My NBA All-Star teams

Eastern Conference

Starters

C- Dwight Howard, Magic- This one is a no-brainer. The 22-year old Howard is having a monster season, averaging 22 points and just under 15 rebounds per game. His presence has helped Orlando get out to a 27-18 start. Although Howard still needs to improve his back-to-the-basket game and has a lot of work to do on his jump shot, his size and strength alone has allowed him to develop into one of the league's most dominant players. Could he be the next version Shaquille O'Neal? Actual winner: Howard.

PF- Kevin Garnett, Celtics- Another easy choice here. Garnett has not only been the league's best player this season, but he is also on the NBA's best team. It's about time the now 13-year veteran gets the respect he deserves after playing all of those years in frigid Minnesota. He has made both Paul Pierce and Ray Allen better players, as well as rookie Glen Davis and young center Kendrick Perkins. Boston has been flourishing with their newest "Big Three." Actual winner: Garnett.

SF- LeBron James, Cavaliers- Cleveland struggled early in the year but has turned it on as of late, mostly due in part to the play of James. The King has put together six 30+ point games in the month of January, not to mention four double-doubles and several near triple-doubles on top of that. In the weak East, James should have no problem leading the Cavaliers to the playoffs for the third consecutive year. Actual winner: James.

SG- Paul Pierce, Celtics- Pierce will not be starting in the real All-Star game, but he certainly should be. He is leading his superhuman Celtics in scoring, averaging just over 20 a night. He is also averaging just under six boards and six dimes an outing. Pierce's leadership has also been a huge factor of Boston's first-half dominance, as he has clearly had an influence on young players like Tony Allen and Rajon Rondo. Actual winner: Dwyane Wade, Heat.

PG- Chauncey Billups, Pistons- For some reason, Billups always flies under the radar. He will not be starting in New Orleans, but his efforts have helped Detroit out to the East's second-best record thus far. He has clearly been his team's MVP and is a sleeper candidate for league MVP, as well. Mr. Big Shot is tallying 18 points and seven assists a night while shooting 90.8% from the charity stripe. Actual winner: Jason Kidd, Nets.

Reserves

C- Chris Bosh, Raptors- Yeah, I know he's a power forward, but I can't leave him off of the All-Star roster. After a slow start, Bosh has exploded in January, scoring no less than 21 in any of this month's games. He has poured in over 30 five times in that span, including a 40-point performance against the Knicks on Jan. 11. His rebounding numbers have also shot up, and he is now just under 10 boards a contest.

F- Caron Butler, Wizards- He is having an unbelievable year and has been putting up MVP-caliber numbers all season long. Butler has posted two triple-doubles, is playing magnificent defense, and has kept the Wizards afloat in Gilbert Arenas' absence. He is really developing into one of the league's best players and is approaching superstar status. Imagine how dangerous Washington would be if Arenas was healthy?

F- Antawn Jamison, Wizards- Much like Butler, Jamison has really come into his own this season. That's not to say that he wasn't a good player prior to this year, but he has really erupted in 2007-08. Jamison is averaging 21.3 points and 10.4 rebounds per game and had a stretch where he tallied eight consecutive double-doubles. He and Butler have formed one of the league's most formidable duos.

G- Dwyane Wade, Heat- Yes, Miami is terrible and just snapped a 15-game losing streak, but that has hardly been Wade's fault. Despite being banged up for a good part of the year, the 26-year old is still averaging over 25 a game and has scored 40+ three times. He hasn't been his old, dominant self, but Wade is still one of the best players in the NBA. If only he had some help.

G- Jason Kidd, Nets- He may not be a Net for long, but Kidd is the only reason why New Jersey even has a slightly respectable record this season. The aging point guard is averaging near a triple-double and has been a big reason why Richard Jefferson is having the best season of his career. The only stat with Kidd that concerns me is his field-goal percentage (36.7), but his gaudy assist and rebounding numbers more than make up for that.

Extra- Josh Smith, Hawks- If Smith doesn't go to New Orleans, it will be a crime. The 6'9" forward is averaging 18.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 3.4 blocks, yes, blocks, per game. He is a top candidate for Defensive Player of the Year and has had an enormous impact on Atlanta's decent start. He is very similar to Phoenix's Shawn Marion, only I think he is a bit better. Smith is going to be an MVP-type player down the road.

Extra- Zach Randolph, Knicks- Don't discount the season Randolph is having just because the Knicks have become the laughing-stock of the league. The first-year New Yorker is averaging 17.1 points and 10.4 boards per game and has developed into one of the conference's best big men. I was stuck picking between Randolph and Charlotte's Gerald Wallace for this spot, but because of the effort Z-Bo is putting forth despite terrible teams in New York, I gave it to him.

