Fans chose Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant to start the 2010 year All-Star Game in Dallas, making it the 12th All-Star game of his career. Leading with 692,518 votes, he joins teammate Pau Gasol, who was picked by the coaches. It will be Gasol’s 2nd straight All-Star game as a Laker.

Some fans and industry insiders, though, find Gasol’s selection to be quite an issue because of the fact that he missed 17 games due to injury on both of his hamstrings. However, to experts, it is a well-informed decision, especially if you consider the Lakers power forward’s impact when he is in the lineup. When Gasol played for the team, the Lakers went 24-5.

As for the rest of the Lakers cast, Luke Walton has recuperated pleasantly from his strained nerve in the back and has not felt pain since his comeback. In relation to this, Bryant’s back has not appeared to present him with any more problems in his performance. Likewise, his finger injury seems to have mended on the hard splint for the time being.

Though Bryant is performing well on court even with the injury, it has made a clear impact on his shooting average, as he has been shooting a mere 41% from the field since the start of 2010.

Ron Artest has been recently struggling with his game, and the reason seems to be plantar fasciitis. Artest told reporters that he was suffering from foot pain. His statistics confirm his claim: 6.1 points per game and 2.5 rebounds per game in the last five games.

Artest further stated that he will keep attempting “to play through it,” although Lakers coach Phil Jackson cited that if the pain persists or gets worse, he may be forced to ask Artest to refrain from performing his usual court duties in order to rehabilitate the injury.