An Early Look at the All-Stars : Pro basketball: Rodman and Parish have talents that make them worthy candidates.

It’s almost all-star time again, so, based on sketchy information, speculation and, in some cases, outright opinion, the following constitute a few humble choices as to who should take the floor in Miami Feb. 11.

Eastern Conference: Forwards: Charles Barkley, Philadelphia; Larry Bird, Boston; Chuck Person, Indiana; Scottie Pippen, Chicago; Dennis Rodman, Detroit.

That’s right, Rodman. Of course Dominique Wilkins averages more points than Rodman. So do Bill Cartwright, Fred Roberts and Jerry Reynolds. So what? Rodman changes the momentum of a game without taking a shot. We’re already going to see the game’s best offensive talent. Why not showcase its best defensive player?

Told to lose weight and be a model citizen, Person has lost weight and been a model citizen for Indiana -- and still scored 20 a night. Pippen has been all-around outstanding for the Bulls, finally providing Chicago with someone to take the pressure off Michael Jordan. Well, a little.

Terry Catledge (Orlando) has had a fine first half at 20.6 points and 8.7 rebounds per game, but first-year expansion numbers always tend to be a little skewed. We don’t want to be cynical, but Catledge was in a contract year before signing a six-year pact with the Magic last week. Centers: Pat Ewing, New York; Robert Parish, Boston.

Parish gets in for no other reason than he got robbed of an appearance last season, but his numbers (16.8 points per game, 10.5 rebounds per game, .589 field-goal percentage) more than back up an invitation this year too. Ewing? MVP. Enough said. Moses Malone’s numbers are solid as always, but the Hawks are treading water and his play is doing nothing to improve the team.

Apologies to Rik Smits (Indiana), Rony Seikaly (Miami) and Sam Bowie (New Jersey), playing well, but just a cut below. Guards: Jordan, Chicago; Joe Dumars, Isiah Thomas, Detroit; Reggie Miller, Indiana; Jeff Malone, Washington.

Dumars has been the better guard in Detroit and Thomas makes it only because Mark Price (Cleveland) missed too many games with injuries early on. Miller has been the centerpiece of Indiana’s emergence and may be the best three-point shooter in the league.

Malone? The conference’s third-best scoring guard (23.2 points a game) is having a career-best shooting year from the floor. He deserves it, finishing a few strides ahead of Ricky Pierce (Milwaukee).

Western Conference: Forwards: Karl Malone, Utah; Terry Cummings, San Antonio; Buck Williams, Portland; James Worthy, Los Angeles; Chris Mullin, Golden State.

Last year, the Trail Blazers were the league’s worst underachievers. With the same group of players, Williams’s professionalism has rubbed off (as well as a few crunching picks and 9.7 rebounds) and the Trail Blazers are chasing the Lakers in the Pacific Division.

And for those who would make David Robinson the sole reason for San Antonio’s turnaround, please note Cummings’s 21.9 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.

Both the Warriors and Suns have come on of late, but Phoenix’s rise seems more directly related to Kevin Johnson’s return. By this slim margin (and logic), Mullin gets the nod over Tom Chambers (25.2 points per game). Centers: Akeem Olajuwon, Houston; Robinson, San Antonio.

Head and shoulders above the competition, Olajuwon has kept a struggling Rockets team near the .500 mark. Robinson has launched himself onto the list of the top five centers in the game with half a year’s work. Guards: Magic Johnson, Lakers; John Stockton, Utah; Clyde Drexler, Portland; Gary Grant, Clippers; Mitch Richmond, Golden State.

Drexler has been brilliant for Portland, keeping quiet and letting his play speak for him. Grant is one of three players in the league in the top 10 in assists and steals; Richmond (22.2 points a game) came on after a slow start. The most competitive of spots. Ron Harper (Clippers) would have made it but for his knee injury.

Lo and behold, the former Mr. Fragile, Sam Bowie, is on the verge of becoming a down-and-dirty tough guy inside for Bill Fitch and the New Jersey Nets.

“His low-post game a year from now will be tremendous,” Fitch said. “Instead of spending an hour and a half each day during the summer working on his strength and trying to rehabilitate one of his legs, he can ... work on his low-post moves.”

Bowie said others always have been in the way to his being the go-to guy.

“When I was at (Kentucky), Melvin (Turpin) played the low post, and I played the perimeter,” he said. “I go out to Portland and (Kevin) Duckworth’s progress comes around the way he did. ... Here I’m the (center) and I need to develop some low-post moves that come crunch time, regardless of how the defense plays, I’ll be able to get the shot off.”

That’s assuming Bowie doesn’t break in two by year’s end; he’s missed the last two Nets games with back spasms.

Mavericks forward Roy Tarpley, who was suspended Nov. 16 for violating his substance-abuse aftercare program, was reinstated by the ASAP Family Treatment Program Monday.

He is scheduled to play Friday night against the Sacramento Kings.

Tarpley missed 34 games and lost more than $240,000 for failure to adhere to his NBA-mandated program. ...

Larry Bird tells the Orlando Sentinel that he was asked to be one of the participants in the now-unlikely Magic Johnson-Michael Jordan one-on-one game, but said no because he thought there would be betting on the event.