Thursday evening the official reserves (bench players) for the 2008 NBA All-Star team were announced. Fans picked the starters, but NBA coaches picked these reserves. Here are the 14 players (seven East, seven West) selected to come off the bench in the 2008 All-Star game.

East: Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Joe Johnson, Caron Butler, Paul Pierce, Antawn Jamison, Chris Bosh

West: Steve Nash, Chris Paul, Brandon Roy, David West, Dirk Nowitzki, Carlos Boozer, Amare Stoudemire

InsideHoops.com analysis coming over the next hour or two. Watch our front page. And of course we’ll add reactions from newspapers around the country to our NBA rumors page late tonight and Friday morning.

The host New Orleans Hornets are one of four teams which can claim two All-Star reserves as the NBA today announced the list of 14 players that have been selected by the coaches as reserves for the 2008 NBA All-Star Game. The Detroit Pistons, Phoenix Suns and Washington Wizards also have two All-Star reserves in the 57th NBA All-Star Game which will be played on Sunday, Feb. 17 at New Orleans Arena.

First-time All-Star selections Chris Paul and David West of New Orleans are joined by fellow first-time selection Brandon Roy of the Portland Trail Blazers as Western Conference reserves, along with Carlos Boozer of the Utah Jazz, Steve Nash and Amaré Stoudemire of the Phoenix Suns, and the Dallas Mavericks’ Dirk Nowitzki.

The East reserves feature the Detroit Pistons’ Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton, Chris Bosh of the Toronto Raptors, Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison of the Washington Wizards, Joe Johnson of the Atlanta Hawks and the Boston Celtics’ Paul Pierce.

The 14 players selected — seven each from the Eastern and Western Conferences — were chosen by the 30 NBA head coaches, who were asked to vote for seven players in their respective conferences — two guards, two forwards, one center and two players regardless of position. They were not permitted to vote for players from their own team.

Previously selected as starters for the East through the 2008 NBA All-Star Balloting Program were Boston’s Kevin Garnett, Cleveland’s LeBron James, Orlando’s Dwight Howard, New Jersey’s Jason Kidd and Miami’s Dwyane Wade. Denver’s Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson, Houston’s Yao Ming, the Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant and San Antonio’s Tim Duncan will start for the West.

The selections of Nash (Canada) and Nowitzki (Germany) along with voted-starters Duncan (U.S. Virgin Islands) and Yao (China), gives the 2008 NBA All-Star Game four international players.

Should any player be unable to participate in the All-Star Game due to injury, NBA Commissioner David Stern will select the replacement.

Boston head coach Doc Rivers and his coaching staff will be on the sidelines for the Eastern Conference All-Stars, as the Celtics previously clinched the best winning percentage through games of Feb. 3 among eligible Eastern Conference teams for All-Star coaching honors. The Western Conference coaching scenario has yet to be determined, with the staffs of the Dallas Mavericks (31-13, .705) and New Orleans Hornets (32-13, .711) still in contention. The coaching staff of either Dallas or New Orleans, depending on which owns the best winning percentage through games of Feb. 3, will lead the Western Conference All-Stars.

Talk about this with other fans on the InsideHoops basketball message board.

Charlotte Bobcats General Manager Rod Higgins today announced that the team has signed veteran point guard Earl Boykins for the remainder of the 2007-08 season. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. Boykins will wear jersey #11 and join the Bobcats on Friday, Feb. 1, when they face Golden State.

See the full story.

Wizards head coach Eddie Jordan at practice today:

On tomorrow’s game: “I am looking forward to tomorrow’s game to see how disciplined we will be in the first five or six minutes. We need to have a good tempo, manage the game properly, and try to get good looks. We can make adjustments after that.”

On the Utah Jazz: “We have one of the best executing teams in the league coming in. They are very physical and are one of the best coached teams in the league. They are one of the best teams in the West. They may not have the glamour like some of the others, but they get the job done. They are very good.”

On Dominic McGuire: “He is beginning to do what he does best. He isn’t getting out of the realm of his strengths. He comes off the bench and gives us good energy. He is going to get offensive rebounds, run the floor, get deflections and tip-ins, and defend well. He is a good sized athlete that we like to have on this team. Every good team in the league has this sort of guy. He can probably cover three or four positions.”

On Caron Butler: “We are going to see him in shootaround tomorrow. We’ll go about an hour, run the offense and get into a four or five minute segment of live action. We’ll see how he reacts after that.”

On Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison possibly being named All-Stars tonight: “I hope. I don’t know. I would think Caron (Butler) is a shoe-in and Antawn (Jamison) has a very good chance. Anything can happen though. I am hoping they both make it.”

