All-Star Awesomeness!

It's All-Star weekend, and I'm ready for the festivities! But before I go into my top events, there is other NBA news that tops this weekend's headlines.

The Marion trade finally went through! After two dismal seasons in Miami, where he was out-of-place, he goes to Canada and be part of the newest Big Three - The Matrix with Calderon and Bosh. It's similar to the trio back in Phoenix from the 2005 season, where Marion was with another premier point guard (Steve Nash) and power forward (Amare Stoudemire). Maybe that's what Toronto Raptors' GM Bryan Colangelo was thinking. After three months of waiting, the trade finally took form.

Now, back to my post on the All-Star Outlook. I'm gonna be missing the celebrity all-star game (i mean, who watches that AWFUL game???) but ill watch part of tonight's Rookie vs. Sophomore Challenge.



This will be an exciting event to watch. I got a chance to see the rosters and there was something that stood out to me: Dwayne Wade (Rookie Assistant) and Dwight Howard (Sophomore Assistant) are the coaches! How's that for entertainment purposes? Other notables to look at:

* Kevin Durant (Sophomore) vs. his teammates, Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook (Rookies)

* Likewise, Eric Gordon (Rookie) vs. Al Thornton (Sophomore)

* Marc Gasol and Rudy Fernandez reunite (They were both on Spain's roster during the '08 Olympics)

Last year's contest was exciting as well. LeBron James' former sidekick, Daniel "Boobie" Gibson, hit 11 - That's right, ELEVEN - three-pointers as a rookie in 2008. He wan't invited this year. b/c LBJ's current sidekick - veteran Mo Williams takes his place in the All-Star festivities.



But these lineups - in 2008 and this year - do not match up with what could be the greatest Rookie Challenge lineup this decade. There was LBJ, Dwayne Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Josh Howard on the Rookie side - and Carlos Boozer (Who used to be LBJ's teammate once upon a time), Manu Ginobili, Nene, and Amare Stoudemire on the Sophomore's side.

Now to Saturday night.

The H-O-R-S-E challenge seems like a dud, since there are two shoot-first guards - Joe Johnson and Kevin Durant - versus a point guard/shot-maker in rookie O.J. Mayo. Like most NBA fans, we were all expecting a contest with LeBron, Wade and Kobe Bryant. Oh well. Let's see how this turns out. Only problem is that, when does the contest occur? I know that it's prior to the main events tomorrow, but at what time? I saw that it could occur at around 5:30, but I thought it will be at 7-ish. I should wait and see.

Maybe this guy should have been invited:



Next comes the Shooting Stars contest, where an NBA legend, a WNBA player and a current NBA player take part in a shooting contest against trios from other cities.



Last year's trio of Tim Duncan, the Admiral - David Robinson - and Becky Hammon are the defending champs, and i bet there will be a repeat. For one, the other teams - Detroit, LA and Phoenix - all have coaches as ex-NBA players. The Admiral is still in shape and could aid his group in yet another win.


Then there is the Playstation Skills Challenge. This year, the competitors are: Nets' PG Devin Harris, Spurs' PG Tony Parker, Bulls' rookie Derrick Rose, and Cavs' Mo Williams (Replacing Magic PG Jameer Nelson). There will be a new champion this year, since last year's champ, Jazz PG Deron Williams was not invited. Speaking of Williams, he set a record during the championship of the Challenge last year.

Here, take a look:



I hope there's a new record this year!


Fourth on the Saturday All-Star event list is the Three-Point Contest. Raptors' guard Jason Kapono is the two-time-defending champ, and looks to reclaim the crown for the third straight year. He doesn't seem to have a challenger, unlike previous years. (Spurs' guard and ex-Wizard Roger Mason could be the dark horse tomorrow night) But what shocks me was that Celtics' SG Eddie House was NOT invited and Heat guard Daequan Cook WAS invited. In one game this year, House hit a career-high EIGHT three-pointers. In SIX games this year, Cook failed to make a three-pointer, his season-high is 6 makes in a game, and his 3-point-percentage is 41.1%. House, on the other hand, has a percentage of 42.1%. EDGE, House.



I find it a travesty not to include House but include Cook in the contest.

Lastly, the dunk contest - the BEST part of the Friday and Saturday events. There's defending champ, Magic center Dwight Howard, injury replacement and former dunk participant J.R. Smith , former dunk champion ('06) lil' Nate Robinson, and rookie and not-so-great dunker Rudy Fernandez. Howard has said that he has something up his sleeve, so we'll have to wait and see.

Here's Smith's video of his last contest performance in '05:



Now, here's Robinson's victory from 2006:



Lastly, it's Superman!



To conclude, here's my Video of the Day. Since I'm in an All-Star mood, here's a clip of the BEST dunks by one player in a dunk contest. (It's in two parts)

Enjoy!

Part 1:



Part 2: