With that being said, let’s not waste any time and see exactly who comes from winners and who comes home losers from All-Star Weekend in Houston.

Feb 17, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Western Conference guard Chris Paul (3) of the Los Angeles Clippers holds the game MVP trophy after the 2013 NBA all star game at the Toyota Center. West won 143-138. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Winner- Chris Paul

CP3 won the All-Star Game MVP while leading the Western Conference to victor, so that’s good enough for me. In addition his numbers of 20 points and 15 assists made this all about Los Angeles, except everyone should be talking Clippers and not Lakers. Just an outstanding and unselfish performance from Paul.

Loser-LeBron James

It’s hard to call the best player on the planet a loser, but for the second consecutive All-Star Weekend, that’s exactly what James was. He is the first person you think of after the dunk contest flops, especially after his yearly promises that he will enter the contest. Then he starts the game with some rim shaking dunks that beg the question of why he can’t do the same on Saturday’s. We know his fragile ego couldn’t take losing a dunk contest, but all things considered, he’s the guy that people want to see. To make his weekend worse, he was shut down offensively in the fourth quarter by Kobe Bryant and scored only one fourth quarter point in almost seven minutes of action, going 0-for-4 from the floor with a turnover.

Winner- Kyrie Irving

The second-year point guard had the platform for his coming out party and took advantage of it. Irving excelled in the Rising Stars Challenge, won the three-point shootout and showed on Sunday that he belonged with the NBA’s best. That’s a very productive weekend.

Loser- Brandon Knight

More than anything that the talented Knight has done of the floor in his brief time in the NBA, Knight is now know the most for getting his ankles broke by Irving on Friday night. I give Knight a ton of credit for refusing to back down to Irving and continuing to challenge him, but he will be on the wrong end of a bad highlight for months to come.

Winner- First Time All-Star’s

It’s always good to see guys make the All-Star team for the first time and this year we saw seven first timers, including the New York Knicks Tyson Chandler, who made it for the first time after 12 years in the league. Guys like Chandler, Irving, Paul George, James Harden and others showed that they belong on the big stage.

Loser- Dunk Contest

Feb 16, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried (35) dunks during the 2013 NBA All-Star slam dunk contest at the Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Something has to be done to fix this. It highlights All-Star Saturday night and it flopped once again. The stars need to participate. That’s something the league needs to fix, but the rules need tweaked also. I didn’t like the East vs. West thing this year, but you simply can’t miss a dunk six times and then be given a 50 for it on chance number seven. We have seen this go on for too long. Jeremy Evans and Terrence Ross were decent in the finals, but the rest of the contest left a lot to be desired.

Winner- Kenneth Faried

Faried dropped 40 Friday night, tying a record and bringing home MVP honors. “The Manimal” also showed why he is one of the top up-and-coming young big men in the NBA today.

Loser- James White

“Flight” was grounded on Saturday night a White found out that All-Star Weekend is a much bigger stage than he was used to. He came into the dunk contest with a lot of hype but severely disappointed. The announcers said it best when they commented that “This isn’t You Tube.”

Winner- Kevin Durant

KD did what KD does and simply drops a game-high 30 points in 31 minutes of action in leading the West to victory. In a game of the best in the world, Durant stepped up and made a statement for the second consecutive year.

Loser- Chris Bosh

Bosh made only 3-of-9 shots on the night, but was embarrassed not once but twice when Western Conference point guards Paul and Tony Parker dribbled between HIS legs. It’s a shame that Bosh got stuck guarding these quick guards on the perimeter in the All-Star Game, where there wasn’t much screening going on, but once he was isolated, he was embarrassed.

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Anthony will play in the 2013 NBA All-Star game on Sunday despite a bruised arm, the New York Daily News’ Frank Isola reported on Thursday.

Isola cited an NBA source who said that the league has been informed Anthony would play. The Knicks had listed him as day-to-day with what they called a”deep” right arm contusion.

The NBA, according to a source, has been informed that Carmelo Anthony intends to play in Sunday’s All Star Game.

