Kobe Bryant and Other Projected NBA All-Stars at the Quarter-Season

It's hard to believe, but after less than a month of play, we're already a quarter of the way through the 2012 season. That means w're already halfway to the NBA All-Star game, which will be played this year in Orlando.

Since we are halfway there, it's time to start to look at players who have performed at an All-Star level this season. The starters are voted on by the fans, and will be announced on February 2 live on TNT.

All stats are up-to-date prior to the games on January 23. 

WEST STARTERS:

Guard: Chris Paul

Key Stats: 18.0 PPG, 8.4 APG, 52 percent FG, 46 percent 3P, 2.8 SPG

As you can see, Chris Paul is putting up some great numbers this season for the upstart Los Angeles Clippers. However, perhaps the most impressive part about Paul's short tenure so far is that he has actually made the Clippers a relevant team that is impressively able to compete with the Lakers on a popularity standpoint in Los Angeles.

Guard: Kobe Bryant

Key Stats: 30.5 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 5.6 APG, 45.5 percent FG

Even though Chris Paul and the Clippers have impressed greatly so far this season, Kobe Bryant is still the King of Los Angeles. He is putting up the best scoring numbers that we have seen him put up since 2007, and he's doing it in his 15th season.

Forward: Kevin Durant

Key Stats: 25.7 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 3.2 APG, 50.0 percent FG

If the season ended today, Kevin Durant would likely be the MVP. In addition to being a media darling, Durant is also putting up career-high efficiency numbers and rebounds, while also leading his Thunder to the top spot in the Western Conference.

Forward: Kevin Love

Key Stats: 24.9 PPG, 13.9 RPG, 39.1 percent 3P

I am not one of the people who says that Kevin Love is the best power forward in the game. To me, you have to play some form of defense and have much better efficiency numbers to be the best, and that doesn't even count the fact that teams centered around talented big men are typically more successful than the Wolves.

However, the fact that Love is putting up historically insane numbers gets him a spot in the starting lineup.

Center: Andrew Bynum

Key Stats: 15.9 PPG, 13.2 RPG, 53.2% FG, 1.8 BPG

I was never much of an Andrew Bynum believer. I thought that he was over-hyped by the media, and that he would never be able to stay healthy.

However, this season he has turned into one of the most skilled big men in the league. He may not be able to match the sheer physical ability of Dwight Howard, but he is the second-best center in the league. 

WEST BENCH:

Guard: Russell Westbrook

Key Stats: 20.6 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 5.6 APG, 1.6 SPG

While Westbrook's numbers have not been quite what they have been in the past, he is still one of the great new point guards in the NBA. He has played more effectively next to Kevin Durant this season, and it has been proven by the Thunder's leading the Western Conference. 

Guard: Kyle Lowry, Houston

Key Stats: 16.5 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 8.7 APG, 2.1 SPG

If you had picked the Houston Rockets to be three games over .500 after 17 games, you would likely have been alone.

The improvement of the team can almost entirely be attributed to the improvement by Kyle Lowry. He is averaging career highs in points, rebounds, assists, free throw percentage, three-point percentage and steals. He is truly doing it all for this Rockets team. 

Forward: Blake Griffin

Key Stats: 21.0 PPG, 11.5 RPG, 2.9 APG, 51.1% FG

Blake Griffin has turned into one of the most popular young players in the NBA in the last season. He is noted for his impressive dunks and for bringing the Los Angeles Clippers, of all teams, to relevance. Even though he doesn't play any defense, his impressive numbers will get him in. 

Forward: LaMarcus Aldridge

Key Stats: 22.7 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 49.1% FG

LaMarcus Aldridge is the player who I would argue is the best power forward in the game right now. He has a legitimate post game to go along with a deadly mid-range jump shot.

Right now, knowing that Dirk is not at full strength and that Amare has struggled this season, I would call him to most valuable power forward in the league. 

Center: Marc Gasol

Key Stats: 15.2 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 3.0 APG, 53.7 percent FG, 2.5 BPG

For the first time ever, there will be a Gasol in the All-Star Game, and it will not be Pau. Marc has quietly turned the Pau Gasol Lakers trade from a joke into perhaps a legitimate trade. Marc has shown himself to be a very skilled big man, and to be a force on the defensive end. 

Guard: Steve Nash

Key Stats: 14.3 PPG, 10.1 APG, 53.2 percent FG, 3P

Look at Steve Nash's stats now, and compare it to his first MVP season. They are much more similar than you would expect. Nash manages to put up his numbers and be ridiculously effective no matter who you put around him. It has not translated to team success, but he has still been great.

Forward: Dirk Nowitzki

Key Stats: 17.5 PPG, 5.4 RPG

Even though Dirk has not played well so far this season, he has earned an All-Star spot just based off of his reputation. He is also, when healthy, the best power forward in the league. 

Snubs:

Pau Gasol

Key Stats: 15.8 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 50.9 percent FG

Not only has Pau Gasol had a decreased role on the Lakers this season, but the team success has also suffered. Since there are so many good forwards in the West, Gasol has not earned a place on the All-Star team. 

