Kobe Bryant will miss his 12th All-Star Game appearance because of his ankle injury while Allen Iverson will miss his 11th due to off the court reasons. David Lee of the Knicks, who was considered a snub by just about everyone, will replace Iverson in what will be his first All-Star Game appearance. Lee has had a very good season despite the lack of success by the Knicks and is averaging 20 points and 11 rebounds. In the West, Jason Kidd of the Mavericks will replace Bryant and will be making his 10th appearance; he is averaging 9 points and 9 assists for the 32-20 Mavericks. Those may not seem like All-Star numbers, but who else are you going to pick?
Kidd and Lee join Chauncey Billups and Chris Kaman as All-Star replacements; Billups replaced Chris Paul, who is out due to a knee injury, and Kaman replaced Brandon Roy, who is dealing with a hamstring injury.
With that being said, this will still be a fun All-Star Weekend. I have always enjoyed watching all of the events, from the Rookies vs. Sophomores game all the way through to the All-Star Game itself. I have always thought that the NBA puts out the best All-Star showcase, even though if the MLB has the more exciting and dramatic game. I also think that TNT does a great job with their presentation throughout the weekend and I always enjoy watching their shows about the history of the Slam Dunk Contest and other such topics. This year they've put together an "All Decade" show that promises to be interesting. Be sure to set your DVR's and VCR's (if you still use those) if you can't be around to watch.
All-Star Weekend home (NBA.com)
All-Star 2010 (ESPN.com)
TNT's schedule:
Friday
T-Mobile Rookie Challenge and Youth Jam- 9:00 PM Eastern
Best of Inside the NBA presented by Hyundai- 11:00 PM Eastern
Saturday
TNT All-Decade presented by Esurance- 5:00 PM Eastern
Dunk Defying: Spud and Nate- 6:00 PM Eastern
H.O.R.S.E. presented by Gieco- 7:00 PM Eastern
NBA Tip-Off presented by AutoTrader.com- 8:00 PM Eastern
All-Star Saturday Night presented by State Farm- 8:30 PM Eastern
Event Order- Haier Shooting Stars, Taco Bell Skills Challenge, Foot Locker Three-Point Contest, Sprite Slam Dunk
Sunday
NBA Tip-Off presented by AutoTrader.com- 7:00 PM Eastern
2010 NBA All-Star Game- 8:30 PM Eastern
Inside The NBA presented by Hyundai- 11:00 PM Eastern
2010 NBA All-Star Game (rebroadcast)- 11:30 PM Eastern