— Frank Isola (@FisolaNYDN) February 14, 2013

‘Melo said on Wednesday night after suffering the injury that he would not risk playing on Sunday, but apparently the injury isn’t too bad  and Anthony will be able to give it a go, although I wouldn’t expect to see him play major minutes in Houston.

Anthony was hurt early in the first quarter during the Knicks’ 92-88 loss to Toronto on Wednesday when he took a bump from DeMar DeRozan. He said he suffered from a “dead arm” and the results backed that up as ‘Melo had his worst shooting performance of the season, making only 5-of-22 shots from the floor.

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Over the past few years, watching the long-range bombs has become every bit as exciting as the dunk contest and this year should be no exception as the field is loaded with great shooters.

February 12, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry (30) shoots the ball against the Houston Rockets during the third quarter at Oracle Arena. The Rockets defeated the Warriors 116-107. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

It won’t be easy, but will Novak be able to emerge victorious?

Let’s take a look. (Odds via Bovada)

Paul George, Indiana Pacers (15-to-2)

When thinking about George’s game, three-point shooting isn’t necessarily the first thing that comes to mind. But that doesn’t mean he can’t knock them down with regularity.  He is knocking down three’s at a 38.6 percent clip on the season and his numbers have remained pretty consistent each month. But he comes in with the lowest percentage from behind the arc, so that makes him the long shot. But that doesn’t matter too much as Kevin Love came in last year with the worst odds and won the whole thing.

Matt Bonner, San Antonio Spurs (5-to-1)

Bonner has shot at least 42 percent from behind the arc in six of his nine NBA seasons, which makes it odd that it has taken “The Red Rocket” this long to get an invite to the contest. He is a great long-rage shooter and is my sleeper to win it all, but he has a bit of a slow release, which hurts in this type of competition.

Ryan Anderson, New Orleans Hornets (4-to-1)

This contest is made for Anderson, who shoots three’s in volume, leading the NBA by a wide margin with 396 three-pointers attempted. He should have no problem getting up enough shots and he is shooting 40 percent from behind the arc on the season so he should be able to knock down more than his share.

Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers (4-to-1)

Irving is among the Top 10 three-point shooters on the season, knocking down 42.5 percent of his attempts. He is also participating in the Rising Stars Challenge and Sunday’s All-Star Game. Could this be a breakout weekend for the second-year guard?

Steve Novak, New York Knicks (5-to-2)

Novak comes in as the co-favorite and last year’s NBA leader in three-point shooting is having another good year, knocking down 44 percent of his opportunities. He has a smooth effortless stroke which bodes well. As long as he doesn’t do the Discount Triple Check after every make, Novak has a legitimate chance to win the whole thing.

Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors (5-to-2)

Curry has knocked down 44.7 percent of his three-point attempts, which ties him with Novak and ranks him behind only Kyle Korver in three-point percentage this season. He comes in hot as Curry has knocked down 48 and 47 percent of his three’s in December and January, respectively. his stroke is smooth and effortless and has a great chance to win it all.

My Prediction: Curry over Novak. I hate to go with the two favorites, but I feel they will represent themselves well.

Final Predicted order of finish:

1. Curry

2. Novak

3. Anderson

4. Bonner

5. George

6. Irving

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Anthony has missed seven of the Knicks 50 games this season with a variety of lower body injuries, but now you can add an arm injury to his list of ailments.

Feb 13, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) pulls down a rebound against the Toronto Raptors during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

‘Melo suffered what the Knicks are calling a ”deep” right arm contusion in Wednesday’s loss to the Toronto Raptors, leaving his participation in the 2013 NBA All-Star Game in doubt.

The Knicks are officially listing Anthony as day-to-day and Anthony said if his arm is still bothering him come Sunday, he won’t risk further injury by playing in the All-Star Game.

“I’m not going to force it, definitely not going to force it,” Anthony told ESPN’s Ian Begley. “As bad as I would want to play in the All-Star Game, participate, if I can’t go, I can’t go. Nothing I can do about that.”

