Bynum Expects to be All-Star Starter

DENVER -- Andrew Bynum was talking to his brother early this week when he got the news.

Amare Stoudemire, despite being Phoenix's starting power forward, was listed on the All-Star ballot at center for the Western Conference. That happens to be the same position played by the Lakers' Bynum, and many had considered him the favorite to be the starter after Houston's Yao Ming was lost for the season due to injury and Shaquille O'Neal was traded from Phoenix to Cleveland of the East.

"I was definitely surprised,'' Bynum said in an interview with FanHouse about Stoudemire being listed at center even though he's started every game this season at forward, with Channing Frye having opened at center for the Suns.

But Bynum is determined not to let this ballot business keep him out of his first All-Star Game.

"I'm going to go out there and play the way I need to play,'' Bynum said. "I don't think (it will be hard to be named the starter) if I play well.''

Bynum has done that so far. Entering Friday's game at Denver, he was averaging 21.0 points and 11.3 rebounds, better than the 18.1 points and 7.9 rebounds Stoudemire is putting up.

But Bynum's stats figure to go down a bit after Lakers power forward Pau Gasol returns in a few weeks from a hamstring problem. And Stoudemire has proved to be quite popular before in the fan voting.

Stoudemire last season was named a West starting forward when he accumulated more than 1.46 million votes. Bynum was third among centers with more than 549,000 votes, but has improved greatly since last season, when he suffered a knee injury shortly after the final votes were announced and missed 2 ½ months.

"He looks so big,'' Nuggets coach George Karl said of Bynum, listed at 7-foot, 285 pounds. "I don't know if he grew. (The Lakers have) got another (key) piece.''

---

JORDAN'S NUMBER GETS LOTS OF DISCUSSION

Much of the discussion before Friday's game was about whether the NBA should retire No. 23 for all teams in honor of Michael Jordan. Cleveland's LeBron James, who wears No. 23, made that suggestion Thursday while saying he plans to switch to No. 6.

Lakers boss Phil Jackson, who coached Jordan to six NBA titles with Chicago in the 1990s, called James' idea "great,'' and said it would be like the NHL having retired No. 99 for Wayne Gretzky. But Jackson did acknowledge there would be ample debate.

"We haven't seen this happen in basketball so it's kind of unique,''he said. "It would maybe be a little step on the toes for a guy like Magic (Johnson) and (Larry) Bird, who made this era a bigger era that Michael could come in and dominate and he had a commercial appeal. But it's up to other people (whether James' idea is heeded).''

Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony is under contract with Brand Jordan. But he's not fully committed to James' suggestion.

"I don't have a problem with it,'' Anthony said. "But I don't wear No. 23 so it's kind of easy for me to say that. You ought to ask them who wear No. 23. It doesn't matter to me either way.''

Anthony jokingly was asked what it would take for his No. 15 to one day be considered for NBA-wide retirement.

"Six (titles),'' he cracked. "(Jordan) got six.''

Chris Tomasson can be reached at fanhouse.com and on Twitter @christomasson.