James Jones: From Miami playgrounds to NBA's three-point contest

LOS ANGELES — It wasn't hard, growing up in Miami, for James Jones to identify the shooters. All someone had to say was that they usually played in parks like Lake Shore and Buccaneer, parks attractive for their smooth concrete rather than choppy asphalt, but which still featured challenging elements.

"If you can shoot outdoors, with the wind, with the rain, you can shoot anywhere," the Heat forward, now 30, learned as a kid.

Saturday night, Jones will shoot in the controlled climate of the Staples Center, as one of six contestants in the All-Star three-point contest. He'll face Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Kevin Durant, Daniel Gibson and former Heat teammate Dorell Wright, and try to become the fourth player representing the Heat (after Glen Rice in 1995, Jason Kapono in 2007 and Daequan Cook in 2009) to earn the title.

Jones, tied for 15th in the league in three-pointers made, had hoped for an invitation, and his mere presence here is an accomplishment. It shows he successfully transformed himself from an inside player at American High and the University of Miami to outside gunner in the NBA.
And it is a tribute to his perseverance following 2008 wrist surgery, which has forever altered his shooting mechanics.

Still, that doesn't mean he set aside extra time in Los Angeles to practice.

"You don't want to make it more than it is," he said. And he had plenty of other commitments, as the Heat's player representative in labor talks, enough that he chose to leave his family back home.

"I'm the lone ranger," Jones said.

He'll have some support, however. Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh are all expected to attend All-Star Saturday night, to cheer their only teammate in any of the events (which also include the skills challenge, the dunk contest and the shooting stars competitions). Through Wade, who is close friends with Wright, will be torn.

"He'll be low-key," Wright said of Wade rooting for him.



(palmbeachpost.com)