2011 NBA All-Star Game: Who's Headed to LA? Part 1

The NBA All-Star game has been one of the most entertaining events to look forward to. All the biggest stars in the NBA come together to give fans quite a good show and surprisingly a competitive one at that. 

Last year's All-Star game was held in Dallas and they put on quite a show with the huge stadium that housed over one hundred-thousand people. It was spectacular for the fans who were in the stadium watching as well as for the players. 

This year's All-Star game won't be played in a huge venue like the Dallas Cowboys stadium. The All-Star game will be played in the great city of Los Angeles. The glitz and the glam of Hollywood will be a perfect setting for the All-Star game and I can guarentee the players agree. There will probably be double the celebrities/movie stars present at the All-Star game, making it more like the Grammy's than an actual basketball game.

The players are just as important as the setting and us voters usually vote in the right stars. As long as Allen Iverson is not playing in the next All-Star game, we've done something right and hopefully a situation like that doesn't plague the NBA in the upcoming season. 

There are players who are absolute locks to receive a All-Star berth every year but there aren't too many of them. There's always a surprise player every season who makes the All-Star team and this year will be no different. 

Some believe that if your team is performing poorly (in terms of wins/losses), you don't deserve to be an All-Star. In my opinion it depends on the situation for the player at hand. If that player is doing everything right but the players around him are weighing him down, I can't see fault for that individual. 

Here is a list of players representing the East that I believe will be heading to Los Angeles for the 2011 NBA All-Star game. Part 2 will be the Western Conference All-Stars. 

Derrick Rose, Guard

Derrick Rose will be a perennial All-Star in this league and he is only 21 years old. I see him improving on his 20 points a game average and bumping up to around 23-24 points with about 7 to 8 assists. Unless an a serious injury occurs, he is almost a lock to be one of the guards voted into next year's All-Star game. 

Devin Harris, Guard

This might seem like a shocker but I believe Harris will have a bounce back year. Devin Harris had a horrible statistical season and was plagued by various injuries last season.

Even if he had a great season like his teammate Brook Lopez, Harris still wouldn't have made it because of how horrible the Nets were. 

He's extremely quick and has developed a consistent mid range jumper. Harris attacks the rim relentlessly and has improved on his on the ball defense. As long as he stays healthy, Harris should pick up where he left off and dominate. 

Dwayne Wade, Guard

D-Wade is a lock to make this years All-Star game in LA. He's a top 5 player in the NBA and very popular among fans, at least before the whole Miami Thrice thing happened. The real question is if his boys will be coming with him on this trip. 

Gilbert Arenas, Guard

This again might come as a surprise but like I said before, there's always an unexpected player voted in. Gilbert will be the player this year. I've always believed Gilbert to be more of a 2 guard than a point guard.

He just has those natural scoring instincts that you find in 2 guards and luckily for him, he has the height to play that position well. He's 6'4 and is a dangerous outside shooter. If you pair him with a natural point guard like John Wall, a dangerous duo could be created. 

Gilbert has to understand that he isn't the franchise player anymore and I believe he will make the necessary adjustments. I've never been a big fan of Gilbert but like others, I hope he returns to being Agent Zero. Arenas isn't a bad guy like the media has portrayed him to be. 

As long as he can produce and the Wizards actually improve in the win/losses column, I can foresee a rise from the ashes type of story. 

Joe Johnson, Guard

I was tempted to put Rajon Rondo here but I believe Johnson and the Hawks will have a great year next season. Johnson received some crazy money this offseason and it will be hard for Atlanta fans to believe he deserves that much dough. 

Despite that huge contract, Johnson is still a good player and he will definitely give more effort during the upcoming season to prove that he deserved that much money. I see him putting up 25-26 pts a game next season and Atlanta having the second seed in the Eastern Conference. 

Josh Smith, Forward

This will be Smith's first All-Star game and he definitely deserves to make it this year after he was snubbed last season. Smith is a high flying talent who has not only improved his overall game but also his maturity. 

I also see him entering the Dunk Contest and returning it to respectability. 

LeBron James, Forward

Despite all the criticism that Lebron is facing right now, fans will still vote him into the All-Star game. Even if you don't like the guy, James is still a great player and will defintely be a lock. 

Paul Pierce, Forward

Pierce was really banged up last season but still managed to make the All-Star game. He's one of those players that will always be an All-Star if he continues to put up decent numbers and he has. As long as he doesn't have a huge decline in his numbers, he should make it next season because the Celtics as a team will be up there in the standings. 

Kevin Garnett, Forward

Like Allen Iverson, Garnett will always have his past loyal fans. Garnett didn't deserve to make the All-Star game last season but that was overshadowed by the Allen Iverson fiasco. 

Garnett isn't the player he used to be and unless the Celtics manage to grab the top seed in the east, he shouldn't be anywhere near Los Angeles but fans thinks otherwise. I believe he will be voted in but if his stats look anything like last season, then some of Garnett's past loyal fans need to open their eyes. 

Carlos Boozer, Forward

Boozer will find out that it is far easier to make the All-Star team on the East Conference then in the loaded West Conference. Boozer will be a nice complement to both D-Rose and Noah. He will average his usual double-double and should have a team that's no worse than 4th best in the East. 

Dwight Howard, Center

Superman is a lock to make the 2011 All-Star team. He is not a complete player yet but he's still the best center in the league. Hopefully he enters the Dunk Contest and challenge Josh Smith, that would be a site. 

Amare Stoudemire, Center

Amare can't play defense but he's still worth 100 million? I don't get it but the Knicks seem to. Amare in D'Antoni's fast paced run 'n' gun system will suit Amare well and he will probably average close to 24-25 pts a game in the big apple. He'll probably also average 6-7 boards and get consistently abused on the defensive end but he's still a very popular player among fans. 

Joakim Noah, Center

The Bulls will have three All-Stars next season. I didn't think Horford deserved a All-Star berth last season and I don't see him improving significantly if he continues to play out of position (though he still plays center well).

While I believe the Nets will improve, I don't see them improving enough to send two All-Star players. Lopez will be good next season but the Nets will barley be a .500 team next season and I see Harris having a better year. 

The Bulls were the best rebounding team last season without Boozer. Noah is a terrific rebounder and defender who will never take plays off. He might not average as many rebounds as he had last season with the arrival of Boozer but I still believe Noah will have a good statistical season.

I can see Joakim averaging around 14-15 pts with 9-10 boards a game.