2009 All-Star Skills Challenge participants

A new PlayStation Skills Challenge champion will be crowned as the New Jersey Nets’ Devin Harris, the Orlando Magic’s Jameer Nelson,  the  San Antonio Spurs’ Tony Parker and the Chicago Bulls’ Derrick Rose will take the floor on Feb. 14, as part of NBA All-Star Saturday Night at US Airways Center in Phoenix.

My initial prediction is that Jameer Nelson will win it.

Why? Because he has the most to prove.

This is the season that Nelson put himself on the map. He has faced years of doubt and was often considered to be more suitable as a backup than a starter.

Devin Harris is having a breakout season too. But he hasn’t faced years orf criticism and doubt like Nelson has.

Rose and Parker can win it, too. If they want.

Anyone can take it. But even though it’s a minor event I bet Nelson wants it the most.

Andrew Bynum out 8-12 weeks

Results of an MRI on Andrew Bynum’s right knee showed a tear of the medial collateral ligament, it was announced today.

Bynum, who suffered the injury early in the first quarter of Saturday’s victory over Memphis after having scored seven of the Lakers’ first 13 points, will be out approximately 8-12 weeks.

The MRI was performed Sunday at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York and Bynum was examined this afternoon by Dr. David Altchek.

Bynum, who prior to the game against Memphis had averaged 26.2 points on 65.3 percent shooting, 13.8 rebounds and 3.20 blocked shots over his previous five games, ranks among league leaders in rebounds (19th/8.2), field goal percentage (8th/.558), blocked shots (6th /1.87) and double-doubles (17th/16).

Named Western Conference Player of the Week for games played Monday, January 19 through Sunday, January 25, Bynum is averaging 14.0 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.87 blocked shots in 46 games this season.

Euroleague MVP for January is Igor Rakocevic

Euroleague.net reports: In an era when teams rely less and less on scoring stars, it might seem more than enough to state that Euroleague Basketball’s choice as January MVP, Igor Rakocevic of Tau Ceramica, is collecting points more efficiently than any player this decade. With the amazing month that Rakocevic just had, however, that would be saying too little. In addition to posting .75 points per minute so far this season – more than any Euroleague player’s full-season scoring rate since at least 2000 – Rakocevic spent January harvesting milestones and records at every turn. He started the month by setting a new Euroleague mark for consecutive free throws made while posting his career-high scoring total, 31 points, in a crucial victory that won Tau first place in its regular season group.

Nets Brooklyn arena costs keep increasing

The New York Daily News (Jotham Sederstorm) reports: The stratospheric cost of protecting the Atlantic Yards from terrorist attacks could be the death knell for architect Frank Gehry’s flashy NBA basketball arena, the Daily News has learned. The bulletproof glass facade proposed for the glitzy arena will cost a mind-blowing $625 per square foot, a source familiar with the designs told The News. “I think the owners clearly didn’t have their financing tied down for this project, and that’s going to be the biggest hurdle,” said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity about the sky-high prices associated with securing the 850,000-square-foot arena against terrorism. “With the security concerns at the arena, there’s not much you can do to make it that much cheaper,” added the source.

Kendrick Perkins fined for foul on Jason Maxiell

The Boston Globe (Marc Spears) reports: Celtics center Kendrick Perkins said he was fined $10,000 by the NBA for a hard foul on Pistons forward Jason Maxiell last Friday. Perkins was ejected with a flagrant 2 penalty. “I thought I was going to get more,” Perkins said. “So the $10,000 was pretty cool. I watched [the replay] a few times. It was a hard foul, but I wasn’t trying to hurt him. “He got real low. I wasn’t trying to go for his head. I just ended up hitting him. Like I said, it was nothing personal. I wasn’t trying to hit him in the head. It was just a play in the NBA.”

Warming up new to JR Giddens

The Boston Globe (Marc Spears) reports: Just before the Celtics ran onto the floor to warm up for their 49th game of the season, rookie guard J.R. Giddens stopped his teammates to ask an important question. “I didn’t know how to go out when we were warming up,” said Giddens, after the Celtics’ 109-101 win over Minnesota yesterday at TD Banknorth Garden. “Some of the guys were making fun of me. I said, ‘Hey I’m usually taking a shower right now [after working out].’ So it was fun and I actually got to see the warmups. “Today it was like, ‘A uniform. Is that for me?’ They hadn’t taken it out since like preseason so they had stains on it . . . It was all right. I had a lot of fun out there.”

Kings beat Thunder in OT to end eight-game skid

The AP reports: Kevin Martin scored 37 points on his 26th birthday and the Sacramento Kings beat Oklahoma City 122-118 in overtime, ending an eight-game losing streak… Bobby Jackson had six of his 11 points in overtime for Sacramento, which held a players-only meeting on Saturday. The veteran guard put the Kings ahead for good with a floater in the lane and followed with a jumper to make it 120-116 with 1:42 left… Russell Westbrook had a career-high 34 points and added eight assists for the Thunder, who had six wins in their previous 10 games. Kevin Durant scored 33, Jeff Green had 28 points and 13 rebounds, and Nick Collison added 10 points and 14 boards… Francisco Garcia had 17 points, and Jason Thompson scored 15.

LeBron scores 33 in Cavs’ 90-80 win over Pistons

The AP reports: LeBron James scored 33 points and got some timely help from Mo Williams and Daniel Gibson in Cleveland’s 90-80 win over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday… With James resting, Williams and Gibson outscored Detroit by themselves in a 15-2 run to take a 73-68 lead early in the fourth quarter… Allen Iverson scored 22 points for Detroit, which has lost nine of 12 and are 21-21 with him… Hamilton scored 16 points, Tayshaun Prince had 11 and Amir Johnson scored 10 points for the first time in a month.

Howard’s 29 lift Magic to 113-90 win over Raptors

The AP reports: For once, Chris Bosh had a bad game against the Orlando Magic. Dwight Howard had 29 points and 14 rebounds, Jameer Nelson added 18 points and 10 assists, and the Magic never trailed in a 113-90 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday. Mickael Pietrus scored 22 points and Rashard Lewis had 15 for the Magic, who led by as many as 25 and have won three straight following back-to-back losses to Boston and Miami… Nelson had eight rebounds, falling just shy of the first triple-double of his career… Jose Calderon scored 16 points for Toronto, reserve Joey Graham had 14 and Andrea Bargnani had 12.

Celtics win 11th straight, top Wolves 109-101

The AP reports: “I just try to give the game what it needs. Today, I thought it needed my scoring,” Paul Pierce said after his 36 points, eight rebounds and six assists helped Boston extend its winning streak to 11 games with a 109-101 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves… Al Jefferson, the centerpiece of the trade that brought Garnett to Boston, scored 34 points for the Timberwolves, who lost their third in a row since winning 10 of 12… Randy Foye had 21 points and nine assists, and Jefferson also had 11 rebounds—the 26th double-double of the season for a player who was a surprise exclusion from this month’s All-Star game in Phoenix… Ray Allen scored 22, and Glen “Big Baby” Davis had 12 points, six rebounds and three steals while playing in place of Kevin Garnett.