Feb 06, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Paul George (24) shoots a jump shot\1qqa\Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The participants in the dunk contest and the three point shootout competition for All-Star saturday have finally been announced.

There are a lot of names that we expected to see here, but some that we didn’t. They were all justifiably selected to each competition, though. I think they hit the nail on the head with some of these.

Your Eastern Conference Dunkers:

• Indiana Pacers Guard Gerald Green
• New York Knicks Forward James ‘Flight’ White
• Toronto Raptors Rookie Guard Terrence Ross

Your Western Conference Dunkers:

• Los Angeles Clippers guard Eric Bledsoe
• Utah Jazz Forward and last year’s champion Jeremy Evans
• Denver Nuggets Forward Kenneth Faried

I think that they really hit the nail on the head with all of these picks. I’m really interested in seeing Gerald Green dunk. He’s had some quite nasty ones in the middle of some games so he should bring lots of creativity to the table when dunking for the East.

I’ll personally be rooting for Eric Bledsoe. I really like when little guys are able to outdo the bigs. The art of the little man in the dunk contest has kind of been shut out in these last few competitions. I don’t think dunks are as impressive when you’re bigger. Hopefully Bledsoe can recaptrue the Magic that Nate Robinson had last season.

I think that the East is going to win this competition. They’ve got more creativity with Geralld Green and Flight White on their side.

Moving on to the three point shoot out, I think that this is a perfect roster as well. There are some really good shooters on each side of things and it should come down to the wire.

Your Eastern Conference Shooters:

• Cleveland Cavaliers guard and All-Star Kyrie Irving
• Indiana Pacers Forward and All-Star Paul George
• New York Knicks Forward Steve Novak

Your Western Conference Shooters:

• New Orleans Hornets Forward Ryan Anderson
• Golden State Warriors Guard Stephen Curry
• San Antonio Spurs Forward Matt Bonner

These are some really good shooters as well. Everyone is above 38% of their three point shots. The lowest percentage that you’ll get out of this group is Paul George at 39%. And how about George being in the dunk contest last season and now he’ll have a chance at winning the three point shoot out as well. It has to be an honor for him. He’s come a long way as a player.

At the end of the day, I’ll take the Western Conference shooters here because I believe in Stephen Curry. Barring his health, I think he’ll be the greatest shooter that we’ll ever see at the point guard position. That includes Steve Nash. So, that along with Ryan Anderson and Matt ‘The Red Rocket’ Bonner, I think the West will take it.

But I’m sure that Kyrie Irving and company are going to have a lot to say about that. We’ll see when the day comes though.

July 17, 2012; Las Vegas, NV, USA; New York Knicks player Chris Copeland (14) looks on as Denver Nuggets player Kenneth Faried (35) makes a shot in the first half of the game at Cox Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE

Hakeem Olajuwon is kind of the guru of post moves.  He’s worked with a number of NBA stars, including Dwight Howard, Amar’e Stoudemire, and now Nuggets big men JaVale McGee and Kenneth Faried.

What I really want to know is who has the greater learning curve?  Who is it that will benefit more from his services — Faried or McGee?

Truth be told, as gifted an athlete as McGee is, Faried is quite nearly as blessed.  And I do believe he works harder.  Faried plays nose to the grindstone ball, hitting the boards hard, as he led the NCAA in rebounding his senior year at Morehead State, averaging 14.5 rebounds per game and an average of 12.3 rebounds pre game over his four years at Morehead.

Last season, his per-36 numbers were nearly jaw dropping:  16.4 points per game, 12.2 rebounds per game, and over a block and a half per contest, as well.

He’s down to earth, too, and realizes he has a long way to go in this league.  He will miss Al Harrington.  Last year, in an interview with the Associated Press, Faried touched on the mentorship of Harrington  He cited their friendship and his tutelage as a large reason for his early success in his NBA career.

Hakeem Olajuwon is kind of the guru of post moves. He’s worked with a number of NBA stars, including Dwight Howard, Amar’e Stoudemire, and now Nuggets big men JaVale McGee and Kenneth Faried.

What I really want to know is who has the greater learning curve? Who is it that will benefit more from his services — Faried or McGee?

Truth be told, as gifted an athlete as McGee is, Faried is quite nearly as blessed. And I do believe he works harder. Faried plays nose to the grindstone ball, hitting the boards hard, as he led the NCAA in rebounding his senior year at Morehead State, averaging 14.5 rebounds per game and an average of 12.3 rebounds pre game over his four years at Morehead.

Last season, his per-36 numbers were nearly jaw dropping: 16.4 points per game, 12.2 rebounds per game, and over a block and a half per contest, as well.

He’s down to earth, too, and realizes he has a long way to go in this league. He will miss Al Harrington. Last year, in an interview with the Associated Press, Faried touched on the mentorship of Harrington (see video).  He cited their friendship and his tutelage as a large reason for his early success in his NBA career.

Even prior to Faried entering the NBA, I expected big things, ranking him No. 1 on the list of potential realistic targets for the Orlando Magic to trade up for in the 2011 NBA Draft. He ended up going No. 22 overall to the Nuggets, a bit further than he was expected to fall in the days leading up to the draft. Trading up for him would have been a real option for that Magic team.

Now that Faried is working with Olajuwon, expect him to get very good very fast. He has the intelligence and diligence to maximize the teachings of the master Olajuwon.

He’s going to enter next year with high expectations. He’ll go high in fantasy leagues…

And he should.