Dwight and Josh Howard belong in the All-Star Game

Howard has been awesome for the Magic. He is the team’s leading scorer and rebounder. The 21-year-old Howard, who is playing in just his third year in the league, has elevated himself into on of the most intimidating, dominant big men in the league. The 6-11 Howard is the cornerstone of the Orlando franchise and belongs on the court with the elite in the NBA.

One of NBA’s rising stars with the last name of Howard got the recognition he deserved.

However, Dallas’ Josh Howard was denied a spot on the Western Conference squad, for now. There is still a chance that Josh Howard could be added to the West roster, as Houston center Yao Ming, who was voted in as a starter by the fans, is sidelined with a knee injury and is expected to miss the contest. NBA Commissioner David Stern is responsible for selecting replacement players.

Twenty-six-year-old Josh Howard is a big reason why the defending Western Conference champion Mavericks are serious contender to return to the NBA Finals and capture the franchise’s first-ever title. The athletic forward is averaging career-highs in points and rebounds and has solidified himself as one of the top small forwards in the game.

The starters were determined by the fans’ votes, while the 30 head coaches in the NBA voted for the reserves in their respective conferences after the starting players for each squad were finalized. The coaches were not permitted to vote for players from their own team.

The Eastern Conference starting lineup consists of Miami’s Shaquille O’Neal at center, Cleveland’s LeBron James and Toronto’s Chris Bosh at forward and Washington’s Gilbert Arenas and Dwyane Wade of the Heat at guard.

Also on the East squad are Caron Butler of the Wizards, New Jersey’s Vince Carter and Jason Kidd, Detroit’s Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton, and Jermaine O’Neal of the Pacers.

For the Western Conference starting lineup, the fans voted in Yao at center, Tim Duncan of the Spurs and Minnesota’s Kevin Garnett at forward and Tracy McGrady of the Rockets and the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant at guard.

The reserves for the West include Allen Iverson of Denver, Carlos Boozer of the Jazz, Dirk Nowitzki of the Mavericks, San Antonio’s Tony Parker and Shawn Marion, Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire of the Suns,

Boozer, who is a first-time All-Star, is sidelined with hairline fracture in his left leg, and like Yao will most likely miss the game.

Josh Howard, Carmelo Anthony and Marcus Camby of the Nuggets , Zach Randolph of Portland and the Clippers’ Elton Brand are all deserving of serious consideration to take an open spot on the West for an injured player. Anthony is the league’s leading scorer, but the one thing that hurts him is that he missed 15 games because of a suspension for his participation in the infamous brawl on December 16th at Madison Square Garden.

The coaches for the Eastern Conference got it right. Ben Gordon of the Bulls, New York’s Eddy Curry and Atlanta’s Joe Johnson are having excellent seasons. But, all the reserves for the East were deserving, and there are only so many spots to go around.

If there is one spot available on the West, Josh Howard deserves to get the nod to play in his first-ever NBA All-Star game. Two spots, and there is no doubt he should be in Las Vegas on February 18th.