Oh yes, there will be snubs.

A little Saw reference seems fitting for the carnage we're going to see come Thursday evening, roughly 2.3 seconds after Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith fight to filter the expletives out from their own passionate opinions as reserves are announced for the Feb. 14 All-Star Game.

By the time the TNT selections are announced, players will already have been notified of their inclusion by agents or some other liason, and those who haven't gotten the call will know things didn't go their way. Still, it's not likely to register until the names are posted on your screen, with the identities of those who should feel slighted sure to follow.

Making things even more car-wreck interesting is the volume of candidates used to the icy chill of being told they hadn't made the cut. These are among the top athletes in the world -- they're not used to being turned down often, but every year, right around this time, their hearts are broken.

Stephen Jackson. Zach Randolph. Josh Smith. Deron Williams.

Yep, a few among this season's group of hopefuls have the reputation of being knuckleheads who may not ever have a better chance than this one to earn that long coveted All-Star nod.

It adds a new meaning to feel the drama.

Here are my choices. If I'm right, a few names used to playing bridesmaid will have to temporarily get the Kleenex back out unless someone backs out or suffers injury.

East All-Stars: F- Paul Pierce, Boston; F- Chris Bosh, Toronto; C- David Lee, New York; G- Rajon Rondo, Boston; G- Joe Johnson, Atlanta; F- Josh Smith, Atlanta; G- Stephen Jackson, Charlotte.

East All-Snubs: F- Antawn Jamison, Washington; F- Gerald Wallace, Charlotte; C- Shaquille O'Neal, Cleveland; G- Derrick Rose, Chicago; G-Ray Allen, Boston.

Pierce is a no-brainer and a legacy, a lock to make his eighth appearance in nine years. His points-per-game average might be the lowest since his rookie season, but his shooting percentage would currently be a career-high.

Bosh's Raptors have underachieved, but he's made GMs around the league salivate over his impending free agency with career-bests (23.9 ppg, 11.1 rpg, .525 FGP) across the board. Coaches could move him to center in their ballots to make room for forwards Wallace and Josh Smith, but I don't see enough doing that.

Lee's expanded outside touch has the Knicks seriously considering giving him the long-term payday he deserves, and an All-Star nod could cement that. Averaging over 19 points and 11 rebounds while helping the Knicks become an unexpected playoff contender following a brutal start. He could be hurt by coaches giving O'Neal a deferential nod since he has been a positive factor on the team with the conference's top mark. Not to mention, he's Shaq. I'd have no problem with that, but the families of Lee, Al Horford, Andrew Bogut and Kendrick Perkins might.

Rondo was hopeful that coaches would recognize his efforts last season, but wasn't holding his breath. I remember talking about it with him and he'd already made vacation plans that he was more than willing to break. This year, the Rondo clan should have every intention of spending Valentine's Day weekend in Dallas. The engine behind this year's Celtics, Rondo is averaging over 14 points and nearly 10 assists while leading the NBA in steals. Expect him to get the nod over backcourt mate Ray Allen, who has made nine All-Star appearances.

The other guard spot has to go to Joe Jo, who will be making his fourth straight appearance, keeping teammate Jamal Crawford and Chicago's Derrick Rose from making their first.

Rose had a slow start to his season due to ankle problems, and in my eyes, that's the difference between him and Captain Jack. Jackson matured into a leader in Golden State, and though that certainly didn't end well, he took the positives of what he picked up and hit the ground running in Charlotte. Making big shot after big shot, Jackson is emerging as the closer Michael Jordan signed Jason Richardson to be, and deserves to be rewarded for it.

His inclusion would be bad news for teammate Wallace, as it fulfills my Bobcats quota. Wallace is certainly deserving, having led the NBA in rebounding for much of the season's first half and currently averaging a double-double (18.6 ppg, 11.0 rpg), but he gets caught up in a number's game. Josh Smith plays a similar role in Southeast Division-leading Atlanta, averaging over 16 points, nine boards, four assists, 2.4 blocks and 1.5 steals to carry the Hawks to a surprising first half. J-Smoove is playing so well right now that he might get coach Mike Woodson and his staff into the head seats on the East bench, and I think most coaches are smart enough to realize that.

West All-Stars: F- Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas; F- Zach Randolph, Memphis; C- Pau Gasol, L.A. Lakers; G- Chris Paul, New Orleans; G- Brandon Roy, Portland; F- Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City; G- Chauncey Billups, Denver.

West All-Snubs: F- David West, New Orleans; F- Carlos Boozer, Utah; C- Chris Kaman, L.A. Clippers; G- Deron Williams, G, Utah; G- Monta Ellis, Golden State.

Nowitzki is a no-brainer, doing what he does at an MVP level. He'll take his turn as All-Star host in his ninth appearance, helping Mark Cuban make good on his promise to make the Pro Bowl look like a Bar Mitzvah. What? He said Super Bowl? 

Randolph's handlers can finally stop telling him that he's played at an All-Star level before. Sure, he's put up All-Star numbers, but the A-S level is different. Feels different. Earned beyond reproach, Randolph's numbers have meant something all season, and the 50 percent shooting clip and 11.5 rebounds per game, career-bests, are proof of stat-mongering for the greater good. It would be criminal if he weren't included.

Kaman sided with himself on the L.A.-based center debate facing Western Conference coaches, and while he's surely justified in his opinion, he's got no ring. Pau Gasol does, and happens to be the reason his team made the jump from contender to finalist to champion. In my book, that buys you the credit it takes to make up for the missed time due to injury, especially since he's been lights out when he's been out there, helping L.A. to a 24-5 mark. The Clippers have 24 wins yet? That horrendous laydown in New Jersey would've only been victory No. 21.

Speaking of having enough in the bank to earn a spot despite injury, Brandon Roy falls into that category. Despite nagging injuries, he's gutted it out through 40 games, more than enough time to where it would be a brutal oversight if he's left out.

Ditto for Chris Paul, a known contender in the pound-for-pound race. If you're rated among the best players in the game, recognized as the top point guard in the profession, you can't be downgraded when you're racking up 20 points and 11 assists again. His New Orleans Hornets aren't as respected these days, but he's still stealing victories at an arena near you on the regular.

That leaves two wild card spots available, and one absolutely has to go to Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant, who is simply too good to deny just because he's 21 years young. I thought Durant deserved to play last year, but it was easy for coaches to pass on him since he'd be participating with the Sophomores in the Rookie Challenge. This year, that out doesn't exist, and his 29.3 points per game make him impossible to deny. There's enough age discrimination in the league in the draft process. No need to let it seep into the All-Star festivities, too.

There are a number of worthy candidates for that final guard spot, from would-be first-timers Williams and Ellis to veteran participants Chauncey Billups and Tony Parker. Dallas' Jason Terry would be a nice choice as well, especially since the Jet is such a favorite in Dallas and has been vital in this season's emergence.

You really can't go wrong, but my choice is Billups, who's averaging a career-best 19.1 points per game. He's definitely earned his fifth straight nod, but no one would chirp too much if Williams finally breaks through. To me, that's the toughest choice that West coaches had.

Tony Mejia is senior writer of Pro Basketball News. He can be reached at mejia@probasketballnews.com