NBA All-Star Game 2012: 5 NBA All-Stars That Will Miss the Playoffs

This season's NBA All-Star Game is shaping up to be, as it usually is—a battle of the best players on the best teams in the league. However, there are still a few players on bad or borderline teams that are representing the middle of the pack in the game.

Usually in the NBA, the All-Stars are the best players on the best teams, which means most of the players that we see play in the mid-season game in February—we will also see when the playoffs roll around in April.

However, with this topsy-turvy season, in which any team can go on a win streak longer than five games and find themselves three or four places higher in the standings—a lot of early troubles were overlooked in the selections for the All-Star Game. And a few players from lesser teams made it on.

Most of these guys are good players, and still deserve the spot. But in most seasons, their bad record would be an obstacle to overcome.

So with those middle of the pack teams in mind, here I have the five guys who will be playing this Sunday—but might not be playing after the regular season ends.

5. Paul Pierce

This fifth pick was a tough one. First of all, I couldn't just go off and make a list of four players that would just be asinine—right?

So, I have three players that are near-locks to miss the playoffs, one that is iffy and one more spot to fill. To fill that spot I would have to decide which—between New York, Boston, Philly, Indy and Memphis has the highest probability of falling apart—and I decided that that team was the Celtics.

Boston is in the most-tumultuous position out of all of the teams above. Boston has the possibility of either flipping some of their aging star players to either make a push for the playoffs or re-tool for the future—or they could trade Rondo in order to play for today as well.

Beyond that, they are an injury away from a losing streak with Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett becoming increasingly injury-prone.

With all of that uncertainty in play, Paul Pierce is the best pick out of the remaining players to miss the playoffs.

4. LaMarcus Aldridge

I hate to say it because the Blazers have gone through such hard times over the past few years, but I think this team just doesn't have what it takes to make the playoffs at this point.

The latest news out of Portland is that oft-injured big man Greg Oden, who just had surgery on his right knee a few weeks ago, isn't even healthy enough to undergo surgery on his left knee yet. 

That means the only hope they realistically had of picking up an impact player during the season (unless they want to mortgage their future) is basically gone. There's nearly no chance that Oden comes back to play 12-healthyish games at the end of the season to push the Blazers into the playoffs.

That would mean that LaMarcus Aldridge would miss the playoffs in the year that he made it to his first (of what looks to be many) All-Star Game.

3. Deron Williams

Deron Williams is leading the soon-to-be Brooklyn Nets in scoring this season (and the league in turnovers, by the way), but he isn't going to be leading his team into the playoffs.

Even with Brook Lopez now back in the lineup, the Nets just won't have enough firepower to even get the eighth seed in the East—which will likely go to a team with a record around .500 yet again.

The only opportunity he has of ending up in the playoffs is if Orlando ends up trading Dwight Howard, which would mean the Nets have no chance of signing him in the offseason and a very small chance of re-signing Williams. That would then force them to at least look into trading Williams.

Williams could then be either rented by a team for the rest of the season, or traded to an already talented team for a few draft picks and young players—which would give him a playoff possibility.

2. Kevin Love

The Minnesota Timberwolves have been one of the most fun teams to watch this season. The only problem is that fun style of play has only gotten them to .500 at this point in the season.

Sure, there's still the possibility that the Timberwolves hit a groove and they pull off a sharp-winning streak, giving them a shot at the eighth seed (plus they have everything to gain by making the playoffs this year without a draft pick)—but I don't have too much faith in that scenario.

In all likelihood, Minny is going to continue to trudge along at or around .500 for the rest of the season, hitting a rut here and getting on a win streak there—but still not do enough for a playoff spot.

That would leave Kevin Love out of the playoffs, though with plenty of hope for next season.

1. Steve Nash

There are only two ways that Steve Nash will make it into the playoffs this season: Either there's a miracle for the Suns or they finally trade Steve Nash.

So, I guess that means that the only way we're going to see Nash play more than 66 games this season is if a miracle happens.

First, even though the Suns are going to hover around respectably and look like they could come together and make the playoffs for another month or so—there's no hope to be had there. Sorry to break it to any Suns' fans that still had hope after the Suns gave a beating to the Lakers last night.

Then, there's the unwillingness of the Suns' organization to trade Nash. They are too dedicated to him to let him leave (plus he's the only thing drawing fans to their games), and he is too dedicated to them to ask for a trade.

The most-likely scenario that happens is Phoenix tries to re-sign Nash this offseason, and he ends up realizing that this may be his last shot at a title—and he begrudgingly leaves.

Either way, this is going to be another season without Steve Nash dazzling in the playoffs.

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