Blazers' C.J. McCollum says he's giving the NBA Three-Point Contest another shot

He wants to make redeem himself after last year's subpar showing

PORTLAND -- Damian Lillard may not be able to represent the Trail Blazers in the All-Star Game, but Portland will have at least one representative in New Orleans for All-Star weekend as his backcourt mate C.J. McCollum will compete again in the Foot Locker Three-Point Contest.

"I will [compete],'' McCollum said at practice on Saturday. "At first, I was against it, I didn't really want to go but seeing as how I performed last year, and my girl can't go on vacation because she has a test on Monday, it kind of changed my view on it.''

McCollum was on the fence about participating at first because like all players who have slogged through the grind of an NBA season, he wanted to have some rest and relaxation during the All-Star break.

"I wanted to go on vacation." McCollum said. "If I'm not going to play in the game, I would rather be on vacation. But I can't be on vacation since my girl's got a test. So I figured I could go for 48 hours and get out there and still get some rest and relaxation."

McCollum competed in the contest last year and was knocked out in the first round after scoring just 14 points. He attributes his sub-par performance to lack of preparation since he only found out he was included the night before.

McCollum was added after Chris Bosh withdrew from the All-Star weekend's festivities after suffering a calf injury, which later became tied to his blood clot complications. The Blazers guard was competing in the Taco Bell Skills Challenge and since he was shooting 39.2 percent from three at the time, he was a natural addition. However his late inclusion in the event definitely affected his performance.

"I'll take it seriously this year,'' McCollum said. "Last year, I was a throw in. They called me the night before, so I tried to get to a gym and did a round [using] the [ball] racks. This year I will prepare more and give it a shot."

McCollum is shooting a stellar 41.5 percent from three and is averaging 6.3 attempts a game. He is 14th in three-point percentage and 12th in three-pointers made (120). In three-point attempts, McCollum is 16th in the league.

McCollum is the first player to officially say he is competing in the contest. It is expected that reigning champion Klay Thompson will participate and likely so will his teammate Stephen Curry. And according to SB Nation's Tim Cato, Mavs guard Wesley Matthews Jr. will compete in the contest as well.

With the contest taking place in New Orleans, Pelicans guard Langston Galloway (37.4 percent three-point shooter) or rookie Buddy Hield (37.2 percent three-point shooter) could possibly be selected. Other candidates are Rockets guard Eric Gordon (second in three-pointers made, 39.2 percent shooter), Wizards forward Otto Porter (leading the league in three-point percentage at 46.5 percent), Jazz forward Joe Ingles (second in three-point percentage at 44.5 percent) and possibly even James Harden (third in three-pointers made, 35 percent shooter).

With such a plethora of great long-range shooters, whoever ends up getting selected will be in for some serious competition. McCollum is well aware of this and his game plan is to go for 20 points in the preliminary round so he can advance.

"If you get out of the first round, you have a shot." McCollum said. "You have to get at least 20 with [Stephen Curry] and all those guys who can shoot really well.''