Pau Gasol makes All-Star team, Andrew Bynum and Chris Kaman don’t

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Lakers forward Pau Gasol is in the NBA All-Star game, but center Andrew Bynum is out, and so is the Clippers center Chris Kaman.

Gasol will join Kobe Bryant at the All-Star game on Feb. 14, the second time in as many seasons that Gasol was selected to play for the Western Conference team, according to a league source who was not allowed to speak publicly.

Bynum, however, did not make the All-Star team after averaging 15.8 points and 8.4 rebounds a game. He started off strong, collecting double-doubles in eight of his first nine games but then endured a stretch of 23 consecutive games without a double-double.

The rest of the All-Star reserves will be announced today on TNT at 4 p.m. Pacific time.

Gasol, 29, was selected despite missing 17 games because of two hamstring injuries. When he played, he averaged a sturdy 17.6 points and 11 rebounds. He averaged 18.9 points and 9.6 rebounds last season.

Bynum, 22, had been playing better lately, including a 27-point, 12-rebound effort Wednesday against Indiana, but the coaches’ ballots already had been submitted.

The 30 head coaches chose All-Star reserves by voting for seven players in their conference, including two guards, two forwards, a center and two other players regardless of position. Coaches were not allowed to vote for players on their own team.

The Lakers are 35-11, four games ahead of Denver for the best record in the West. They are half a game behind Cleveland for the best record in the league.

Kaman also was not selected, but Gasol’s selection probably irritated him, based on a recent interview.

‘I don’t think Gasol should be in it at all,’ Kaman said last week. ‘He’s only played, like, 20 games. I think you should have to play, like, 80% of the games.

‘It shouldn’t be 50% [of games played] over a guy who plays 90% and who has better numbers. Not just me. Zach Randolph, a power forward, he has better numbers [than Gasol]. But he’s not on the Lakers.’

Gasol has now played 29 games.

Last week, the league announced that Bryant was voted by fans to start his 12th All-Star game.

-- Mike Bresnahan

twitter.com/mike_bresnahan