By John Hollinger | ESPN Insider
ATLANTA -- The 3-point Shootout at All-Star Weekend may be four days away, but the trash talking has already begun.
Playing the role of Damon Jones this year is Detroit's normally low-key Richard Hamilton, who told me after the Pistons' 94-90 win over the Hawks that he's the man to beat this year.
"I know for a fact Kobe can't beat me in a shootout, so that's one down," said Hamilton, who at 46.0 percent on the season is well ahead of fellow Pennsylvanian Bryant's 35.4 percent. "I just gotta figure out a way to beat the other guys."
Hamilton also assessed himself as the toughest competitor in the six-man field -- one that also includes defending champion Jason Kapono of Toronto, two-time winner Peja Stojakovic of New Orleans, Cleveland's Daniel Gibson and Phoenix's Steve Nash.
Mind you, this was with Hamilton laid low by a bout of food poisoning that caused him to miss the morning shootaround. He spelled out the beginning of an unprintable world to describe how he felt after the game, in which he shot 4-for-12 for a quiet 12 points.
So if he can muster this much confidence when he's under the weather, how much more trash talk will we see from him in the next four days?
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime?page=dime-080213
Sounds like fighting words!!
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