2012 All-Star Voting

Like so many other aspects of the 2011-12 NBA Season, the All-Star voting process will be compressed into a much shorter window. Voting began on January 4 and will conclude on the 31st. The All-Star Game will be played in Orlando on February 26th.

Eastern Conference All-Star Picks

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Picking all-stars to represent the East is easy - assuming Dwight Howard stays put for the next month.

Western Conference All-Star Picks

Getty Images / Noel Vasquez

Picking a backcourt for the West is trickier... Chris Paul is a gimme. But should Russell Westbrook get the other starting spot, or is Kobe Bryant still the man?

NBA.com - Official All-Star Ballot

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Cast your vote online, via text message or in any NBA arena, and you could win a trip to All-Star Weekend in Orlando.

All-Star Weekend Info

This year's all-star game will be held at the new Amway Center in Orlando Florida, home of the Magic.

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All-Star Picks - West

Voting for the 2012 NBA All-Star teams began on January 4, 2012. Here are my picks for the Western Conference starters.

Center - Andrew Bynum, Los Angeles Lakers

Once again, this is the toughest decision on the ballot... due to a general lack of deserving candidates. Last year, I voted for Portland's Marcus Camby over a weak field, as a sort of "Lifetime Achievement Award." This year, I'll (grudgingly) select Andrew Bynum... at least he's a fine player - when he isn't hurt and/or suspended.

Of course, the ballot-makers could have made this a lot easier by listing Pau Gasol or Tim Duncan or LaMarcus Aldridge as a center...

At least we don't have to worry about Yao Ming winning this spot again. Yao was selected as the West's starting center last season - despite the fact that he had played in only five games, and none the year before that. Yao formally retired over the summer, which will probably cut his overall vote total considerably.

Actually, Yao might be a better choice than most of these guys. Maybe I'll write him in.

Forward - Dirk Nowitzki

Getty Images - Mike Ehrmann

The Western Conference forward ballot probably has the deepest pool of deserving candidates. Kevin Durant is a gimme... but who else? You could make a very strong case for Pau Gasol, Blake Griffin, Kevin Love, Zach Randolph or LaMarcus Aldridge... but after last season's run to the championship, I'm inclined to honor Mr. Nowitzki in this spot.

Forward - Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder

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Durant is the only player not named "LeBron" with a legit claim to the "Best Player in the World" honorific. And he won't reach his 24th birthday until late September.

Shooting Guard - Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers

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Honestly, I'm torn here. Selecting Kobe as a Western Conference guard is like checking Derek Jeter's name for American League All-Star shortstop... it's habit. It's comforting. But I'm wondering if it's still the right decision. I'm torn between Kobe - who will almost certainly win regardless of what I do - and Russell Westbrook. I'll stick with Kobe for one more year... he's already been dumped once this season.

Guard: Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers

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The only thing that would have taken Paul off my Western Conference ballot? A trade to the East.

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2012 NBA Mock Draft

The second round has become a time for teams to take fliers on international players and college seniors. Seems reasonable to expect that trend to continue in 2012.

1. Minnesota: Furkan Aldemir
   PF, Turkey (Intl.)
2. Cleveland: Mason Plumlee
   PF, Duke (Jr.)
3. Toronto: Alex Oriakhi
   PF, UConn (Jr.)
4. Washington: LeBryan Nash
   SF/PF, Oklahoma State (Fr.)
5. New Jersey: CJ Leslie
   SF/PF, North Carolina State (So.)
6. Sacramento: Damian Lillard
   PG, Weber St. (Jr.)
7. Detroit: Khris Middleton
   SF, Texas A&M (Jr.)
8. L.A. Clippers: Evan Fournier
   SG/SF, France (Intl.)
9. Cleveland (from Charlotte, via Miami): Will Barton
   SF, Memphis (So.)
10. Milwaukee: Tim Hardaway Jr
    SG, Michigan (So.)
11. Golden State: Orlando Johnson
    SF, UC Santa Barbara (Sr.)
12. Indiana: Ricardo Ratliffe
    PF, Missouri (Sr.)
13. Utah: Tu Holloway
    PG, Xavier (Sr.)
14. Atlanta (from Phoenix): Cody Zeller
    C, Indiana (Fr.)
15. Philadelphia: James McAdoo
    PF, North Carolina (Fr.)
16. New York: Draymond Green
    SF/PF, Michigan St. (Sr.)
17. Houston: Mike Moser
    PF, UNLV (So.)
18. Atlanta: Tornike Shengelia
    SF, Rep. of Georgia (Intl.)
19. New Orleans: Adonis Thomas
    SF, Memphis (Fr.)
20. Memphis: Lucas Nogueira
    C, Brazil (Intl.)
21. Portland: JaMychal Green
    PF, Alabama (Sr.)
22. Denver: Darius Johnson-Odom
    SG, Marquette (Sr.)
23. Orlando: Alex Young
    SG/SF, IUPUI (Sr.)
24. Oklahoma City: Kevin Jones
    SF, West Virginia (Sr.)
25. Boston: Scott Machado
    PG, Iona (Sr.)
26. L.A. Lakers: Robert Sacre
    C, Gonzaga (Sr.)
27. Dallas: PJ Hairston
    SG, North Carolina (Fr.)
28. Miami: Herb Pope
    PF, Seton Hall (Sr.)
29. San Antonio: Jarrod Jones
    PF, Ball State (Sr.)
30. Chicago: Nemanja Nedovic
    PG/SG, Serbia (Intl.)

