The NBA All-Star weekend is the last weekend in February and the five starters for the Western Conference team have already been set. They are Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin and Andrew Bynum. The reserve players for the All-Star game are set to be announced tonight at 7 p.m. (ET) on TNT and there is one player on the Dallas Mavericks who has a shot at hearing his name called: forward Dirk Nowitzki.
Yahoo! Sports' Marc Spears believes that despite Nowitzki's struggles, he'll still make the team.
Yes, he's struggled and has even said he doesn't consider himself an All-Star this year. But he's also the reigning MVP of the NBA Finals and can still look like the league's best power forward, as he did in Wednesday's victory over the Denver Nuggets. Mavs coach Rick Carlisle has called West coaches to campaign for Nowitzki. Prediction: In.
Spears is about the only guy that thinks Nowitzki will make it on the roster. ESPN's Marc Stein names Nowitzki as one of the Western Conference snubs and SB Nation's Tom Ziller believes he could make it on the team as a possibly injury replacement.
For more on the Mavericks, head to Mavs Moneyball, and for more on the All-Star game, visit SB Nation's stream.