Lost in the steady stream of Carmelo updates this weekend was the fact that the Knicks — a team that just a year ago had reason to celebrate when one of its players was selected as a replacement All-Star — had a starter in the NBA All-Star Game. It’s the kind of symbolic moment that should make Jim Dolan want to high-five his GM, as opposed to, well, this. In any case, Amar’e had himself an excellent night: His 29 points were nine more than Patrick Ewing — the last Knick to start an All-Star game, nineteen years ago — ever scored in the exhibition. (This scorecard graded Stoudemire as the second-best player on the East squad last night, if that means anything. Also, if you’d been wondering what an Amar’e–LeBron James pairing would have looked like, now you know.) Carmelo Anthony, by the way, scored just eight points while watching Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant combine for nearly half of the Western Conference’s output in their 148–143 victory.