Chris Bosh

Canadian Press

2/9/2006 7:49:58 PM

NEW YORK (CP-AP) - Toronto Raptors forward Chris Bosh has been rewarded for his excellent play in the NBA this year by making the Eastern Conference all-star team.

Bosh, who is Toronto's team leader in points per game (22.9) and rebounds per game (9.2), was named a reserve player on the East team for the Feb. 19 all-star game in Houston.

 ''It means a lot,'' Bosh said Wednesday, after word leaked out that the East head coaches voted him in. ''It's confirmation. I can believe in my heart all I want to, but when other people start to recognize you for the good things you've done it makes it that much more special.''

 In his third pro season, Bosh is the only player in the NBA to average more than 22 points per game and boast a field goal percentage better than .500 as well as a free throw percentage better than .800.  A first-team rookie all star in his debut campaign, Bosh was named Eastern Conference player of the week for the period ending February 5.

Four Detroit Pistons are also going to the all-star game as reserves.

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Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Ben Wallace and Rasheed Wallace all were picked for the East team that will be led by Detroit coach Flip Saunders. Tayshaun Prince was the lone Pistons starter not selected.

''I would just like to thank the coaches in the league for recognizing our players,'' Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars told The Associated Press on Thursday night. ''What the coaches are saying by voting our guys on is that they appreciate unselfishness, great attitudes and team basketball.''

The Pistons (40-8) became the first team with four players in an All-Star game since the Los Angeles Lakers sent Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, Eddie Jones and Nick Van Exel to the 1998 game in New York.

Joining Bosh and the Pistons on the East team will be Boston's Paul Pierce and Vince Carter of the New Jersey Nets.

The Western Conference reserves are guards Ray Allen of Seattle and Tony Parker of San Antonio, and forwards Dirk Nowitzki of Dallas, the Clippers' Elton Brand, Memphis' Pau Gasol, Minnesota's Kevin Garnett and the Suns' Shawn Marion.

Billups and Hamilton are among the five first-time selections, joining Bosh, Parker and Gasol.

Despite playing in the NBA Finals the last two years, recognition had come slowly for the Pistons during the season in recent years. Ben Wallace was Detroit's only all-star in each of the last three years, and the Pistons haven't had multiple selections since Grant Hill and Jerry Stackhouse in 2000.

The only other teams with four all-stars were the Celtics (1953, '62 and '75); Lakers ('62) and 76ers ('83). This is the first time four players from one team have been picked as reserves by the coaches.

The starters were voted on by fans and were announced last Thursday. Miami's Shaquille O'Neal and Dwyane Wade were chosen in the East along with forwards LeBron James from Cleveland and Jermaine O'Neal of Indiana. Philadelphia's Allen Iverson was the other guard.

Houston's Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady were voted in, along with guards Kobe Bryant of the Lakers and Phoenix's Steve Nash of Victoria, and San Antonio forward Tim Duncan. The Mavericks' Avery Johnson is the West coach.

Jermaine O'Neal is injured and his replacement will be chosen by NBA commissioner David Stern.

The toughest omissions in the East seemed to be guards Gilbert Arenas of Washington, the league's No. 4 scorer at 28.2 points per game, and Milwaukee's Michael Redd. Denver's Carmelo Anthony and Hornets rookie Chris Paul were among those left out in the West.

Coaches were required to select two guards, two forwards, one centre and two other players regardless of position. They could not vote for their own players.

Nash is among six foreign-born players for the fourth straight year, the other being: Yao (China), Nowitzki (Germany), Gasol (Spain), Parker (France) and Duncan (U.S. Virgin Islands).

2006 EASTERN CONFERENCE ALL-STARS

No.
Player (Team)
Pos.
Ht.
Wt.
Birthdate
College/HS/Country
All-Star Selections

1
#Chauncey Billups (Detroit)
G
6-3
202
09/25/76
Colorado

1

4
#Chris Bosh (Toronto)
F
6-10
235
03/24/84
Georgia Tech

1

15
Vince Carter (New Jersey)
F
6-6
220
01/26/77
North Carolina

7

32
#Richard Hamilton (Detroit)
G
6-7
193
02/14/78
Connecticut

1

3
*Allen Iverson (Philadelphia)
G
6-0
165
06/07/75
Georgetown

7

23
*LeBron James (Cleveland)
G
6-8
245
12/30/85
St. Vincent/St. Mary HS

2

7
*Jermaine O'Neal (Indiana)
F
6-11
226
10/13/78
Eau Claire HS

5

32
*Shaquille O'Neal (Miami)
C
7-1
325
03/06/72
LSU

13

34
Paul Pierce (Boston)
F
6-6
230
10/13/77
Kansas

5

3
*Dwyane Wade (Miami)
G
6-4
212
01/17/82
Marquette

2

3
Ben Wallace (Detroit)
F
6-9
240
09/10/74
Virginia Union

4

36
Rasheed Wallace (Detroit)
F
6-11
225
09/17/74
North Carolina

3

Head Coach: Flip Saunders (Detroit)
Assistant Coaches: Sidney Lowe, Ron Harper, Don Zierden
Athletic Trainer: Ted Arzonico (Orlando)

2006 WESTERN CONFERENCE ALL-STARS

No.
Player (Team)
Pos.
Ht.
Wt.
Birthdate
College/HS/Country
All-Star Selections

34
Ray Allen (Seattle)
G
6-5
205
07/20/75
Connecticut

6

42
Elton Brand (L.A. Clippers)
F
6-8
265
03/11/79
Duke

2

8
*Kobe Bryant (L.A. Lakers)
G
6-6
220
08/23/78
Lower Merion HS

8

21
*Tim Duncan (San Antonio)
F
7-0
260
04/25/76
Wake Forest

8

21
Kevin Garnett (Minnesota)
F
6-11
220
05/19/76
Farragut Academy (HS)

9

16
#Pau Gasol (Memphis)
C
7-0
227
07/06/80
Spain

1

31
Shawn Marion (Phoenix)
F
6-7
228
05/07/78
UNLV

3

1
*Tracy McGrady (Houston)
F
6-8
210
05/24/79
Mt. Zion Academy (HS)

6

11
*Yao Ming (Houston)
C
7-6
310
09/12/80
China

4

13
*Steve Nash (Phoenix)
G
6-3
180
02/07/74
Santa Clara

4

41
Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas)
F
7-0
245
06/19/78
Germany

5

9
#Tony Parker (San Antonio)
G
6-2
177
05/17/82
France

1

Head Coach: Avery Johnson (Dallas)
Assistant Coaches: Del Harris, Rolando Blackman, Joe Prunty
Athletic Trainer: Keith Jones (Houston)