Photo Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

The All Star game comes around every February and it can be hard for fans to choose 5 deserving players from each conference.

There are some players who will always feel like they get the cold shoulder when the fan voting comes in while other players just see it as a formality as to how far ahead of the pack they are.

Unfortunately time doesn’t ease the pain for the All Star snubs as they are constantly overlooked no matter how well they play.

For example the East’s starting line-up after the 1st round of voting:

PG: Rajon Rondo 382 613 votes (7th Overall)

SG: Dwyane Wade 430 925 votes (6th Overall)

SF: LeBron James 641 348 votes (1st Overall)

PF: Carmelo Anthony 573 112 votes (4th Overall)

C: Kevin Garnett 218 246 votes (11th Overall)

Now is Kevin Garnett the best Center in the east right now? No! Is he the most deserving Center in the east right now? No!

It’s hard to understand why Garnett is the highest voting Center when Chris Bosh (210 724), Anderson Varejao (57 336), Joakim Noah (73 336), Brook Lopez (47 940) and Josh Smith (29 344) are all playing better this year and can give more highlight plays.

The Injured Andrew Bynum and Amare Stoudamire are both ahead in voting over Varejao and Lopez? What’s going on? If it weren’t for the shortage of shooting guards in the east Dwyane Wade’s spot as a starter would also be looking vulnerable.

I bet all these guys who are getting snubbed are saying that Garnett is all talk and is not playing anywhere near the level he should to be an All Star.

It’s a little a more sorted out in the West as this line-up is:

PG: Chris Paul 353 603 votes (8th Overall)

SG: Kobe Bryant 639 419 votes (2nd Overall)

SF: Kevin Durant 605 965 votes (3rd Overall)

PF: Blake Griffin 307 885 votes (9th Overall)

C: Dwight Howard 434 168 votes (5th Overall)

Fun Fact: Jeremy Lin was 10th Overall in All Star voting and about 80 000 votes clear of closest competitor Kevin Garnett.

It would be extremely difficult to knock that starting 5 and there’s a 99% chance that’s what were going to see come February. Where the west fans can be confusing though is the ordering of the other all star contenders.

The old, injured and out of touch Pau Gasol is being favoured by voters over Zach Randolph, LaMarcus Aldridge, Kevin Love and his brother Marc Gasol.

While among guards Steve Nash, who’s play doesn’t suit the All Star arena is favoured over Tony Parker, Ricky Rubio and Manu Ginobili.

All Star weekend is about the stars of today’s game and is not about the once better Kevin Garnett, Steve Nash or Jeremy Lin.

After years and years of All Star games Garnett and Nash just see it as another game. Keep these rosters rotating with the current stars of the league as fresh blood can bring another exciting edge to the game.

It doesn’t represent the cutting edge of strategical basketball (like it used to), these days it’s designed to be in the NBA schedule to bring the highlights of all highlights.

Unless fans are voting Kevin Garnett in so he can be posterized by Dwight Howard and Blake Griffin, stop voting for him and vote someone else please, for the good of the game.