2013 BBVA Rising Stars Challenge Roster Pool Announced

[Andrew]

Via NBA.com.

Format is the same as last year: mix of rookies and sophomores, Barkley and Shaq will pick teams. However, fans will be able to vote for the starters.

Roster Pool

Harrison Barnes
Bradley Beal
Anthony Davis
Andre Drummond
Kenneth Faried
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
Kyrie Irving
Brandon Knight
Kawhi Leonard
Damian Lillard
Chandler Parsons
Alexey Shved
Klay Thompson
Tristan Thompson
Nikola Vucevic
Dion Waiters
Kember Walker
Tyler Zeller

[Leftos]

As I said in the Podcast, bring on Irving vs. Lillard one more time this season. Since Irving is in the all-star game, he'll see limited minutes, but it'll still be fun.

Don't get the Knight inclusion. Drummond fully deserves it. Here's hoping for some lobs his way, one-handed putbacks and posterizers, and one or two impressive blocks.

[Dan's Brain]

Would have liked to have seen Jimmy Butler get a run, but I don't think he deserves it over any of the other sophomores listed. I'm going to pick Faried for MVP with a Blairesque 20-20 performance.

[benji]

Would have liked to have seen Jimmy Butler get a run, but I don't think he deserves it over any of the other sophomores listed.

Especially not with all that blatant traveling.

[LROBA]

a lot of good PG.."Kember" Walker, Kyrie Irving, Damian Lillard..

[Dan's Brain]

Would have liked to have seen Jimmy Butler get a run, but I don't think he deserves it over any of the other sophomores listed.

Especially not with all that blatant traveling.

You don't get to be an MVP, plus NBA Champion, plus King of Decisions by keeping your pivot foot stationary.

[Axel The Great]

Good to see Parsons get the nod. He may not a highlight reel player, but hopefully he can come away with a nifty dunk or two.

[RedPhazon8]

Would have liked to have seen Jimmy Butler get a run, but I don't think he deserves it over any of the other sophomores listed.

Yeah I was disappointed he didn't make it.

[Andrew]

I too was hoping Butler could sneak onto the team. His strong play has continued even with Deng's return to action, but the players who made the cut have been doing their thing all season long, so it's not exactly a snub. I imagine he's on the shortlist to be a replacement if someone has to withdraw.

[Gigabyte]

Hope one of 'em drafts Irving and Lillard on the same team. That would be like John Wall and Kyrie last year.

[Martti.]

Chuck already said if he were to pick first, he'd take Faried over Irving, so Kyrie and Lillard could end up on the same team.

[NovU]

a lot of good PG.."Kember" Walker, Kyrie Irving, Damian Lillard..

A lot of good bigs too. A lot of them impact players already.

[Lamrock]

I still really don't like this format for the rookie game. Makes it seem even more pointless somehow.

[Andrew]

In a way it seems less organised than Rookies vs Sophomores or East vs West, but it's potentially less lopsided this way.

[Gigabyte]

My starting five:
PG - Damian Lillard
SG - Kyrie Irving
SF - Chandler Parsons
PF - Kenneth Faried
C - Anthony Davis

Yeeeeeeeah boy.

[Martti.]

Irving and Lillard are gonna kill Chuck's team. Also Walker not in the first 16 selections? He's been great this year, even if it has been for the Bobcats.

And Rubio was added right before. Not to hate on him as I usually do, he has picked it up in the last couple of games, but Jimmy Butler has been great for the last month or so. Adding Thomas was right.

[kevin02]

In a way it seems less organised than Rookies vs Sophomores or East vs West, but it's potentially less lopsided this way.

Apparently, not when you have Charles Barkley picking one of teams. All the scoring is on one team.

[Andrew]

Guess Shaq has a good chance to avenge last year's loss.

[bowdown]

Drummond has a fractured tailbone and will miss the All Star event.

[Andrew]

Ouch.

[Gigabyte]

Chuck beats Shaq. :/ Yup, still creeps me out too.