Hahn: Take a position --- will Knicks' Lee be an All-Star?

David Lee is about to find out just how much appreciation for his game there is around the NBA. After a summer in which his agent, Mark Bartelstein, insisted there would have been a great demand for his client if he had not been a restricted free agent, Lee has made a serious case as a candidate for a reserve spot on the Eastern Conference All-Star team.

While fans vote for the starters - let's end the suspense and tell you that according to the latest voting results released by the NBA, for the East it'll be Allen Iverson and Dwyane Wade in the backcourt, LeBron James and Kevin Garnett at the forward spots and Dwight Howard at center - it is the coaches who vote for the reserves. "He's made a great case for himself," Bobcats coach Larry Brown said Thursday. "The problem is, where do you put him, power forward or center?"

Therein lies the debate. Lee is a power forward by trade (and on the official ballot), but technically he has been listed at center throughout this season. At forward, he stands little chance to get a nod when you consider Chris Bosh (23.6 points, 11.4 rebounds per game) is a lock and Gerald Wallace deserves to become the first Bobcats player to make the All-Star team. But at center, Lee compares favorably to just about everyone else in the East.

Going into this weekend's games, he led all East centers with 18.9 points per game, had the top efficiency rating (25.1) and was third in rebounding (10.9). Though Brook Lopez is having a strong year statistically, the fact that the Nets are 3-33 effectively removes him from this conversation.

But one could argue that Lee's fellow Florida alum, Al Horford, also a power forward playing mostly center, is just as deserving, if not more so because of his important role on a winning team in Atlanta. Horford is fifth in scoring (13.7) and rebounding (9.9) among East centers and fourth in efficiency rating (21.7).

There also is the Shaquille O'Neal factor. He is about 70,000 votes behind Howard for the starting nod, which seems insurmountable at this point in the voting process. The starters will be named Jan. 21, and that's when the coaches will get their ballots to select the rest of the 12-man roster. The reserves will be announced Jan. 28.

The Knicks haven't had an All-Star since the 2001 season, when Allan Houston and Latrell Sprewell got the call, and they haven't had a legitimate All-Star candidate since 2006-07, when Eddy Curry made a strong case. He was edged by Howard mainly because the Magic had a better record. The Knicks are almost at the midpoint of the season and very much in contention for a playoff spot, which certainly helps Lee's cause. But will it be enough?