His New York Knicks, at 23-34, have gone that way. These days, Carmelo Anthony is less an NBA superstar than a Bizarro King Midas everything he touches turns to.well, I'll let you guess which emoji works best. Plus, every Hall of Famer needs a defining moment, and who can forget McGradyвЂ™sВ 13 points in 33 secondsВ to down the Spurs? He was a pioneer in opening the door for other teenagers to join the NBA out of high school, paced the NBA in scoring twice and was named to an All-NBA team seven times. He always left his coaches and fans yearning for just a bit more effort, and injuries cut short his prime.Д«ut his career should be worthy of not only an induction, but an entrance in his first year of eligibility. (No, his run on the end of the bench with the Spurs at the tail end of his career does not count.) AndВ McGradyвЂ™s candidacy offers something of a litmus test for basketball fans: He was a spectacular scorer and singular talent for years, but he never experienced playoff success. McGrady was left speechless, literally, when he found out he had been nominated. But there is still some intrigue among this yearвЂ™s candidates-chiefly whether or not Tracy McGrady produced a career worthy of enshrinement at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. This yearвЂ™s Basketball Hall of Fame class cannot match the star power shared among last fall's inductions of Allen Iverson and Shaquille OвЂ™Neal. Will he be Michael Jordan in the second threepeat or Michael Jordan on the Wizards? That remains to be seen, but it's even money that he'll say something to piss people off.

It's gonna be Arcade Fire lead singer Win Butler-a favorite to win the Celebrity Game MVP for the second year in a row, despite 'retiring' from the game last year. I think we all know who it's going to be if we simply think back to last year's All-Star Weekend up in Canada. I think one of his major keys is not losing sponsorship deals by being controversial. It won't be DJ Khaled, who's performing during All-StarВ SaturdayВ Night. That guy seems like the sort of person who offers up a sheepish grin and sips his drink any time his spouse says something provocative in public. It probably won't be John Legend, even if his wife, Chrissy Teigen, is famously outspoken on Twitter. The more interesting question is: Who's going to be the one to drop the 'T' word on the air, sending social media into a histrionic fit of self-immolation never seen before? If you think we're getting through this All-Star Weekend without some sort of political statement, then you probably also think Danny Ainge is going to be trading some of his draft picks before the deadline. Here's what Bleacher Report's panel of NBA experts thinks will happen in the Crescent City this weekend. This year's slate features plenty of its own favorites: from Aaron Gordon dunking, to Klay Thompson defending his sharpshooting crown, to a loaded Western Conference squad with Anthony Davis starting on his home floor. Had someone parlayed those outcomes at Harrah's, that person might've made enough to buy the casino. John Wall won the Slam Dunk Contest under a weird (and since-scrapped) slate of rules and Kyrie Irving-not LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh or Carmelo Anthony-emerged as the MVP in a victory for the East. Marco Belinelli beat out Bradley Beal in the Three-Point Shootout. In 2014, the Skills Challenge (won by Damian Lillard and Trey Burke) and Celebrity Game (with Kevin Hart and Arne Duncan sharing MVP honors) both featured split victories. The city's magical vibes may have their way with our expectations, if New Orleans' last All-Star occasion is any indication:

This February's festivities will mark the third time since 2008 that the league has brought its midseason showcase to the Big Easy.

Nowadays, NBA All-Star Weekend belongs on that list. New Orleans has long been known for music, food and voodoo, to name but a few of its many signatures.

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