In this year’s NBA Western Conference, it’s a huge honor just to be nominated for the 2008 All-star game. Really, that’s how good the field of candidates is this year. Honestly, one could put-together a second team in the west that is very deserving – that team may even be more deserving than the players that actually make the team in the eastern conference.

However, let’s not get lost in the PC-shuffle. In the west this year, there are deserving players, very deserving players, and very, very deserving players… and that last category is hopefully what the West’s all-star team should be filled with.

That said, with the 2008 NBA All-Star Reserves to be named tonight, I wanted to write a little something to display my displeasure with some of the foolish sports writers out there.

Every year, the fans seem to sneak in 1-3 player undeserving of the all-star game. Whether it was when A.C. Green’s overzealous fans voted him as a starter in 1990, or when an undeveloped Kobe Bryant was undeservedly voted-in in 1998, or Yao Ming becoming a starter during his rookie campaign, or voting in Vince Carter who was injured in 2006.

It seemed to be going that direction again this year until the fans came to their sense and pushed injured Tracy McGrady out of the starting lineup in favor of a more-deserving Allen Iverson. I was shocked, I had been watching NBA basketball for 20 years now and I cannot think of more than three times in which the 10 starters were decently deserving of a spot — be it they be named to the starting lineup or the bench. O k, maybe Dwyane Wade shouldn’t be there considering the Miami Heat’s performance, but in the East, that’s arguable.

Thanks to this very rare occurrence, the job for selecting the most deserving reserves should have gotten easier. Surely the media knew more than the casual fan? They should be able to align themselves with the voting coaches and get it right, right?

Geesh, there I go giving too much credit. Scrolling through some of the media’s predictions to get a sense as to what sportswriters were thinking; many were on-point, but some really left me infuriated with their idiotic choices (there is just no other way to explain it). Why can’t all sports writers be like Mike Kahn from FoxSports? That way, I will never have any delusions that I could do a better job.

I wonder what prejudices exist or what goes through the minds of non-Minnesota newspaper-writers when they choose a player like Al Jefferson onto the all-star squad, IN THE WEST (I am trying to find that article as we speak). This wasn’t a pre-season prediction mind you, this was last week after the starters were announced.

Yes, Al Jefferson is promising and he is having a great season for the lowly-lowly Timberwolves, but the West is so stacked that Al Jefferson wouldn’t even make the team if they extended the roster by another ten spots. I said it, Al Jefferson wouldn’t make the team if they had 22 West all-star spots.

Just for my enjoyment, I’ll list those 17 reserve players out, in the order of whom I believe is most-deserving: Chris Paul, Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, Carlos Boozer, Amare Stoudemire, Baron Davis, Brandon Roy (/end all-star team)

And the extended ten: Manu Ginobili, Marcus Camby, Deron Williams, David West, Chris Kaman, Josh Howard, Tyson Chandler, Tony Parker, Shawn Marion, and Stephen Jackson. Maybe I would then consider Jefferson, but even then, he would have to fight off Tracy McGrady, Pau Gasol, Rudy Gay, Andrew Bynum, Kevin Durant, Monta Ellis, and LaMarcus Aldridge.

Sorry, but Jefferson doesn’t belong. He’s not even close. And more apologies are in order, Chris Kaman shouldn’t make the team either. Sorry, maybe if they went with 17 roster spots. Nor should David West or Josh Howard.

I am also miffed by writers that leave Manu Ginobili off their reserve list and off their honorable mention, yet they mention Tracy McGrady? (This particular writer also had Michael Redd on the East). Even worse, there was a writer from my hometown Detroit that placed McGrady back onto the team. What were you thinking, you fool?

Here is what the West reserves should look like: Chris Paul, Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, Carlos Boozer, Amare Stoudemire, with your choice of Baron Davis, Brandon Roy, Manu Ginobili or Marcus Camby for the last two spots. Anyone else that lists otherwise should be shot.

Update: David West was named to the squad. I made a mistake and forgot to take into consideration the fact that the all-star game would be played in New Orleans. Even so, I believe they made a mistake by leaving Baron Davis and Manu Ginobili off the team. David West is right there when talking about would-be-snubs, but I guess I underestimated the power behind the business of the NBA and the sentimental vote.

Sources: Never Any Surprises (Mike Kahn), Chris Paul, David West named as All-Star Reserves (NOLA.com)