On the team: “It is a combination of both good front office and good coaching. We are picking and developing the players well. Ernie (Grunfeld) has done an excellent job of acquiring guys such as Antawn (Jamison), Gilbert (Arenas) and Caron (Butler). I think our coaching staff has done a good job putting them in situations where they can be highly successful and develop them at the same time. It is a combination of the entire organization doing a good job. That is what this league is all about.”

Fiba.com reports: Canada coach Leo Rautins revealed on Thursday that NBA superstar Steve Nash has not ruled out playing for the national team this summer. The Phoenix Suns all-star led Canada at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 but last played for his country at the FIBA Americas Championship in 2003. Rautins, after learning that Canada had been drawn with Korea and Slovenia in Group C for the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, said Nash, a two-time NBA MVP, could still play. “You are always hoping he (Nash) will play but I’m preparing as if he’s not,” Rautins said to FIBA.Com.

The Charlotte Observer reports: The Charlotte Bobcats have come to terms with a free-agent point guard Earl Boykins and an announcement of his signing is expected later today, the Observer has learned. Boykins, who played for Denver and Milwaukee last season, is somewhat undersized at 5-foot-5 but has been a dynamic scorer.

Discuss this with other fans on the InsideHoops basketball forum.

Cavaliers forward LeBron James experienced a right ankle sprain with 23.3 seconds remaining in the second quarter in last night’s Cavaliers game in Portland versus the Trail Blazers. He returned to start the second half and played the remainder of the game.  He traveled with the team to Seattle following the game, was re-evaluated this morning and is currently listed as a game-time decision for tonight’s Cavaliers-SuperSonics game.

NBA.com reports: If pressed to summarize Al Thornton’s rookie season the word to use would probably be inconsistent. But if you were to describe his performance on Wednesday, terms like magnificent, amazing and phenomenal would come to mind. The rookie out of Florida State put together his best night of the season as he notched a career-best 33 points to power the Clippers past the Hawks. With L.A. clinging on to a three-point lead and 14.9 seconds left on the clock, Thornton rejected a driving layup by fellow first-year player Acie Law to seal the deal.

NBA.com reports: Andris Biedrins may not have had the best numbers on Wednesday, but he certainly made a big difference off the bench in a big win for the Warriors. Biedrins poured in 14 points on a scorching 6-of-7 night from the field to power the Warriors past the Hornets, ending their nine-game winning streak. The defeat snapped two additional streaks for the Hornets. They were previously 20-0 when scoring at least 100 points and 15-0 when Chris Paul and Tyson Chandler had double-doubles in the same game.

NBA.com reports: They knew what was coming, but weren’t even close to stopping it. With the Cavs down by one and 4.9 ticks left, Cleveland sent its inbounds pass to LeBron James, who demonstrated why he is truly the king of the clutch. James blasted past the defending Brandon Roy, seeped through LaMarcus Aldridge and went around the extended arms of Travis Outlaw to drain a game-winning last-second layup to give the Cavs a thrilling road triumph over the Blazers. It was the finishing touch to a 17-point fourth quarter for the King, who brought the Cavs back from an 11-point final-period deficit. “We stepped up too late,” Roy said of Portland’s defense on LeBron’s final drive. “Once he got to into the paint we didn’t want to foul him so a couple of guys shied away. We’ve got to force him into a jump shot in that situation.” Cleveland has now won five straight games on the road, its longest streak since April 1998.

The San Antonio Spurs today announced that Tony Parker underwent an MRI on his left ankle on Wednesday in San Antonio. The results showed that Parker is suffering from chronic inflammation and confirmed there is no structural damage in his ankle.

Parker received anti-inflammatory shots today which are designed to decrease the swelling in his ankle joint.

No timeline has been set for his return. Parker will not travel with the Spurs on the team’s six-game Eastern road trip which starts on Tuesday in Indiana.

A source tells InsideHoops.com editor Jeff Lenchiner that it’s “extremely likely” Damon Stoudamire will sign with the San Antonio Spurs.

Several media outlets reported Tuesday and Wednesday that San Antonio was an increasingly probable destination for the point guard, who became a free agent after a buyout agreement led to the Memphis Grizzlies waiving him. A source confirmed that to InsideHoops.com, and said late Wednesday night that Stoudamire to the Spurs is expected to happen unless a sudden surprise offer comes Damon’s way.

InsideHoops.com met with Philadelphia 76ers rookie Jason Smith.

The 7-0 kid reveals how impressed he is by Dirk Nowitzki, which cars he owns, and what video games he plays.

See the interview.

