This weekend marks an intriguing time in the NBA season, with players and coaches getting a few days to forget about their regularly scheduled obligations and put on a show for basketball fans to marvel over. I’m personally a bit more invested in this year’s All-Star weekend than I generally am, so I’ve decided to make a few predictions regarding each of the competitions.
I realize neither of us cares about the celebrity game tonight, so I’ll just say whichever team picks up Terrell Owens will win it and move on. Second is the rookie challenge. This game could be pretty attention-grabbing with a rookie class that is dominated by guards and a sophomore group that features a handful of talented big men. But aside from the Spurs DeJuan Blair, the rooks don’t quite have enough to bang with Marc Gasol, Brook Lopez and Kevin Love in the paint. Golden State’s Stephen Curry, Sacramento’s Tyreke Evans and of course the Bucks’ Brandon Jennings will each get theirs, but I see the sophomores taking this one.
Saturday begins with the skills challenge featuring Jennings, Steve Nash, Derrick Rose and Deron Williams. I don’t generally tune in early enough in the broadcast to catch this one, but I’ve got to give the nod to the defending champ Rose. There have been some questions about whether or not he’ll be healthy enough to go, but assuming he does, with his speed, he’s got the advantage early on.
Next up, a mismatched group of Chauncey Billups, Daequan Cook, Stephen Curry, Channing Frye, Danilo Gallinari and Paul Pierce compete for the 3-point shootout. This is easily the toughest one to pick out a clear winner. Billups is capable of anything, literally, while Curry has arguably one of the best pure shooting strokes the game has seen in a while. I don’t put much credence in Pierce just because he’s more of a big-game, situational shooter than someone who can knock down 30 shots from the perimeter. But I’ve got to go with the dark horse on this one, Frye. Standing at 6 feet 11 inches, he really doesn’t even need to jump to get his shot off and won’t have to battle fatigued legs by the time the final round is upon them. He made the best move of his career getting out of Portland this season, and he’s got my vote for the 3-point shootout and most improved player in the NBA through the midpoint of the season.
Everyone loves the dunk contest, and this year will be no different. The “dunk-in” or whatever they’re calling the challenge between Eric Gordon and DeMar DeRozan will be entertaining, but neither of them will beat Charlotte’s Gerald Wallace. The guy is a freak and looks like he’s got a trick or two up his sleeve to complement his high-flying game. The Lakers fan in me obviously wants Shannon Brown to pick up the win — he’s hands down my favorite L.A. player behind the Black Mamba — but he’s about as consistent as the Duck basketball team, so I’ll move on.
Lastly is the East vs. West All-Star game on Sunday night. Both starting lineups are aging a bit, and the possible loss of Kobe and the replacement of Brandon Roy with Chris Kaman won’t help things much either. I’m giving the edge to the East, simply because of Dwyane Wade and the Akron Hammer. The West has the stronger bench, though each team features several first-time all-stars, four on the West and three on the East. In the end LeBron will be named MVP after leading his squad in points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, and minutes. And as long as we don’t see the death of Allen Iverson, now in his record-setting 38th NBA season, it should be a great weekend for basketball fans. I know I’m looking forward to it.
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