From Way Downtown...Bang!

The NBA announced the six participants that will make up the field for this year's three-point shootout. Along with the skills competition, the dunk contest, and Charles Barkley racing an aging referee, it makes up All-Star Saturday, one of the most fan-friendly days of the season. This year's contest has a varied field and it stands to be an excellent competition. Here's a rundown of the entrants, along with my odds of them walking away with the title of "best three-point shooter off a rack in a timed shootout against no defense":

6. richard hamilton - rip is shooting 47% on the season, but is merely a 34% shooter for his career. he strikes me as the kind of player who shoots best in the flow of a game, rather than on an island. maybe the league will allow him to run off a screen before his shots.
odds to win: 1 in 12

5. kobe bryant - jellybean jr. is shooting just above his career average at 35% this year. he's looking to become the only player to win both the slam dunk and three-point contests. like hamilton, i trust him more in a game situation than i do in a contest like this. but kobe shines under pressure, so it's hard to count him out. unless you're me.
odds to win: 1 in 10

4. peja stojakovich - coming off an injury-plagued season, peja has been an important cog in new orleans' renaissance. as a back-to-back winner in '02 and '03, stojakovich has been there before and should have the crowd behind him 100%. but the man's full name is 'predrag'. blech.
odds to win: 1 in 9

3. jason kapono - last year's winner is shooting an absurd 51% from behind the arc this year. and after tying marc price's record for a final round last year, he looks poised to win. you know who else looked poised to win? the patriots. how'd that work out for new england?
odds to win: 1 in 7

2. steve nash - aside from being the most accurate passer in the league, nash is extremely accurate in his passes to the basket. his unbelievable conditioning will keep him fresh in the late rounds as well. plus, having shaq cheering him on will give him a pretty healthy boost.
odds to win: 1 in 5

1. daniel gibson - after a breakout performance in last year's playoffs, gibson has emerged as a go-to-scorer for the cavs. his three-point shot is one of the reasons the cavs were able to recover from a spotty start. expect gibson to avenge his teammate damon jones' poor showing last year. now if only everyone would just stop calling him "boobie".
odds to win: 1 in 3So there you have it. A detailed look at how the 2008 three-point contest is going to play out. And if it turns out I'm wrong about this, remember that I picked Mike Miller to win last year.