Players take advantage of All-Star weekend

DALLAS -- With all the hoopla and general nonsense surrounding All-Star weekend, it's easy to forget about the basketball. The stands in Dallas last weekend were filled by the famous and wannabe famous wearing sunglasses indoors. The stages were booked by those who collect Grammys like Shaq does nicknames.

Somehow, through all that craziness, the men who step out on the hardwood for the real show take something home other than an extra parka. Maybe someone picked up a low-post move from Tim Duncan. Or a tip on eating healthier from Steve Nash. Or a lesson in perseverance from Dwyane Wade.

Whatever it was, hanging with the best rubs off, especially for the newcomers.

"Just being around these guys, seeing how they act," Thunder forward and first-time All-Star Kevin Durant said after Sunday's game. "Everybody was cool. They welcomed me in like I've been here for the last 10 years and I felt right at home and like I belonged, so it was a lot of fun. And I'm glad I was able to come out here and got an opportunity to play."

The All-Star vets aren't immune to the importance of the annual gathering of the league's brightest, as Durant's West teammate and Lakers big man Pau Gasol said: "It's an honor to be a part of this weekend and just to hang out with great players."

Thunder coach Scott Brooks spoke earlier this season of the impact being part of the Team USA program had on Durant, Russell Westbrook and Jeff Green last summer. Brooks said the time his players spent with many of those with Olympic experience was invaluable.

Brooks attended some of the practices in Las Vegas and remembered watching Kobe Bryant go through a detailed and exhaustive shooting regimen one day. That lesson rubbed off on Oklahoma City's young trio, who have helped the Thunder into playoff contention.

"For our guys to see that, that's huge," Brooks said. "You can't put a price tag on the best players in the world working that hard and having our young guys watching that."

All-Star preparation can't be detailed or grueling. It's only one practice. And the weekend is supposed to be a break.

But there was still time to watch and learn. Knicks forward David Lee used his first All-Star selection as an opportunity. It didn't matter that the five-year vet was a late replacement for Allen Iverson on the East squad.

"The chance to now be mentioned with the best players in the league, I'm just going to take this and continue to work and get better and trying to reach new highs," Lee said.

The opportunity to pick up tips wasn't limited to those in Sunday's main event. The youngsters that populated Friday's Rookie Challenge are taking their responsibility as the league's future seriously.

"You try to learn from everybody you see, try to learn from better players," said Grizzlies center Marc Gasol, a member of the Sophomore team. "You always try to get better and be able to improve every year. So that was pretty much my goal this year was to get better every opportunity I could, so that's what I did."

Thunder rookie James Harden kept the weekend in perspective, while acknowledging the honor.

"It means a lot," he said. "Not many people get to go out there and showcase their talent. I was one of the few that was chosen, and I just wanted to live it up and have fun."

Art Garcia has covered the NBA since 1999. You can e-mail him here and follow him on twitter.

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