Guard: Monta Ellis

Key Stats: 23.1 PPG, 6.9 APG, 1.7 SPG

Monta Ellis is a player who puts up good numbers that do not equate to team success. His efficiency is also fairly bad this season, as he is shooting only 42.6 percent from the field. 

EAST STARTERS

Guard: Derrick Rose

Key Stats: 20.9 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 8.6 APG

Even though Rose's scoring numbers are down this season, he has actually been MORE effective on the floor. He has improved his court vision, is a much better player defensively and is making a concerted effort to get his teammates involved early. To top things off, the Bulls have by far the best record in the league. 

Guard: Dwyane Wade

Key Stats: 19.6 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 5.4 APG, 2.0 SPG, 1.7 BPG

It's undeniable: Wade has had a slow start to this season, and the Heat have actually played better with him out. However, just because he is not playing at the MVP level at which he usually plays does not mean that he is not still the best shooting guard in the East. 

Forward: LeBron James

Key Stats: 29.7 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 7.3 APG, 56.4 percent FG, 45 percent 3P, 2.1 SPG

I mean come on, look at those numbers. I hate LeBron, but there is honestly no possible way to leave him out of the All-Star starters.

Forward: Chris Bosh

Key Stats: 20.5 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 52.7 percent FG

That's right, the Heat should have three players in the starting lineup. Bosh has been playing very well this season, as his numbers portray. What the numbers don't portray is that the combination of his spacing and post game make the job that much easier for LeBron and Wade. 

Center: Dwight Howard

Key Stats: 20.1 PPG, 16.0 RPG, 55.3 percent FG, 1.4 SPG, 2.2 BPG

Dwight Howard is the single-most unstoppable force in the NBA. There is not a single player in the league who can stop him; only few who can hope to contain him. Despite having limited help, he has led the Magic to a top-four record in the East. 

EAST BENCH

Guard: Rajon Rondo

Key Stats: 15.0 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 9.4 APG, 51.7 percent FG, 1.7 SPG

Rajon Rondo has transformed from the weak link of a championship-winning starting lineup to the strongest player on a mediocre team with three Hall of Famers. It's questionable whether this is an improvement that you want to see, but he is still an All-Star level player.

Guard: Ray Allen

Key Stats: 14.9 PPG, 50.4 percent FG, 56.3 percent 3P

Ray Allen is shooting 56.3 percent from the three-point line. There are players in the NBA who are averaging less than 56.3 percent from the free-throw line. The fact that he can average over 50 percent from the field despite being a jump shooter is ridiculous. Ray Ray has still got it. 

Forward: Carmelo Anthony

Key Stats: 25.7 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 4.2 APG

Carmelo Anthony, in my opinion ha,s actually been detrimental to his team's performance. He has stopped the ball, ruined the team's efficiency and is actively going against the coach on offense.

And this does not even take into account that Melo plays no defense. However, he is still a guy who can get you 50 on any given night, and he plays in Madison Square Garden. That'll get you an All-Star appearance. 

Forward: Andrea Bargnani

Key Stats: 22.3 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 48.9 percent FG

Andrea has quietly turned from a bust into a legitimate scorer in the NBA. As you can see, he's eighth in the NBA in scoring. Even though Toronto has not been very good, Bargnani has been. 

Center: Amare Stoudemire

Key Stats: 17.6 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 41.7 percent 3P

We really saw Amare at his maximum potential last year before Melo arrived in New York. He was a legitimate MVP candidate for a team that overachieved. This season, Amare has not been as effective and New York's record has suffered. However, Amare is still a star, so we'll see him in Orlando. 

Guard: Joe Johnson

Key Stats: 19.1 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 3.6 APG, 38.8 percent 3P

Who is the second-best team in the Eastern Conference? The Heat? Wrong. The Atlanta Hawks.

They have two quality wins against the Bulls and Heat, both while completely healthy. It's questionable whether the Hawks will be able to keep up their record without Al Horford, but Joe Johnson has managed to keep this team afloat without Horford. 

Forward: Luol Deng

Key Stats: 15.9 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 2.6 APG

I'm going to get a lot of crap for this one, because I will admit I am a Bulls fan. However, when you watch this guy out there, you can't even begin to notice his full effect on the game. His shot has not been terribly consistent this season, but he is the glue that holds this team together.

He is one of the main leaders of the top defense in the league, the top rebounding team in the league and the top overall team in the league. That to me is an All-Star. 

Snubs:

Josh Smith

Key Stats: 16.3 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 3.2 APG, 48.8 percent FG, 1.4 SPG, 1.8 BPG

The difficult decision was between Smith and Luol Deng, and I opted to go with Deng. Both players make a tremendous difference on both offense and defense, so I decided to go with the guy on the better team, and the guy who has been more valuable to team success. You can't go wrong either way. 

Deron Williams

Key Stats: 18.1 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 8.4 APG

Don't get me wrong, Deron Williams is still the third-best point in the league behind only Rose and Paul. However, this season he has not performed at an All-Star level. His stats are down across the board, and his efficiency is awful. These numbers can be attributed to the help he gets, but it's just not All-Star worthy.