2010 NBA 3-Point Shootout

The Foot Locker Three-Point Contest is set for Saturday, February 13, 2010. Here are the competitors:

1) Daequan Cook (MIA) - Cook received an automatic bid into the contest after winning a close one against Rashard Lewis in a 2009 Shootout tie-breaker. He faces some stiff competition as he looks to defend his title.

2) Paul Pierce (BOS) - "The Truth" is having one of his best years from behind the arc, shooting a startling .467% from downtown. He hopes to rebound from an iffy 3-Pt Contest display a few years back.

3) Chauncey Billups (DEN) - Eliminated in the first round of the 2006 Shootout, Billups is out for vengeance. He now enters the competition with a name to live up to, "Mr. Big Shot."

4) Stephen Curry (GSW) - Father, Dell Curry, had some range. Son, Stephen Curry? He does too. Curry has drawn comparisons to Reggie Miller prior to entering the league as a rookie. So far, he's drained 78 threes.

5) Danillo Gallinari (NY) - Not very many players have their own 3-Pt display on the Madison Square Garden scoreboard after they hit a three. It's a sign of great things to come, as Gallinari leads all 3-Pt contestants with 126 three-pointers made.

6) Channing Frye (PHX) - He's turning in one of his best seasons from long range. That's because it's the first year he's hoisted up more than 100 three-pointers made and it's only mid-season. His next best performance? 11 total three-pointers made in 2009.

2010 NBA Slam Dunk Contest Competitors

The 2010 NBA Sprite Slam Dunk Contest will take place Saturday, February 13, 2010. Your four dunkers in this year's event are:

1) Nate Robinson (New York Knicks) - Height: 5-9, Weight 180 lbs

As the defending champ, "Krypto-Nate" returns to defend his title and potentially become the first player to ever win three dunk contests. Robinson has won dunk contests in 2006 and 2009. He came in second place in the 2007 dunk contest to Gerald Green.

2) Gerald Wallace (Charlotte Bobcats) - Height: 6-7, Weight: 220 lbs

Wallace placed second in the 2002 Slam Dunk Contest to Jason Richardson. (The contest featured the infamous spin-wheel, where players spun a giant wheel and had to emulate past dunks). He has since emerged as a star in the league and one of the NBA's most explosive dunking acts.

3) Shannon Brown (Los Angeles Lakers) - Height: 6-4, Weight: 205 lbs

The Lakers guard will be entering his first dunk contest, but don't let that fool you. He is a hometown favorite in L.A. for a reason, largely in part to his ability to finish at the rim with flash.

4)* DeMar DeRozan (Toronto Raptors) - Height: 6-7, Weight 220 lbs

DeRozan won the 2008 McDonald's All-American Slam Dunk Competition. His athleticism has drawn parallels to the likes of Kobe Bryant and Vince Carter. He not only possesses the prototypical size for a successful dunker, but also makes dunking look good again.

or

Eric Gordon (Los Angeles Clippers) - Height: 6-3, Weight: 222 lbs

Gordon is another first-timer in this year's Slam Dunk competition. Aside from what we've seen from his in-game dunks, not much is known about how he'll fare in a dunk contest. Nonetheless, don't let this detract from his dunk stock, as he's a proven athlete.

*To be determined by Dunk-In at halftime of NBA Rookie Challenge, Friday, February 12, 2010.

LeBron James will not be competing in this year's dunk contest.

2010 NBA Slam Dunk Contest

The 2010 NBA Sprite Slam Dunk Contest will commence Saturday, February 13, 2010.

Highflyer DeMar DeRozan of the Toronto Raptors and Eric Gordon of the Los Angeles Clippers will compete in the NBA's first ever NBA All-Star Dunk-In competition at halftime of the Rookie Challenge game on Friday, February 12, 2010. The winner of the Dunk-In will automatically be entered in as the 4th dunk contestant in the 2010 dunk festivities. The rules are simple: Each player will get two dunks and the winner will be chosen by voters via NBA.com and text messaging.

See DeMar DeRozan's dunk contest promotional website: www.LetDemarDunk.com

Here's a list of potential candidates for the other 3 spots in the 2010 NBA Slam Dunk Contest:

1) LeBron James - CLE - Last we checked, LeBron was split 50/50 on the competition. Were he to compete, he'd be a sure favorite. In addition, he emphasized that he would attempt to bring in more big names back to the event.

2) Shannon Brown - LAL - This year we've learned that at 6 foot 4, Brown can leap with the best of them. There's been a lot of buzz flying around about him entering the competition. Brown also mentioned that he would willingly compete.

3) Nate Robinson - NY - Here we are again, another dunk contest and yet another potential appearance by the now, ever-popular Nate Rob. After all, he is the defending champ.

4) Will Bynum - DET - D-League player no more. Bynum has made a name for himself in the NBA over these past couple years with his unparalleled hustle and, wait a second, dunking? He's only 6 feet tall, but sure to entertain.

5) Andre Iguodala - PHI - If LeBron were to bring in stars to the competition, wouldn't A.I.-Squared be a worthy adversary? We think so.

6) Derrick Rose - CHI - For those you who watched any footage of Rose in high school, or even Memphis for that matter, you'll know he can crank out windmills like it's nothing. As for the NBA, he proved last year in the Playstation Skills Challenge that he's still got it after banging out an epic reverse-pump dunk to win it.

7) Russell Westbrook - OKC - Westbrook wanted to compete in the competition last year, but was unable to after he wasn't voted in by NBA fans. Rudy Fernandez took his place instead. This year, we can only hope he gets another shot, as he's showcased some impressive game dunks.

8) Trevor Ariza - HOU - The man can get up there and some have proposed that he enter a dunk competition. He's certainly athletic enough. Guess we'll just have to wait and see.

9) Dwight Howard - ORL - Howard falls to the bottom of our list because he's already won one dunk contest and has competed in three. He's shown some reluctance to competing a forth time. However, we're sure Super-Man still has some dunks left in his bag of tricks.

10) Rudy Gay - MEM - A return for Rudy? He's displayed some phenomenal dunks on fast breaks this year, but he could be done with the dunking gig. If not, we'd welcome a comeback with open arms, as we're sure he'd be a worthy competitor and deserves to win at least one.