On the ESPN.com, Mechelle rightly drops the hammer on Diana Taurasi.

There's no way Taurasi should be an All-Star, and the league must take as harsh a stance as its guidelines allow in terms of punishment.

If she indeed does not play in the All-Star Game, her absence will be conspicuous. And that's a shame, but that shame is all on Taurasi herself. She is the first truly high-profile WNBA player to get in any serious legal trouble.

Considering what a popular, visible and vocal presence she is for her franchise, the league and the sport of women's basketball, this is as much a worst-case scenario as the WNBA hopes it ever has to deal with.

Because the real worst-case scenario, of course, is that Taurasi, if driving under the influence, could have killed or severely injured herself and others. There aren't any excuses for that behavior, and Taurasi now has a mark on her reputation that will never come off.