Yesterday the NBA announced the reserve rosters for the 2005 NBA All Star Game in Denver, Co. and to no one’s surprise, a pair of Wizards heard there names called out. Take a bow Antawn Jamison and Gilbert Arenas, you deserve it.

Ballots had already been cast and counted before Arenas tied his career high with 43 points against the slumping Indiana Pacers on Monday night. Not wanting to be left out, Jamison chipped in 24 points and eight boards in the Wizard’s 108-104 win.
The All Star nods make Jamison and Arenas just the second and third Wizards to ever get the honor of playing in the NBA’s midseason classic (technically Chris Webber, Rasheed Wallace, Jeff Malone and Moses Malone were Bullets when they earned the honor).

Arenas ranks in the top 10 in the league in scoring, three-point field goals made, minutes per game, steals per game and free throws made and has scored at least 30 points 13 times this season. Jamison has been equally impressive, averaging 20 points and eight rebounds a game and chipping in with 18 double-doubles. “This is seven years in the making,” Jamison told the Post, obviously still hurting from being snubbed in the past when he was a memeber of the Golden State Warriors.
But in honoring these two players for their achievements on court, we should also credit Wizards owner Abe Polin for some moves in the front office, specifically sacking Michael Jordan as GM a few years ago. Polin brought in new GM Ernie Grunfeld who signed Arenas as a free agent two years ago and traded the number five pick in last year’s draft along with malcontents Jerry Stackhouse and Christian Laettner to Dallas for Jamison. The result? At 28-19, the Wizards are off to their best start in 26 years.

Lastly, DCist would be remiss about doing an All Star post without mentioning the play of the currently injured Larry Hughes. Hughes, who injured his thumb against Phoenix in mid January was averaging over 20 points and five assists a game as well as leading the league in steals.