Western Conference

Starters

C- Chris Kaman, Clippers- Everyone is overlooking the remarkable season Kaman is having. Do you know he is recording 17.2 points and just under 14 rebounds per game? He has really stepped up in Elton Brand's absence and has now made Brand a tradeable asset for a Clippers' team that looks like it could need a shake-up. I never thought Kaman had it in him to post numbers like this, but he clearly does. Actual winner: Yao Ming, Rockets.

PF- Al Jefferson, Timberwolves- I have a feeling he is going to follow a Garnett-like path and never get noticed in Minnesota. The 22-year old has been simply phenomenal this season, averaging 21.1 points and 12.1 boards per game. Jefferson has almost single-handedly between the Suns twice this year, first tallying 32 points and 20 boards in a win on Dec. 8 and then putting up 39 and 15 in a 10-point win over Phoenix last week. Oh, and he dropped 40 and 19 on the Nets on Sunday. Actual winner: Tim Duncan, Spurs.

SF- Carmelo Anthony, Nuggets- Anthony has been omnipotent all year, averaging 25.5 points and seven rebounds a game. More impressive is the fact that he has posted 11 double-doubles and, along with Allen Iverson, has the Nuggets in first place in the Northwest Division. He has matured and developed into much more of a team player this season, and that might be enough to get Denver out of the first round of the playoffs for the first time in Anthony's career. Actual winner: Anthony.

SG- Kobe Bryant, Lakers- Why have the Lakers been playing so well this year? Because Bryant isn't averaging 30 points per game, that's why. Instead, Bryant is getting a lot of help from his teammates, and because of that he hasn't been forced into a situation where he feels like he has to do everything. Kobe is still posting 27.7 points a night and is coming off a 40-point outing, though. Actual winner: Bryant.

PG- Allen Iverson, Nuggets- He has been the MVP of the Western Conference through the first half of the season. Iverson is having what probably is the best year of his career, scoring at will while still feeding his teammates at the same time. Take the game he had in a win against Dallas back on Dec. 6, for example. Iverson scored 35 points but also dished out 12 assists while totaling six steals. Somehow, he is the game's most underrated player. Actual winner: Iverson.

Reserves

C- Amare Stoudemire, Suns- While his defense is still a big question mark, one cannot refute Stoudemire's dominance on the offensive end of the court. The 25-year old is averaging 22.7 points per game while shooting an eye-popping 59% from the floor. The reports of Phoenix shopping him because of his attitude are ridiculous. Unless they can get an unbelievable package, trading a young big man with this kind of talent would be preposterous.

F- Carlos Boozer, Jazz- Utah has appeared to have righted the ship after a terrible start, and that is thanks to the way Boozer has been playing. Although his scoring outputs have been inconsistent, Boozer has still compiled six consecutive double-doubles while making his teammates better.The Jazz will make the playoffs. If they don't I will be shocked.

F- Tim Duncan, Spurs- He has definitely taken a step back in terms of scoring the past few seasons, but that's because Tony Parker and Emanuel Ginobili do a big part of that now. Either way, Duncan's presence is still a huge factor, and he still leaves his fingerprints on games no matter what. The veteran is averaging 19.3 points and 11.1 rebounds a night while leading San Antonio to a 28-14 record thus far.

G- Chris Paul, Hornets- Paul is having an unreal season, averaging 20.6 points and 10.5 assists per game. Not only that, but the third-year point guard out of Wake Forest had led the Hornets to the West's best record thus far. He has only had less than 10 assists once in January, and only twice has he not posted a double-double. The scary part about all of it is he is only going to get better.

G- Baron Davis, Warriors- He has really re-shaped his career since arriving in Golden State. After leading the Warriors to a historic first-round upset of the Mavericks in the playoffs last year, Davis has been the driving force in the team's 27-12 record since its 0-6 start. The return of Stephen Jackson also helped, but you can't deny the impact Davis has had on this team since coming over from New Orleans.

Extra- Steve Nash, Suns- Nash is once again putting up MVP-caliber numbers, averaging 17.6 points and 11.9 dimes a night. Another amazing stat is the fact that he is shooting 48.2% from three-point range. That is ridiculous. Nash has only had 10 games all year where he didn't post at least 10 assists. The only question remains is whether or not Phoenix's defense is strong enough to finally get them over the hump in the postseason.

Extra- Dirk Nowitzki, Mavericks- He isn't posting the gaudy scoring numbers that he usually does, averaging only 22.3 points per game (yeah, only), but he has helped make guys like Josh Howard and Devin Harris better players. Nowitzki's Mavericks may very well be the best team in the West, but if they collapse in April once again, some serious questions will be raised about Dirk's validity as a superstar.