All-Star Saturday Night Preview

So, NBA All-Star Weekend is arguably the most entertaining night of any sport's all-star weekend. Especially Saturday night. I will present the official preview of Saturday night.

Skills Competition  

Participants: Brandon Jennings, Steve Nash, Derrick Rose, and Deron Williams

1. Derrick Rose: He is an excellent passer, dribbler, and takes long strides. The only way he loses is if he has a serious hiccup.
2. Steve Nash: He has experience in the competition. He competes every year, so he must feel like a regular now. He has a serious lack of overall speed.
3. Deron Williams: He has great agility. He does not have great burst.
4. Brandon Jennings: He's by far the fastest of the four participants. He does have inexperience.

Shooting Stars  

Participants: Texas: Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks, Becky Hammon of the San Antonio Silver Stars, and TNT analyst and former Houston Rocket Kenny Smith.

Atlanta: Joe Johnson of the Atlanta Hawks, Angel McCoughtry of the Atlanta Dream, and NBA TV analyst and former Atlanta Hawk Steve Smith.

L.A.: Pau Gasol of the L.A. Lakers, Marie Ferdinand-Harris of the L.A. Sparks, and NBA TV analyst and former L.A. Clipper Brent Barry.

Sacramento: Tyreke Evans of the Sacramento Kings, Nicole Powell of the New York Liberty, and NBA TV/TNT analyst and former Sacramento King Chris Webber.

1. Texas: This is, by far, the most talented shooting team; all at least average 36 percent three-point shooting for their careers. They have quick releases. But again, every team's Achilles heel is the dreaded half court shot.
2. L.A.: They may have the best combination of post player mid-range three-point shooters. The weakness of this group may be Ferdinand-Harris.
3. Atlanta: They have a shot, but none of their participants have a quick release. McCoughtery and Johnson are weaknesses shooting the ball, so Smith will have to regain his old stroke.
4. Sacramento: Simply, they don't have a great outside shooter on this team. Without a consistent shot, you lose.

Three-Point Competition

Participants: Chauncey Billups, Daequan Cook, Stephen Curry, Channing Frye, Danilo Gallinari, and Paul Pierce

1. Stephen Curry: He has one of the quickest releases that I have ever seen. He is a natural shooter and should win the title in one of the easier fields in recent memory.
2. Danilo Gallinari: He is a silky smooth shooter. Gallinari is more of a streaky shooter, which is good for this competition. 
3. Daequan Cook: Hasn't played much this season (only 36 games). The defending champion also hasn't gotten into a rhythm shooting the ball, but shooters can get into a rhythm any time.
4. Channing Frye: Frye is a big man that's pretty much dedicated himself to three-point shooting, lately. He has a fairly quick release, but probably not good enough to win.
5. Paul Pierce: Pierce may fall in the same category as Nash and Billups. He doesn't have a quick release, but he is shooting at one of the best percentages in the NBA this season.
6. Chauncey Billups: I put Chauncey in the Steve Nash category. They aren't pure shooters, but when Billups gets hot, he can light it up from the three-point line.

H-O-R-S-E  

Participants: Omri Casspi, Kevin Durant, and Rajon Rondo

1. Kevin Durant: He should ease through this event. If he just takes jump shots (nothing else) he will win.
2. Omri Casspi: He has a good-looking jump shot, but I'm not sure that he has the trick shots to beat Durant.
3. Rajon Rondo: Not exactly his competition. He's an improved shooter, but won't challenge in this event.

Slam Dunk Contest  

Participants: Shannon Brown, DeMar DeRozan, Nate Robinson, and Gerald Wallace

1. Shannon Brown: He may be the best athlete of all of our participants. He is a bit small (6'4") but won't be that limited. He's going to blow the roof off the place.
2. Gerald Wallace: He is a fantastic athlete. He hasn't been in the dunk contest in quite a while (2000). He will shake off that dust with some amazing dunks. Trust me, I have a good feeling about him.
3. Nate Robinson: He is a great story, but I'm not sure what he can pull off that he hasn't done before. That being said, I've been proven wrong before.
4. DeMar DeRozan: He said he's saving his best stuff for tonight, after underwhelming at halftime of the Rookie Challenge. It's worth noting he has never lost a dunk contest since he entered high school, but this time, he's competing against world-class athletes.

Enjoy All-Star Saturday Night!