The 2010 NBA All-Star reserves have been announced and barring injury replacements, the Eastern Conference’s all-star roster will have one international player suiting up.

The addition of Al Horford, from the Dominican Republic, ends the Eastern Conference’s string of four seasons without at least one international player.

Four international players, Horford along with Pau Gasol, Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki, were chosen for this year’s game,.

International NBA All-Stars:
2010: 4 (Gasol, Horford, Nash, Nowitzki)
2009: 4 (Nowitzki, Gasol, Parker, Yao)
2008: 3 (Nash, Nowitzki, Yao)
2007: 5 (Nash, Nowitzki, Okur, Parker, Yao)
2006: 5 (Gasol, Nash, Nowitzki, Parker, Yao)
2005: 5 (Ginobili, Ilgauskas, Nowitzki, Nash, Yao)
2004: 5 (Kirilenko, Nowitzki, Magloire, Stojakovic, Yao)
2003: 5 (Ilgauskas, Nowitzki, Nash, Stojakovic, Yao)
2002: 4 (Mutombo, Nash, Nowitzki, Stojakovic)
2001: 2 (Mutombo, Divac)

(Who was this year’s biggest NBA All-Star snub?)

Not since Zydrunas Ilgauskas was voted in by the coaches in 2005 has the Eastern Conference had foreign representation in the mid-season classic.

So who was snubbed?
Why such a small number of strong international players in the Eastern Conference?

Even with Ilgauskas and Stojakovic limited to role players these days, the east just hasn’t the same international star power over the last decade that the west has enjoyed. I’m hard-pressed to find any foreign player worthy of selection.

The most likely candidate is Andrew Bogut, who is putting up 16 points and 10 rebounds. When Bogut starts playing more consistently and the Bucks are winning, he would get decent consideration. Even so David Lee would have received the spot over Bogut.

Sadly, Luol Deng’s game just isn’t spectacular enough, if Deng was doing 17.7 points and 7.3 rebounds for a winning team, that’s another question. Yi Jianlian is having a great year, but he’s playing for the New Jersey Nets, who just won their fourth game of the season. ‘Nuff said. Hedo Turkoglu or Andrea Bargnani? Nope.

It really is slim picking for the east, there’s no real snubbed players.

On the other hand, the West could consistently count on 3-4 big names represented over the seven years with Dirk Nowitzki, Yao Ming, Steve Nash, and a San Antonio Spur (Parker or Ginobili).

Dirk Nowitzki is playing in his ninth straight, Steve Nash is playing in his sixth, and this is Pau Gasol’s third appearance in the NBA all-star game.