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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Bucks News and Notes Column: Plenty of Suitors for Reserve Spots

Posted on: Wednesday, 8 February 2006, 12:00 CST

By Charles F. Gardner, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Feb. 8--The Western Conference all-star starting lineup will have a definite hometown flavor thanks to Houston Rockets center Yao Ming and forward Tracy McGrady, even though the Rockets have been a huge disappointment during the first half of the season.

The bigger question this week, however, is about the heated race for the reserve forward positions on the West team.

With McGrady and San Antonio's Tim Duncan voted as starting forwards for the NBA All-Star Game, a deserving player or two will be left out when the coaches' reserve picks are announced Thursday night.

Minnesota's Kevin Garnett, Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki, Phoenix's Shawn Marion, the Los Angeles Clippers' Elton Brand, Memphis' Pau Gasol and Denver's Carmelo Anthony all have solid credentials.

It's likely one of those players will be named at the center position, something the coaches have the right to do even though all were listed as forwards on the all-star ballot.

But somebody still will be sitting at home during the all-star weekend Feb. 17-19 at the Toyota Center in Houston.

Nowitzki and Garnett appear certain to be selected, and Marion, who ranks first in the league with 37 double-doubles, also is a good bet for a spot on the West squad. Brand has led the Clippers' resurgence and is likely to be rewarded with an all-star berth.

That leaves Gasol and Anthony on the bubble, although both are having outstanding seasons.

Gasol is averaging 19.7 points and 9.2 rebounds while shooting 48% for the surprising Grizzlies. Anthony is tied for seventh in the league in scoring with a 25.7 average and also contributes 5.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game, while playing in 49 of Denver's 50 games.

The chase for reserve guard spots is not as heated as in the East, but it's not a clear-cut choice, either. San Antonio point guard Tony Parker should get the nod from the coaches but the race for one or possibly two more spots is wide open.

Seattle's Ray Allen, Golden State's Baron Davis, Sacramento's Mike Bibby, the Clippers' Sam Cassell and New Orleans / Oklahoma City rookie Chris Paul are possibilities.

The starting West guards are the Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant and Phoenix Suns point man Steve Nash.

Bryant finished second overall in fan balloting, receiving 2.27 million votes to 2.34 million for Yao.

The 7-foot-6 Chinese center missed much of the first half of the season after undergoing toe surgery. But he recently has returned to the lineup and is averaging 20.0 points and 9.2 rebounds in 27 games.

Dallas Mavericks coach Avery Johnson will lead the West after his team posted the best overall record among conference teams as of Feb. 5. San Antonio had the same record, but Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was not eligible to coach because he coached in the All-Star Game last year.

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Copyright (c) 2006, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.

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Source: The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

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