Will Kevin Durant Start Over Carmelo Anthony for NBA Western All-Star Team?

Being an All-Star is a popularity contest. The most productive players are selected, but eventually the most popular players among the best will get the nod.

Last year the highest voted player was LeBron James, with just over 2.5 million votes. Due to the state that James left Cleveland for Miami, it has been reported that his Q score (done by the Q Score company which measures celebrity popularity) was down, and he was the “sixth-most disliked” figure in American sports.

Had Carmelo Anthony been traded East by Denver, he might have challenged James as a starter for the East. However, as the four-team blockbuster trade in which New Jersey would have sent Derrick Favors and a few others to Denver for Anthony flopped, Carmelo remains in the West, where his starting spot is in jeopardy.

Going by All-Star votes, Carmelo was the fifth-most popular player in the NBA last season. He was behind Dwyane Wade, Dwight Howard, Kobe Bryant, and James.

But over the summer, Kevin Durant made some significant strides. He was the leading scorer on the USA team that went undefeated and won the 2010 World Championship. His popularity sky-rocketed after the quiet and humble way in which he signed an extension with Oklahoma City for five years worth nearly $85 million.

When James decided to join perennial All-Stars Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami with an hour-long announcement that alienated fans, his popularity took a huge dip. When one star falls another rises. Enter Durant, who is so humble that there was no big announcement regarding the extension but just a tweet.

"Extension for 5 more years wit the thunder....God Is Great, me and my family came a long way...I love ya'll man for real, this a blessing!" Durant wrote.

For years it has been LeBron James versus Carmelo Anthony for the title of best small forward, but now we have a new contender. Just in his third season, Durant led the NBA in scoring at 30.1, narrowly beating James (29.7), Anthony (28.2), and Finals MVP Bryant (27.0).

With James in Miami with Wade and Chris Bosh, it is hard to imagine that he will make a serious challenge for top scorer, though retaining his MVP title might not be out of the question.

Bryant is on a balanced team and may need to trust his teammates more now that he is going into his 14th season in order to save his legs for the postseason, though it would be foolish to rule him out if he decides this is something he wants.

This means not only will Durant be battling Anthony for the All-Star starting small forward spot, but they will be going head-to-head to be the NBA's scoring leader. On top of that, the 2012 Olympic spot is also in contention.

Andre Iguodala spent the summer playing for USA alongside Kevin Durant, and thinks that when it is all said and done Durant will be the NBA's all-time leading scorer.

“Kevin Durant will be the NBA's all-time leading scorer when it's all said and done,” Iguodala said. “He loves the game and has a knack for putting the ball in the basket.”

High expectations, but not unexpected for a player who has amassed almost 6,000 (5,967 to be exact) points already going into his fourth season. Anthony had only 5,405 total points and James had 6,307 after their third season.

A long way to go to beat overall leaders Kareem Abdul Jabbar (38,387), Karl Malone (36,928), and Michael Jordan (32,292), but should Durant at 22 stay healthy, he will need another 15-and-a-half seasons like the one he just had where he averaged 30.1 points a game to beat Jabbar.

It is worth noting that Anthony (26) would need another 13 seasons averaging 2,000 points a season to be top overall scorer. Going at the same rate James (25) would need just over 12 seasons to be top overall.

Never mind the long run, because for years to come these three small forwards will battle each other for glory, but it will be interesting to see who starts for the Western All-Star team in 2011, as that might be a sign of things to come.

All three of these players will challenge for the MVP as well. Not since Chris Webber, Tim Duncan, and Dirk Nowitzki has the NBA had three top-five players in the prime of their careers playing the same position.