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It is a cold-weather, cold-hearted rite in the NBA.
After the starting lineups for the All-Star Game are determined by a vote of the fans, the league's 30 head coaches choose the reserves.
There aren't many jobs that are more difficult, create more controversy and generate more disappointment among those who are left out.
Every year, there are a handful of worthy players who stay home simply because there is no room for them on a 12-man roster.
This year, picking the All-Star reserves is once again an unenviable task, especially in the deeper Western Conference.
Beyond the starters - Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming, Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan - at least 15 players have credentials that are worthy of All-Star consideration.
Only seven, however, will have their ticket to Las Vegas punched by the coaches.
Dallas and Phoenix have been the West's dominant teams this season, yet the fans failed to vote one player from either team into the All-Star Game as a starter.
The Mavs' Dirk Nowitzki is an obvious choice for one reserve spot, and he could end up starting since Yao is injured and won't play. The Suns' Steve Nash will also be named as a reserve by the coaches, who won't overlook the reigning two-time MVP.
Beyond Nowitzki and Nash, however, other players from the league's two best teams face stiff competition for an All-Star berth.
Forward Josh Howard is the Mavs' best bet, thanks to a 20-point per game scoring average.
In the last couple of weeks, coach Avery Johnson has been outspoken in his belief that Howard is deserving. Johnson told the Dallas Morning News, "Whether you like us or don't like us, if you're a basketball person and measuring what [Howard] is doing with everybody else, then I don't think it will be a tough sell."
Nowitzki agreed, although he knows that All-Star snubs are part of the business.
"There are a lot of great players and the [forward] position is stacked," Nowitzki said. "There will always be guys who deserve to be in who don't make it."
Besides Nash, Phoenix's top All-Star candidates are center Amare Stoudemire and forward Shawn Marion. Despite the Suns' 66-win pace, however, it's unlikely both players will join Nash in the All-Star Game on Feb. 18.
That's just the way the numbers game works, and Atlanta's Joe Johnson, a candidate for a spot on the Eastern Conference roster, knows it.
"The starters are part of the popularity contest that has always been associated with the game," he told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution this week. "But the reserves, they're voted in by the coaches based on what kind of season they're having and what type of team they play for. . . . I understand it's going to be a tough vote."
In Denver, coach George Karl has endorsed the All-Star candidacy of three players - Carmelo Anthony, Allen Iverson and Marcus Camby.
All three could make it, or all three could be disappointed.
Anthony has the most interesting portfolio.
He is the NBA's leading scorer (31.6), but he also missed 15 games because of a suspension for punching New York's Mardy Collins and helping escalate a brawl at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 16.
"I can't worry about it," he said after Friday's 116-111 loss to the Jazz, in which he scored 37 points. "But, you know, I'm hearing good things about it. So we'll just have to wait and see."
One of Anthony's main rivals for a spot on the All-Star team is Portland's Zach Randolph.
The only player in the league who averages at least 23 points and 10 rebounds, Randolph could be hurt by the fact he's been involved in several unsavory off-the-court incidents during the formative years of his career.
Also a factor: Portland has won only 18 games and appears headed for another draft lottery.
Still, Houston coach Jeff Van Gundy recently suggested Randolph creates as many problems for a defense as Duncan, the Spurs' perennial All-Star.
If other coaches believe the same thing, Randolph will be a factor in their voting.
The coaches submitted their All-Star ballots to the league office Friday. The results are scheduled to be announced Thursday.
Tribune picks for Eastern reserves
GUARDS (2) - Jason Kidd (New Jersey), Chauncey Billups (Detroit)
FORWARDS (2) - Jermaine O'Neal (Indiana), Caron Butler (Washington)
CENTERS (1) - Dwight Howard (Orlando)
AT-LARGE (2) - Joe Johnson (Atlanta), Emeka Okafor (Charlotte)
Tribune picks for Western reserves
GUARDS (2) - Steve Nash (Phoenix), Allen Iverson (Denver)
FORWARDS (2) - Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas), Carlos Boozer (Utah)
CENTER (1) - Amare Stoudemire (Phoenix)
AT-LARGE (2) - Josh Howard (Dallas), Carmelo Anthony (Denver)