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All-Star Picks - East

Voting for the 2012 NBA All-Star teams began on January 4, 2012. Here are my picks for the Eastern Conference starters.

Generally speaking, I try to select an all-star team that fairly reflects a standard NBA lineup; though the league insists - for reasons I've never understood - on lumping all "guards" and "forwards" together in two groups, I prefer to select a point guard and a shooting guard, and a small forward and a power forward. I'll make exceptions on occasion... and this year's Eastern Conference roster is one such occasion.

Voting continues until January 31st. Teams will be announced on February 2nd.

Center - Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

The Eastern Conference is much deeper at the center spot than the West, with Atlanta's Al Horford, New York's Tyson Chandler and Chicago's Joakim Noah all deserving of mention. But this spot belongs to Dwight Howard unless (until) he gets traded to a Western Conference club.

Forward - Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks

Rebecca Taylor/MSG Photos

Ordinarily, I prefer to pick a true power forward and a true small forward on my all-star ballot, but this year I'm making an exception because 'Melo is putting up some eye-popping numbes for Mike D'Antoni's Knicks. If you'd rather Amar'e Stoudemire in this slot, I won't object.

Forward - LeBron James, Miami Heat

Getty Images Sport - Mike Ehrmann/Staff

Who else? Joke all you want about James' late game troubles in the playoffs... that doesn't change the fact that he's the best all-around player in the game today.

Guard - Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat

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Another absolute no-brainer, especially now that Wade and his buddy LeBron seem to be working out the whole "who is the real top dog in Miami" thing.

Guard: Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls

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I gave Boston's Rajon Rondo the (slight) edge at this spot last season, but his play tailed off in the second half while Rose led the Bulls to the league's best record and was named league MVP.

New Jersey's Deron Williams also deserves consideration here... at this point, I'd put Williams behind Rose, ahead of Rondo.

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NBA All-Star Game: Polls Open

Voting for the 2012 NBA All-Star teams opened today at NBA.com and in arenas all over North America.

Like so many other aspects of this NBA season, the process is going to be compressed, significantly. Ordinarily, voting opens about two weeks into the season - mid-November - and runs until late January. This year, the polls will be open for just 27 days, from January 4 until the 31st.

I've already made my picks for the Eastern and Western Conference squads. Picking the East was a breeze, but there are some very tough decisions to be made on the West ballot.

The game itself - and all the other all-star festivities - will be held at the Amway Center, home of the Orlando Magic, from February 24-26.

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What is a double-double?

Definition: When a basketball player reaches ten or more in two statistical categories, that is, reached double figures, he or she is said to have produced a "double-double."

The most common double-double is in points and rebounds, but you'll occasionally hear of a player hitting a double-double that includes assists or, even more rarely, steals. Reaching ten or more in three categories is called, appropriately enough, a triple-double.

The very best players in college and pro basketball might "average a double-double" -- in other words, produce ten or more points and rebounds on average.

Examples:

Oklahoma power forward Blake Griffin is averaging a double-double as a sophomore, with 22 points and 13.4 rebounds per game.

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Beyonce and Jay-Z

The most famous NBA wife isn't married to a player. Well, not THAT kind of player, anyway...

Beyonce and Jay-Z sit courtside during a game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Boston Celtics during Game Three of the Eastern Conference Semifinals during the 2010 NBA Playoffs at TD Banknorth Garden on May 7, 2010 in Boston, Massachusetts.

Getty Images Sport - Jim Rogash/Stringer

The most famous NBA bride is probably Beyonce, who married rapper Jay-Z in April 2008. Jay-Z is a part-owner of the New Jersey Nets.

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