DAMIAN LILLARD NAMED TO BBVA RISING STARS CHALLENGE GAME AT NBA ALL-STAR WEEKEND Lillard leads all rookies in scoring and assists PORTLAND, Ore. – Portland Trail Blazers rookie guard Damian Lillard was selected as a participant in the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge game at NBA All-Star Weekend in Houston by a vote of NBA assistant coaches, it was announced today by the league. Lillard leads all rookies in scoring (18.1 ppg) and assists (6.5 apg) to go with averages of 3.3 rebounds, 1.04 steals and 38.4 minutes in 45 games (all starts). “It’s exciting to be a part of All-Star Weekend, and I appreciate the assistant coaches including me on the roster,” said Lillard. “I’m happy to be named to the team and look forward to the experience.” The two-time Kia NBA Western Conference Rookie of the Month ranks 18th in the NBA in scoring, 13th in assists, seventh in 3-pointers made (102) and his 21 games of 20-plus points rank 12th among league leaders. “Damian has been an integral part of our success this season and I’m glad his efforts were recognized by opposing assistant coaches,” said Trail Blazers General Manager Neil Olshey. This year’s rookie-sophomore game will feature two teams drafted by TNT analysts Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal, who will serve as the opposing general managers. Each team will have nine-man rosters, consisting of both NBA rookies and sophomores drafted from a pool that was previously selected by the NBA's assistant coaches. “Damian has been a crowd-pleaser for fans in Portland night in and night out this season,” said Trail Blazers President and CEO Chris McGowan. “I’m thrilled that he’ll have an opportunity to do it on a global stage at All-Star Weekend.” Lillard’s appearance in the game is the 10th by a Trail Blazer, joining rookies Arvydas Sabonis (1996), Kelvin Cato (1998), Alvin Williams (1998), Brandon Roy (2007), Greg Oden (2009) and Rudy Fernandez (2009). Roy (2008), LaMarcus Aldridge (2008) and Wesley Matthews (2011) were voted to the game as sophomores. The game will tip-off at Houston’s Toyota Center on Friday, Feb. 15, at 6 p.m. (Pacific) and will be broadcast live on TNT.
Actually I think it is just the new format for the Rookie/Soph game. So while you are technically correct people commonly use both names for the same thing. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rising_Stars_Challenge
Nic isn't a pure shooter by any means, but I think it would be cool to see him in the 3 point contest.
What they need at the allstar game is have someone run the break and have the player run him down and block their attempt at a lay-up.
Yeah I love watching him bait the player too. He is soo good at timing the pace for a easy block. I will say that Batum has some of the best defensive instincts I've ever seen in a long while.
If they brought back the "Hey, I make stupid posts and know nothing about basketball but like to stir shit up" contest....... I can name 2 guys on here that would be clear cut favorites!
I'd love to see Batum trying to do rundown blocks on everything in the dunk contest. It'd be nice if Wes were chosen for the three point competition. He's our best three point shooter (statistically), although you could argue for either Batum or Lillard based on volume (they are both top 5 in the league in attempts). One of those three ought to make it just because it's such a huge part of their games and they play so many minutes a night. If I had to bet on one of them, it'd be Lillard. The Lillard hype machine is going full bore right now. If Curry is in it, though, it's simply a competition to see who comes in second.
