John Hollinger has Kevin Durant as an All-Star starter

Pretty straightforward. Hollinger says KD should start over Carmelo Anthony:

Both players are high-volume scorers who constantly get to the line, rebound well for their position, have low assist rates and have substantially improved their once-laughable defense. Anthony leads the league in scoring while Durant is third, with the margin between them (0.9 points per game) close enough that either could end up first at season’s end. Durant has shot more efficiently, helped by his 86.9 percent mark from the line, but Anthony has won more.

What it ultimately came down to for me was availability. Durant hasn’t missed a game; Anthony has missed five. In a race this close, that matters, and it’s why I give Durant the nod. Anthony fans needn’t worry, however — back in the real world, he’s going to win the voting by a wide margin.

This is the second-most difficult choice on the ballot, as Durant and Carmelo Anthony have essentially equal résumés. If somebody wanted to pick Carmelo, I don’t think I could generate a strong enough case for Durant to change his mind. Of course, the opposite is also true.

Of course you won’t hear any disagreement from me. ‘Melo will obviously will start because of the fan vote, but I like the fact people are giving KD credit in the “deserves to start” area. Last year, it was that he deserved to be an All-Star. Now he deserves to start the All-Star game. I like this progression.