Kobe Bryant will start for the Western Conference in the All-Star game at New Orleans, and Jason Kidd will be in the lineup for the East.

But with Bryant’s right pinkie in a splint and Kidd stuck somewhere between New Jersey and Dallas in the midst of a trade on hold, nothing was a guarantee for either player Friday.

Bryant said he’d “rather not play” Sunday night, but doesn’t think he has a choice. NBA policy dictates that if a player is healthy enough to play in the final game before the break and the first one after, he won’t be excused from the All-Star game.

The Mavericks and Nets agreed to a deal Wednesday that would have sent Kidd to Dallas. But Nets president Rod Thorn said he has no side deal with Mavericks swingman Jerry Stackhouse, an illegal arrangement that could put the trade in jeopardy.

•Cleveland’s Daniel Gibson made a record 11 3-pointers and scored 33 points to lead the NBA’s sophomore stars to a 136-109 victory over a team of the league’s top rookies at New Orleans.

Hall of Fame finalists set

Hakeem Olajuwon and Patrick Ewing, who battled for NCAA and NBA titles, and Miami Heat coach Pat Riley were selected as finalists for the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Holdover candidates Chris Mullin, Adrian Dantley, Dennis Johnson and Golden State coach Don Nelson also are among the 15 candidates for enshrinement.