The injury happened when ‘Melo took a shot from DeMar DeRozan in his upper right arm in the first quarter and it bothered him the rest of the game.

The results were not pretty as Anthony had his worst night of the season, making only 5-of-24 shots from the floor en route to a 12 point scoring night in the Knicks 92-88 loss.

“It was kind of like a dead arm out there,” Anthony said. “Just a matter of trying to get through it, trying to get some feeling back into it.”

Anthony ended the first half of the season averaging 28.6 points per game, second in the league to Kevin Durant (29.0).

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But there is a chance that the Knicks could still send three to Houston for the game.

Jan 27, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks head coach Mike Woodson gestures during the second quarter against the Atlanta Hawks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler won’t be joined by another player, but there is still a chance that Mike Woodson could coach the Eastern Conference team.

Currently the Knicks (27-15) are 1.5 games back of the Miami Heat (28-13) for the East’s best record and if the Knicks overtake them by February 3.

The Knicks have three winnable games by then against the Orlando Magic, Milwaukee Bucks and Sacramento Kings, with all three coming at Madison Square Garden, where the Knicks are 15-6 on the season.

Miami has things a bit rougher in that span as they play the Brooklyn Nets, Indiana Pacers and Toronto Raptors, with all three games coming on the road, where the Heat are only 10-10 on the season.

It’s doubtful that Woodson ends up coaching in the All-Star Game, but the opportunity could be there if the Knicks take care of business on the court.

If they win their next three and Miami loses 2-of-3, the Knicks will get that third All-Star that they deserve.

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They will have to settle for two.

January 5, 2013; Orlando FL, USA; New York Knicks center Tyson Chandler (6) against the Orlando Magic during the first quarter at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

With Carmelo Anthony already voted in as a starter, he will have company in the Lone Star State in the form of his Gold Medal winning teammate Tyson Chandler, who can call himself an All-Star for the first time in his 12-year career.

Chandler was one of five first-time All Stars chosen for the East team for next month’s game in Houston.

He’ll be joined by other first time honorees Joakim Noah of Chicago, Indiana’s Paul George, Cleveland’s Kyrie Irving, and Philadelphia’s Jrue Holiday.

The reigning Defensive Player of the Year is more than deserving, averaging 12.2 points and 11.0 rebounds per game (fifth in NBA), while leading the league by shooting 67.4 percent from the floor.

While Chandler was honored Thursday night, the same can’t be said for Knicks’ swingman J.R. Smith.

Smith had the credentials, averaging 16.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.4 steals, off the bench for a team that is currently holding down the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.

But despite the Knicks success, Smith came up with the short end of the stick when it comes to making his first career All-Star team.

Smith was likely hurt in the voting because he is not a starter and has a poor shooting percentage (40 percent). He also entered the season with a reputation of an inconsistent player, which probably prevented some coaches from voting for him.

Chicago’s Luol Deng and Miami’s Chris Bosh round out the Eastern Conference reserves.

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In the case of the New York Knicks, that should mean two, maybe three All-Star’s from a team that is currently 25-13, only one game behind the Miami Heat for the best record in the Eastern Conference.

January 13, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks guard J.R. Smith (8) shoots against the New Orleans Hornets during the third quarter of an NBA game at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Knicks’ superstar Carmelo Anthony has already been voted in as an Eastern Conference starter, but the question remains of how many Knicks players will join ‘Melo in Houston on February 17?

There are really only two candidates in Tyson Chandler and J.R. Smith and you can make a case that both belong on the team, when the coaches vote in the reserves.

As far as Chandler is concerned, you can make a legitimate case that he is the best center in the Eastern Conference at the moment.

His numbers speak for themself as he is leading the NBA in field goal percentage (67 percent) and averaging 12.4 points, 11 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game.

The reigning Defensive Player of the Year has never made an All-Star team and this year should be his first.

