The answer to this question is very important. The guys are going to be what make or break the competition. When they tested H-O-R-S-E out at last year’s NBDL All Star Weekend only Morris Almond had anything interesting to contribute to the proceedings as the other guys did stupid stuff like shooting jumpers with their legs crossed. Ugh. Almond tried shooting lying down, behind the backboard, and other interesting stuff. Another main component besides the interesting things the guys come up with and their actual skill is their personality. What’s that you say? You can’t figure out how that’s relevant? Well, apparently the participants will be mic’d up for the competition so that you can hear their calls such as if the shot has to be a swish or if it has to touch the glass. The reactions to each other’s shots as well as their general attitude and showmanship are going to make this thing quite entertaining. So, who should be in it? Who would do it? Who can do it? That’s why I’m here.

So, first thing’s first; who can do it? For this we have to realize a few things. First is their physical presence. The All Star Game is in Phoenix so they have to be somebody who is already there or is willing to go. Players who are there include guys who are in the other events and guys who play for the Phoenix Suns. Players who are willing to go have a bunch of factors. How close are they to Phoenix already? Do they have a family that they were planning to vacation with? Are they known to have the type of personality conducive to going to Phoenix simply to participate in a non-NBA sanctioned pride-based competition.

Next thing; who would do it? The #1 aspect here is the player’s ability to have fun. Only really fun-loving guys are going to enter a H-O-R-S-E contest. After that, it probably shifts to competitiveness. The guy would have to be on the competitive side to enter a contest that as far as we know has no trophy or cash prize or tradition. The underlying aspect is the what-else-are-they-doing aspect. If a guy is competing in an event later in the night (H-O-R-S-E will take play during “Inside the NBA,” TNT’s pregame show, on Saturday night before the rest of the events) he may not want to shift his focus off of the event he is competing in, or (less likely) be concerned about being tired later for the actual NBA event he’s doing. I would venture to say that the creativity involved in the Slam Dunk contest probably eliminates its participants. I would also expect that the 3-Point Shootout, which involves way more energy than the other events, would probably halt any ideas of entering from its players. The Skills Challenge may only have a minor effect on the participation of its competitors and the Shooting Stars competition hasn’t even chosen it’s NBA players yet. I’d also like to point out that I doubt any NBA player who wanted to play in the H-O-R-S-E would except an invite to the Shooting Stars contest. One final note in this section: Kevin Durant is playing in the Rookie/Sophomore game on Friday night. Were he to get the injury spot from David Stern in place of either Chris Paul or Chauncey Billups in the NBA All Star Game, he would be playing games on both Friday and Sunday night and would therefore be unlikely to play in the H-O-R-S-E contest.

Before we get to the candidates I should probably give a short summary of the rules. Three players will play by standard playground H-O-R-S-E rules except for the fact that there will be a 24 second shot clock to explain and then shoot their shot. An NBA ref (no word on who) will be presiding over the over the contest and establishing if the shot counts and what things the next player must duplicate. Dunking is outlawed. The game will take place on the court that is shown above. As far as anyone knows, anything goes.

Now, the candidates listed from most likely to least likely…

Steve Nash – There are so many reasons for this I can barely count them. In Phoenix but not an All Star with a completely open schedule, great personality, home town favorite, and competitive just to name a few. The only concern would be his back and his need for time off. His soccer skills are the other main attraction. Heading the ball in? Kicking it in? He would be awesome for this.

Dwyane Wade – In Phoenix? Check? Not doing anything on Saturday night? Check. Competitive? Check. Funny? Check. Capable of doing weird stuff? Check. As far as I can see, this is a no-brainer. Wade would be perfect for this kind of contest. He is leading the NBA in scoring and is a big personality. TNT could also get Charles (who won’t be there because of his “leave”) to pull some strings.

Allen Iverson – I’m a little doubtful about the personality, but he has been getting funnier as his career has progressed. We all are aware of his competitive nature and he is in Phoenix and free on Saturday night. The X-factor here is of course the same factor that got him his All Star starting position; the fans love AI.

Brandon Roy – He is also quite perfect for this kind of thing. Many people wish to see more of him than they do and this would be a good oppertunity. He is known for his joking around and other antics and is also seen as a very excitable guy. He’s love to win this. The only hiccup may be that he is most likely throwing the alley-oops to Rudy Fernandez in the Slam Dunk Contest later that night.

O.J. Mayo – In Phoenix for the Rookie/Sophomore game and would love to do this if he could. TNT might like him here as well because of his rising start status. He is known as a great competitor as well as being very funny and loving the camera. I would say his selection is pretty likely.

Paul Pierce – Known to be a little bit of a joker and a hell of a competitor. He is also free as of right now on Saturday night. I’m not sure of the practicality of this selection in terms of what special things he could do, but I’m sure he’d think of something. He could be used to draw a TV audience although I think that pretty much everyone will watch this or not without real consideration of the contenders.

Kevin Garnett – Known for his general goofiness, KG would be pretty good here. His lack of real outside shot diminishes his candidacy a little bit. Also a fan favorite and perhaps the most competitive person ever to walk this earth, KG might work well in this format.

Danny Granger – This one has the obstacle of him competing in the 3-Point Shootout, but I still say that he might be on board to do it. He isn’t really known to be that goofy but is known to be very competitive and I’m sure that it would be great to have a rising star type player in the game.

Kevin Durant – As I said, count him out if he’s in the big game on Sunday. If he’s not, he could very well be in this event. He’s funny and hyper-competitive, he can shoot from any distance and hit circus shots, and he is a rising star type that a lot of people wish they could see more (since he was banished to OKC).

Rasheed Wallace – Famous for his opposite-handed distance shooting, he would be great for this. He is also a noted jokester who would be entertaining. Unfortunetly, the downsides are many. He isn’t in Phoenix, he isn’t that competitive, he might get into a fight with a ref at a non-NBA event, he has a son to spend time with, he’s not well-liked by fans, and he’s Rasheed Wallace. Other than that though, chances are good.

Vince Carter – On the list only because he would be ideal if he actually gets a reserve spot in the East because of an injury to Jameer Nelson or somebody else. I doubt he would travel from New Jersey to do the contest, but he might be there anyway just to hang out like some NBA players do. Vince has a three year old daughter but no “family” to speak of.

Eric Gordon – Weird to see him here, but he’s a good dark horse (no pun intended) pick. He is in Phoenix as a member of the Rookie team and isn’t doing anything else on Saturday night. He isn’t really known for his drive or personality, but if TNT has some trouble convincing the bigger names to do this (I’m not sure why) then he’s a possibility.

Rodney Stuckey – Again, very similar to Eric Gordon except he has less range, doesn’t play in as big of a market, and is there on the Sophomore team.

So who will it be? I don’t know. Who do you want to be in it? Comments are below, debate is open…

Late Edit by GITC: Even if TNT is unable to have Bill Simmons commentate on the event on TV because of ESPN’s rules, I would like to give the credit to him for making this event a possibility. He not only was on the bandwagon for a long time, he build it. Thank you Mr. Simmons.

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