The NBA announced the ten players that will make the Eastern and Western Conference All-Star starting rosters on Thursday night, and undoubtedly the fans missed a few deserving players here and there.

For instance, I might contemplate replacing Dwyane Wade with Chauncey Billups because of Miami?s troubles and the time Wade has missed. But the fans did get a few selections right ? Jason Kidd, LeBron James, Kevin Garnett, and Dwight Howard are all worthy candidates to represent the East when the ball is thrown up in New Orleans next month.

The West is where things get a little tricky.

Allen Iverson is the first glaring mistake. I?m not trying to take anything away from him, but Chris Paul, Baron Davis, Deron Williams, and Steve Nash are all more deserving of the Western Conference?s starting point guard spot. Davis and Nash should be MVP candidates at the end of the season, and the time is now for Paul and Williams. Kobe Bryant will hold down the other backcourt slot for the Western squad in mid-February, and even I can?t argue with that selection. 27.4 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 5.1 assists aren?t half bad.

Carmelo Anthony would be my pick to represent the West at the small forward spot, but Tim Duncan?s time as a starter in the Western Conference should be over. I don?t mean to disrespect Duncan, who is arguably the greatest power forward in the history of the game, but this season there are simply better candidates.

Carlos Boozer and Dirk Nowitzki are having superior seasons, and even Minnesota?s Al Jefferson is putting up better numbers. However, Jefferson would never start because of the wealth of popular talent at the forward position and the Timberwolves? poor record. Some people, like Phoenix fans, might even state a case for Shawn Marion as he continues to fill stat sheets for the Suns. Ultimately, Boozer would get the start on my team because the Jazz are good, but he does a great job without a true interior partner in Utah.

The center position is incredibly intriguing mainly because Yao Ming isn?t the clear cut pick this season. Marcus Camby, Amare Stoudemire, and Chris Kaman all deserve consideration for the starting slot. Camby is the sexy pick for a majority of the experts, but I?d rank Stoudemire and Yao ahead of him. Kaman is having a damn good year, but I doubt he?d be putting up the same numbers (17.4 points and 13.9 rebounds) if Elton Brand were healthy.

In the end, Yao?s statistics are slightly better than Stoudemire?s, earning him the starting nod. Some people contend that awards and achievements shouldn?t be all about the numbers, but the All-Star game is the one honor that I believe should be a reflection of a player?s production. My selections of Davis and Boozer were based on a few factors aside from statistics, like their supporting cast, but I only went slightly against statistical analysis because of the wealth of comparable talent at their positions.

With a little personal touch, here is the 2007-08 Perna All-Star starting lineup:

The East
PG ? Jason Kidd, NJN
SG ? Dwyane Wade, MIA
SF ? LeBron James, CLE
PF ? Kevin Garnett, BOS
C ? Dwight Howard, ORL

The West
PG ? Baron Davis, GSW
SG ? Kobe Bryant, LAL
SF ? Carmelo Anthony, DEN
PF ? Carlos Boozer, UTA
C ? Yao Ming, HOU

For me, the real fun has always been when the benches are selected. The reserve players are equally deserving of a place on the team, but they often aren?t as well-known and haven?t yet experienced how very special all-star weekend actually is each and every year.

Picking the seven bench players isn?t any easier, but it does give me a chance to honor some of the players I skipped over when selecting the starting lineups.

Here are my reserve selections for this year?s Perna All-Star team(s):

The East
G ? Chauncey Billups, DET
G ? Joe Johnson, ATL
F ? Gerald Wallace, CHA
F ? Caron Butler, WSH
F ? Paul Pierce, BOS
F ? Antawn Jamison, WSH
F/C ? Chris Bosh, TOR

As I wrote earlier, Billups could easily have started alongside Kidd? Johnson is in the line-up because I?ve been really impressed with how the Hawks are winning this season? In my opinion, Wallace is a lock to make this year?s team as a reserve; I just hope Doc Rivers feels the same way.  Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison are keeping the Wizards alive without Gilbert Arenas and are both very deserving of reserve selections. Paul Pierce gets the nod because you can?t have just one Celtic on this team, and he?s having a darn good year too. If Garnett didn?t join Boston this summer, Bosh would have started for the Eastern squad so he?s a no-brainer as a reserve addition.

Painful omissions ? Michael Redd, Jose Calderon, Vince Carter, Richard Jefferson, Hedo Turkoglu, and Josh Smith

The West
G ? Chris Paul, NOH
G ? Deron Williams, UTA
G ? Steve Nash, PHX
F ? Josh Howard, DAL
F ? Dirk Nowitzki, DAL
F ? Tim Duncan, SAS
C ? Marcus Camby, DEN

I couldn?t not include Paul and Williams and to ignore a two-time MVP like Nash, who is still at the top of his game, would be a travesty. Howard and Nowitzki are must-haves from the Mavericks. I decided to put Duncan on the team in favor of Stoudemire more because of rank and experience than anything else. Camby very well could have started over Yao, making him an easy addition.

Painful omissions ? Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Brandon Roy, Allen Iverson, Rudy Gay, David West, Shawn Marion, Chris Kaman, Amare Stoudemire, and Al Jefferson

Who would make up your All-Star roster(s)? [email protected]