James Harden named All-Star, will be Rockets' sole representative

In the least surprising news of the day, James Harden has been named to his first All-Star game as a reserve and will represent the Rockets as they host. Harden has broken out this season, sitting fifth in the league in scoring at 25.8 points per game and silencing the critics who said he couldn't handle a full load offensively.

Jeremy Lin, Omer Asik, and Chandler Parsons, the other three Rockets on the All-Star ballot, were not named as reserves. We talked on Wednesday about Parsons' chances at making an All-Star game, but it's clear that he and both Lin and Asik are not yet to an All-Star level.

For now, it appears as though the Rockets' second All-Star to pair with Harden isn't on the roster yet. Asik, Lin, or Parsons could have some dramatic improvements to surprise us over the next few years, but it seems likely that all three will settle into nice careers as above average role players.

Regardless, it's worth celebrating that Harden is now an All-Star. Let's hope it's the start of a streak of such performances.