All-Star starters rare for Knicks | The Salt Lake Tribune

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The last time the Knicks had a starter in the NBA All-Star Game, Amare Stoudemire was 9 years old in Florida.

Now Stoudemire is the 28-year-old king of New York hoops, the most important player to wear a Knicks uniform since Patrick Ewing. Barring a last-minute surge by the Celtics' Kevin Garnett, Stoudemire will join an elite group on Thursday night and become the just the fifth Knick ever to be voted onto the All-Star team.

"This is a very big thing for both the franchise and the fans," said former Knick Allan Houston, who played as a reserve in two All-Star Games. "Amar'e is a special player, and it's a special honor."

It's an honor the Knicks haven't enjoyed since 1992 when Ewing was voted the East's starting center.

Starters for both the East and West teams will be announced Thursday night on TNT on a nationally televised show before the Knicks play the Miami Heat.

NBA Development League

Legends 106, Flash 88 • Ronald Dupree had a dominating first half, scoring 18 points and Texas ended a two-game losing streak using a big fourth quarter run to beat Utah at Frisco, Texas.

From wire reports