The Phoenix Suns and US Airways Center will debut a new Bacardi Rum Bar tomorrow night (January 31) when the Suns host the San Antonio Spurs at 8:30 PM.  The newly branded bar is located on the east side of the lower level concourse outside Sections 102 - 104.

Designed with Bacardi’s trademark red and black colors, the newest addition to US Airways Center features flat screen TV’s and will seat approximately 130 guests.  In addition to serving a variety of cocktails, beer and wine, the bar is the only place in the Center that will sell a variety of hamburgers and Planet Orange Sweet Potato Fries.

“We’re excited to have a branded bar in such a beautiful and heavily-trafficked arena,” said Courtney Winter, Bacardi USA Field Marketing Manager, West Central Region.  “As we explored opportunities with different venues, this partnership really jumped out at us as a solid opportunity to promote our brands and drive awareness through two key consumer passion points: sports and live music.”

New York Knicks forward Renaldo Balkman has been suspended for one game without pay and assessed a Flagrant Foul, Penalty Two for elbowing the Los Angeles Laker’s Sasha Vujacic in the jaw, it was announced today by Stu Jackson, NBA Executive Vice President Basketball Operations.

The incident occurred with 7:07 remaining in the second period of New York’s 120-109 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, Jan. 29 at Staples Center. Balkman will serve the suspension tonight when the Knicks visit the Utah Jazz at EnergySolutions Arena.

The SuperSonics announced today that a limited-edition bobblehead series will be unveiled to fans beginning Monday, Feb. 4 when the Sonics take on the Chicago Bulls.  The Nick Collison bobblehead, presented by FSN, is the first of three to be given away this season.  Kevin Durant presented by Allstate Insurance Company will be launched next on Feb. 19, followed by Chris Wilcox presented by KeyBank, on March 14.

“We are pleased to reintroduce the SuperSonics bobblehead series, a longtime Sonics tradition and fan favorite promotion,” said Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing Brian Byrnes. “These limited edition collectibles are a must for any Sonics fan, and the Golden Bobblehead is a way for us to reward a lucky fan with a once in a lifetime game experience.”

The Rookie Challenge game in All-Star weekend features this year’s best rookies against this year’s best sophomores (players who were rookies last year). The rosters are on InsideHoops.com. Here’s who is playing:

Rookies: Mike Conley, Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, Al Horford, Jamario Moon, Juan Carlos Navarro, Luis Scola, Sean Williams and Yi Jianlian.

Sophomores: LaMarcus Aldridge, Andrea Bargnani, Ronnie Brewer, Jordan Farmar, Rudy Gay, Daniel Gibson, Paul Millsap, Rajon Rondo and Brandon Roy.

For more info see the full story on InsideHoops.com.

The Chicago Bulls today named Michael Brown assistant coach. Brown joins Ron Adams, Pete Myers and Mike Wilhelm to round out Jim Boylan’s coaching staff.

“Michael’s main responsibility will be working with Pete Myers and focusing on the continued development of our young big men,” said Bulls Interim Head Coach Jim Boylan. “His experience as a player in the NBA, and as a coach in the NBDL, will be a welcome addition to our staff and our team.”

For more info, see the full story.

Wizards captain Antawn Jamison was drafted 4th overall by Toronto in 1998, but his draft rights were immediately traded to Golden State for the draft rights to #5 pick Vince Carter.

Raptors guard Juan Dixon was drafted by Washington 17th overall in 2002 and played three seasons with the Wizards.

Wizards assistant Dave Hopla was a basketball development consultant for the Toronto Raptors last season.

Wizards guard Roger Mason Jr. formerly played for the Raptors.

The latest Varejao injury update, this time with a timeline:

Cavaliers forward Anderson Varejao arrived back in Cleveland from the Cavaliers’ current road trip west Tuesday evening and was evaluated at Cleveland Clinic Courts by head team physician Dr. Richard Parker. He has a left ankle sprain (inversion sprain) with bone bruises, which he experienced during the third quarter of the Cavaliers/Lakers game in LA on Sunday afternoon. He will remain in Cleveland to continue his rehabilitation process and is currently estimated to be out 3 to 4 weeks.

The official website of the NBL (Australia’s main basketball league) reports: Adelaide’s star import Julius Hodge has taken out the National Basketball League’s Player of the Week award for Round 19 of the 2007/08 HUMMER Championship after guiding his team to a crucial win over Cairns that kept the 36ers playoff hopes alive. Hodge averaged 33.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists for the week as the 36ers went 1-1 for Round 19. The American had 27 points, four rebounds and four assists as Adelaide narrowly lost to second-placed Melbourne on Wednesday at the Distinctive Homes Dome, 113-108.