Lowe: Biggest All-Star debates, and 12 picks for each conference

It's that time!

Rules:

• I start from scratch. It's more fun to try to identify the dozen best players of this particular season in each conference. Some colleagues, including pocket square enthusiast Kevin Pelton, place more weight on a player's track record.

I might use that as a tiebreaker, but I prioritize these 40-plus games.

• I use the same roster restrictions as fans and coaches: a starting five featuring two guards and three frontcourt players, and seven reserves without regard to position. (I am among the media members who vote for starters.)

Eastern Conference

Starters

Reserve locks

• The only debate among starters is the guard slot behind Irving. You can make strong cases for Beal,…