward spots, the Western Conference starters are likely to be Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs and Carmelo Anthony of the Denver Nuggets. Duncan has been the foundation for the Spurs this season as they’ve dealt with a lot of injuries, while Anthony is leading the Nuggets to their best start in franchise history.

Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers and Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets will be the guards for the Western Conference. As the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player, Bryant is a no-brainer. Paul, who finished second to Bryant in last year’s MVP balloting, will likely start in the All-Star game for the first time.

The Eastern Conference starting center will be Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic. Howard started last year and this season he is playing even better. The forwards in the East will be Kevin Garnett of the Boston Celtics and LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Garnett will get the nod thanks to his hand in leading the Celtics to the championship last season, while James, like Bryant, is a no-brainer as a starter.

One guard for the Eastern Conference will be Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat. He’s had a great bounce back season so far and he’s popular with the fans. The other guard spot is difficult to predict, but Ray Allen of the Celtics should end up getting the nod for helping the Celtics to the title.

Tags: basketball, chris paul, kevin garnett, kobe bryant, lebron james, nba, nba all star game, tim duncan, yao ming
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