http://www.torontosun.com/sports/basketball/2010/01/15/12474476-sun.html
NEW YORK -- DeMar DeRozan has talked about it since his draft day, and now his goal of competing in the NBA all-star slam-dunk contest is one step closer.
DeRozan, the high-flying shooting guard for the Raptors, is one of two NBA players who will be competing in a first-time Dunk-In contest on the Friday evening of all-star weekend in Dallas from Feb. 12-14.
A win on the Friday earns him a spot in Saturday's slam-dunk contest.
Joining DeRozan in the Dunk-In contest will be LA. Clippers sophomore Eric Gordon, the seventh overall pick in 2008.
The winner will be decided by the fans, by text or online vote at NBA.com.
The three automatic berths for this year's dunk contest will be announced Monday night.
Despite his rookie status, DeRozan, who has been able to dunk since the sixth grade, goes into this competition with a lot of confidence. He already is on record as saying he expects to win the NBA slam-dunk contest.
"I don't care if (Michael )Jordan is in it," DeRozan said.
"Ever since I was in the eighth or ninth grade, every dunk contest I did, I never lose," he said last night. "In the ninth grade, I was in one with Mike Beasley and Gerald Henderson and won. I always feel confident. I like pulling things off."
DeRozan isn't that far removed from his most recent Slam Dunk contest, at the 2008 McDonald's high-school all-America game, which he won with perfect scores on both his dunks in the final, impressing no less an authority than Julius Erving, the father of the move, who was a celebrity judge.
DeRozan knows there is no re-inventing the wheel when it comes to dunking.
"I've got a few things up my sleeve," he said. "I'll try to be a little creative. I just want to add a little flair."
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