It doesn't look like the fan voting will have any effect on Pistons making the All-Star team. The Eastern starters appear to be locked in pretty solid:

G-Wade
G-Kidd
F-Garnett
F-James
C-Howard

So for Pistons to make the All-Star game, it will come down to what the coaches think. Except for Prince, the Pistons have gotten quite a bit of respect from the NBA coaches over recent years. Just 2 years ago, Detroit was the first team to get four reserves voted in by the coaches.

Four Pistons Named as Reserves for 2006 NBA All-Star Game

^

I can't see the coaches voting in Shaq unless it's some kind of pity vote b/c it's likely his last year in the NBA. That leaves Sheed as the next likely option.

Good point. I think you're right. Sheed is in.

I agree that Shaq is unlikely to be picked by the coaches, but I don't think it's going to be his last year in the league. He actually has two more seasons after this one left on his contract, at $20 million per season. If he simply retired after this season, Miami would still have all that salary counting against their cap for the next two years, so that's not going to happen. The team would offer him a buyout instead, which would give them some cap relief, but is Shaq going to be so eager to hang it up that he accepts less money than he signed for? Color me skeptical.

Shaq has definitely slowed down.

But the dud is so gigantic, big is too small a size to describe him, that its not like he will get beat up physically out there. There is no reason for him not to play out his contract unless he gets a career ending injury.

A lot depends on his self-pride. If he wants to be remembered as a dominating force he'd hang 'm up after this season. Otherwise, it's not going to be as pretty a picture.

I don't think how he ends his career will matter all that much. Nobody is going to remember Jordan's seasons playing for the Wizards, and no one cares that Kareem kind of sucked in his last year with the Lakers, which he came back for largely because he needed the money. I'm not a big fan of Shaq, but if I were him, I wouldn't be too quick to give up $40 million I had coming to me either.