Dirk May Crack All-Star Starting Lineup for First Time

For some reason I'm obsessed with All-Star weekend, so get ready for tons of All-Star related coverage from yours truly. I like the little details that go into the weekend's events, and all of the seemingly hidden rules that we find out about every year. We've recently discussed the one about players being forced to participate by a clause in the collective bargaining agreement, and now we have another situation that deserves some attention.

Today's topic is the process by which a replacement is chosen for one of the starters if they are injured and unable to participate. ESPN's Marc Stein does a decent job of explaining this on his blog, with one glaring mistake that we will get to later. For now, let's go over how a replacement is chosen and how a replacement starter is selected. Turns out these are two completely separate things, and since the information is "insider" content, here's how Stein says it goes down:

1. Commissioner David Stern will choose the player who takes Yao's spot on the West roster. It will be a center or someone who can masquerade as a center, but a) Stern won't even start weighing his possibilities until after All-Star reserves are announced Feb. 1 and b) vote totals don't force his hand. He is not obligated to simply promote the No. 2 vote-getter among West centers.

2. The West coach chooses the player who starts in Yao's place, not Stern. That will almost certainly be Phoenix's Mike D'Antoni, with Dallas' Avery Johnson ineligible after coaching the West All-Stars last year.

See, there's another quirky All-Star rule about coaches not being able to coach in the game two years in a row. So Stern chooses the replacement All-Star, the coach chooses who will start. Got it.

Discussing who Stern would choose as the replacement is pointless speculation until we see who the coaches choose as the reserves. As for who will start, that seems a little easier to figure out.

More after the jump.

Dirk Nowitzki will likely get the start for the first time in his six trips to the All-Star game. Why? Simple. He's the best player on the best team in the league, he's having an MVP-caliber season, and is seven feet tall so he can pass for center.

So what did Marc Stein blatantly get wrong in his post on this? Here's the quote, see if you can catch it first:

Then D'Antoni will choose Dirk Nowitzki to start for the first time in his sixth All-Star appearance, reuniting Nowitzki with Suns guard Steve Nash in the same lineup. With the Mavericks leading the league with a 35-8 record and Dirk playing MVP ball as Dallas' driving force, elevating him to the first five is the no-brainer move no matter who Stern selects to replace Yao.

The key phrase here is "reuniting Nowitzki with Suns guard Steve Nash in the same lineup." Unless Kobe, T-Mac, or A.I. get shot over the next three weeks, Steve Nash will not be anywhere near the starting lineup in the West. The fans vote on the starters, and the three I just mentioned are running away with the votes at the guard spot. Nash and Nowitzki will no doubt share time on the court during the game, but it won't be at the opening tip.