The only way Chandler doesn’t make his first All-Star appearance is if it is decided that only one backup center is needed. If that is the case, his only competition realistically is Chicago’s Joakim Noah. But Chandler’s resume is more impressive so I have a hard time seeing him not making the team.

That brings me to Smith, who is having a big season of his own.

Despite coming off the bench, he is having the best year of his career, averaging 16.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.3 steals per game in 33.6 minutes per game.

His resume stacks up comparable to other shooting guards in the league, but there are other point guards in the NBA with impressive resumes. Guys like Jrue Holiday and Kyrie Irving could get the nod despite playing on poor teams.

Smith most certainly deserves to be an All-Star. He very well could be the second most valuable player on a team in contention.

But ultimately the fact that he comes off the bench will hurt him.

When the reserves are announced on January 24, the Knicks will deserve to have three All-Stars, but at the end of the day, chances are they only get two.

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But as with any fan voting for any All-Star Game, they didn’t get it entirely right.

With the NBA All-Star Game, most of the selections are no-brainers, but there were a few slip ups along the way.

Jan 16, 2013; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; New Orleans Hornets guard Austin Rivers (25) chases after Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo (9) on a fast break during the second quarter at TD Banknorth Garden. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

Here is a look at grading the fans performance in voting for the 2013 All-Star starters. As a  reminder, the NBA took out the center position, so the fans were voting for two backcourt and three frontcourt players.

Eastern Conference

BC- Rajon Rondo: This is a spot that traditionally goes to Derrick Rose, but Rondo was the right selection. His closest competition comes from Cleveland’s Kyrie Irving, who leads all point guards in PER, but has also missed time due to injury and plays on a 10-31 team, so he can’t be an All-Star. In addition Deron Williams is having a bad year and Brandon Jennings shouldn’t be starting, so Rondo was really the only choice. Grade: A-

BC- Dwyane Wade: Wade’s numbers have slipped over the course of the past five years, but the 20.1 points, 4.6 assists and 4.4 rebounds he is averaging are still very good numbers. In addition 23.0 PER ranks in the top 10 in the league. But Wade pretty much gets this spot by default as well. The fans could have voted one of the other point guards, but they aren’t more deserving than Wade, neither are shooting guards Joe Johnson and J.R. Smith. Grade: A

FC- LeBron James: James is as close to a no-brainer as it gets: Grade: A+

FC- Carmelo Anthony: Despite a weird couple of weeks that has seen injuries, a suspension and his owner eavesdropping on him, ‘Melo’s MVP-type season makes him a no-brainer as well. Grade: A+

FC- Kevin Garnett: Garnett’s averaging 14.6 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 29.5 minutes and has a PER of only 18.7, which is far less than Chris Bosh who he edged out in the voting. Bosh has similar numbers and has a 21.5 PER. However this spot should have gone to either Tyson Chandler, who is averaging 12.4 points and 10.9 rebounds and shooting 67.2 percent, with a PER similar to Bosh, or Chicago’s Joakim Noah who is averaging 12.4 points, 10.7 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.3 steals. The fans got this one wrong. Grade: D

January 12, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Orlando Magic point guard Jameer Nelson (14) guards Los Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul (3) during the game at the Staples Center. Magic won 104-101. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Western Conference

BC- Chris Paul: It is a good thing that Jeremy Lin didn’t overtake Paul in the voting, which would have been a travesty. Unlike in the Eastern Conference, there were alternatives here which include San Antonio’s Tony Parker and Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook, but Paul is an MVP candidate on the team with the best record in the NBA. Grade: A

BC- Kobe Bryant: Kobe leads the NBA in scoring and is averaging 29.9 points, hitting a career-high 47.8 percent from the field and tacking on 4.9 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.5 steals. In addition he ranks sixth in the NBA in PER. Fans could have gonne with two point guards here, but Bryant’s numbers speak for themselves. Grade: B+

FC- Kevin Durant: Just like in the case of LeBron, Durant is a clear no-brainer. Grade: A+

