Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders said he thinks Wally Szczerbiak is worthy of an invitation to the NBA All-Star Game Feb. 10 in Philadelphia. He figures that Kevin Garnett is a shoo-in, based on the fans' balloting with two weeks left.

But why not Saunders as head coach of the Western Conference squad? It could happen.

The coach in each conference whose team has the best record through Jan. 26 gets the honor. The only fine print is that a coach can't work two consecutive All-Star games, which eliminates Sacramento's Rick Adelman and Philadelphia's Larry Brown this year.

The West favorite is Lakers coach Phil Jackson, whose club is 26-8 after a 106-104 overtime loss at Chicago on Saturday night. But with the Wolves' 120-102 victory over Los Angeles on Friday, Saunders (27-9) was right behind Jackson for the honor. With Adelman ineligible, San Antonio's Gregg Popovich (25-9) was next.