Divisional All-Stars: West

This idea came to me via a twitter proposal; what if instead of conference all-star teams, each division put forth a team of their top players to compete tournament-style? I've made them teams of ten with one wild-card player, a young and intriguing guy along for the ride who are mostly rookies but I made a few exceptions for talent or for lack of talent on a certain team within a strong division. If each city/ team had to be represented in the Divisional All-Star team with at least one player, here's what the lineups might look like in the Eastern Conference divisions, and how they might play.

Pacific Division

C - Pau Gasol
PF - Blake Griffin
SF - Kobe Bryant
SG - Steph Curry
PG - Chris Paul

Andre Iguodala
Klay Thompson
Andrew Bogut
Steve Nash
DeMarcus Cousins
and... Eric Bledsoe 

With Chris Paul and Steph Curry in the backcourt this team will have an amazing series with the Central Division featuring Derrick Rose and Kyrie Irving. Imagine that matchup!? I'd start Pau and slot him at the elbows allowing Blake to make his awkward post-ups with plenty of space, and crash to the basket if he can crash his way around his defender. They won't be elite rebounders but it's not like Kobe and Steph are going to miss many shots when Chris Paul is setting them up. Iguodala off the bench can defend any of the LeBron/Melo/Harden types if one of the point guards goes to the bench. Klay is another shooter, one of the greatest luxuries in the NBA. If you need rebounding and Pau and Blake just aren't doing it, put the Big Aussie in and see what happens if he's playing at his best. Steve Nash can play veterans minutes and be a leader and DeMarcus Cousins can do the opposite of that. Bledsoe is along for the ride because of his break-out potential and current status as one of the biggest potential breakout stars of the year. This team will be dangerous.


NorthWest Division

C - LaMarcus Aldridge
PF - Kevin Love
SF - Kevin Durant
SG - Damian Lillard
PG - Russell Westbrook

Ty Lawson
Danilo Gallinari
Ricky Rubio
Nikola Pekovic
Serge Ibaka
and... Trey Burke

Lillard should be an All-Star this year, I'm going to go ahead and lock him in. He and Westbrook would wreak havoc in the backcourt. And Westbrook would play with Durant and Love, teammates that he's familiar with and are familiar with him and his tendencies and his needs. Durant will score whenever necessary and lead the charge from mid-range with a spread offence. Lawson and Rubio off the bench gives options and you can never have too many point guards! Bring Trey Burke along for the ride to represent Utah and he just might crack the rotation. Big Pek can bring the rebounding off the bench and allow Love or Aldridge to be more mobile on defence if the other goes to the bench. Gallo gives them another guy with size and shooting off the bench and can create his own shot and work as a role player if necessary. Serge Ibaka gives them another athletic forward and defender/ shot blocker that they'll need. This is a solid team that could contend with the best.

SouthWest

C - Dwight Howard
PF - Dirk Nowitzki
SF - James Harden
SG - Monta Ellis
PG - Tony Parker

Mike Conley
Zach Randolph
Marc Gasol
Jrue Holiday
Tim Duncan
and... Kawhi Leonard

Harden and D12 team up AND Mark Cuban's evil vision comes true with this SouthWestern squad as Dwight and Dirk form the frontcourt. Dirk is an underrated presence in the NBA right now, but with the right team he's got another title in him. With Duncan and ZBO/ Gasol off the bench, this is possibly the best frontcourt you could assemble in the entire NBA. They have veterans, champions, cerebral players and leaders that combine the best qualities of post players. And Dwight Howard. If I'm the coach I'm running everything through the post, like the Grizzlies do with Gasol, except teach Dwight that offence and get him rolling to the basket. Marc Gasol with Dwight up front would be a lethal pairing, Duncan and Gasol would combust defences, and Dirk and Dwight are the best inside-outside big man combo there could be. Harden and Ellis will get buckets and push the tempo, and they'll buy into the system of passing into the post and moving on offence with and without the ball. Tony Parker can orchestrate the show with Conley and Holiday behind him for point guard depth desperately needed for this tournament. Then if you need that elite wing defender, turn to Kawhi Leonard - next years' Most Improved Player. Book it. I like this team for it's interior focus, but it lacks something unless Harden is transcendent.

Which division do you think would win? Compare these Western Division's with my All-Star selections for the Eastern Conference's divisional teams by scrolling down or clicking on this link - Eastern Divisional All-Stars. Let me know in the comments section below or tweet me @devingray33