FC- Blake Griffin: There is some competitiion here, which includes: David Lee, LaMarcus Aldridge, Zach Randolph and Tim Duncan, but I have no problem with the Griffin selection. He’s a big reason why the Clippers have the best record in the NBA and his PER trails only Durant and Duncan among Western Conference frontcourt players. I have no problem going with the guy the fans want to see here. Grade: B

FC- Dwight Howard: Now the Howard selection is nothing short of ridiculous. How can a 17-22 team be rewarded with a pair of starters? In addition, Howard has not  been great this season, despite  averaging 17.8 points, a league-leading 12.6 rebounds and 2.6 blocks. This spot should have gone to Duncan, possibly Lee. Duncan ranks No. 6 in PER among players logging at least 30 minutes per game, trailing only James, Durant, Paul, Anthony and Bryant. His team sits atop the Southwest Division at 30-11 and boasts the  third best in the West. He’s averaging 17.2 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.8 blocks and 2.7 assists while shooting 50.1 percent. Those numbers compare very well with Howard’s, and are better nearly across the board on a per-minute basis. The fans botched this one. Grade: F

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Jan 11, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) shoots a free throw during the fourth quarter against the Chicago Bulls at Madison Square Garden. Chicago won 108-101. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

Anthony, having an MVP-type of season will join LeBron James and Kevin Garnett in the Eastern Conference frontcourt, while Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade will make up the Eastern Conference backcourt.

It is the fifth time in his career that ‘Melo has been named a starter in the All-Star Game and second as a Knick.

‘Melo, who is second in the NBA in scoring at 29.3 points per game, will be starting alongside Garnett, who he got into a scuffle with- on and off the court- when the Knicks lost to the Celtics on January 7.

Anthony is second to the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant (29.9 PPG) in scoring and Bryant will lead the Western Conference backcourt alongside the Clippers’ Chris Paul.

The Western Conference frontcourt starters are Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin and Dwight Howard.

Tyson Chandler and J.R. Smith have a chance to be selected as Eastern Conference reserves, which will be announced on January 24.

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January 13, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks guard J.R. Smith (8) shoots against the New Orleans Hornets during the third quarter of an NBA game at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

This being said, does Smith deserve to be named to the All-Star team and play in Houston this year?

The All-Star game, just like in every sport, is a popularity contest. I personally think it should be changed to half the fan vote and half the sports writers’ votes. Let’s take baseball for example, where the BBWA takes All-Star game appearances largely into account for the Hall of Fame. If the fans don’t really know the player or they usually just vote for the big names and most popular players. I’m not saying these players don’t deserve it since they obviously do, but some low-key players who are having all-star caliber seasons usually don’t receive the honor.

Twelve players from each conference get to call themselves All-Stars every season. In the East, you have five players they are set in stone All-Stars: LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Garnett, and Rajon Rondo. These five players will get the fan vote since they are some of the league’s most popular players, but they do deserve it. So that’s almost half the team right there. The next three spots will probably go like this; Deron Williams, Chris Bosh, Kyrie Irving, Deron plays in a big market, Bosh is part of the Big Three in Miami, and Kyrie is exploding onto the NBA scene.

This leaves 4 more spots to make the team. As of December 4th, J.R. Smith wasn’t even in the top 10 for backcourt players. I believe the next 4 spots should go to: Anderson Varejao, Tyson Chandler, Paul Pierce, and Luol Deng. With the expansion of voting now on social media, it makes it even harder for bench players like Smith to make the team since the casual NBA fan will be casting their vote to the superstar names.

Look in the Western Conference for example, where Jeremy Lin is third in the backcourt voting and actually in front of his teammate James Harden. If you know anything about the NBA this season you know that Harden is having an amazing season and a much better season than Lin, but Lin still has more votes.

You can make a case that Smith deserves to be on the All-Star team this year, but I personally don’t believe he does. He still shoots way too much and has been inconsistent. He shouldn’t get the nod over players like  Irving, Williams,  Piece, Josh Smith, Deng, or Chandler.

Smith is essential to the Knicks success this season, but he is not an All-Star.