ORLANDO -- Considering the All-Star festivities will be held in Orlando this season and as a result of the Magic possessing so many elite long distance shooters, it would be shocking if at least one Magic player is not welcomed into the Foot Locker Three-Point Shootout.

Not since Rashard Lewis in 2009 has a representative of the Magic participated in the competition, which is a surprise especially since the Magic have led the league in 3-pointers made in three of the four years that Stan Van Gundy has been the team’s head coach.

If the NBA decides that only one player on the Magic’s roster can partake in the contest, it will be extremely difficult to choose which one.

Ryan Anderson, for one, leads the league in 3-pointers made (36) and despite not being on the All-Star ballot, may get consideration as a reserve in the All-Star game.

Last season, Jason Richardson finished second in the NBA in threes made (189) and, in spite of his slow start, has been hot from beyond the arc lately.

J.J. Redick, meanwhile, is renowned for his shooting abilities and is extremely popular amongst national NBA observers. We all know that name power has merit when deciding who will be allowed to participate in any of the All-Star events.

A dark horse is Hedo Turkoglu, who has bounced back from last season’s struggles and is currently sixth in the NBA in treys made.

It wouldn’t be unimaginable if none of these four outstanding shooters would win a 3-point contest if the entire Magic team competed against each other, however.



Despite injury problems this year, Quentin Richardson was formerly one of the preeminent outside shooters and already has experienced participating in the competition. While playing for the Clippers in 2002, the Suns in 2005 and the Knicks in 2006, Q-Rich was involved in the Foot Locker Three Point Shootout. He won the contest in ’05 – beating adversaries such as Ray Allen and Joe Johnson.

Another sleeper is rookie Justin Harper, who was regarded by many last year as a top three long-range shooter in college basketball. In his four years at Richmond, Harper connected on 179 3-pointers and in his senior season shot a blistering 45 percent from 3-ball land.

And would it astound anyone if Jameer Nelson won the competition? In spite of his struggles early on this season, Nelson is respected amongst all point guards for his aptitude to shoot from long distance.

Since it would be so complicated for the league to select one individual on the Magic’s roster to participate in the competition, my proposal is to have an internal contest to determine who gets invited to compete in the event at All-Star Weekend.

Set up just like it is on All-Star Saturday Night, each potential participant will battle it out at the Amway Center practice court for the right to advance to the league-wide competition in late February.

If that can’t be arranged, perhaps we could just vote on it.

I have prepared a tournament of sorts in which you can vote on who you think would win a 3-point shootout in each of the four matchups below. Those with the most votes after Round One will advance until a champion is crowned.