Feb 13, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard (0) drives with the ball against the New Orleans Hornets during the second half of a game at the New Orleans Arena. The Hornets defeated the Trail Blazer 99-63. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Rookie point guard Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers came away with the trophy in the 2013 Taco Bell Skills Challenge on Saturday night, beating out Jrue Holiday of the Philadelphia 76ers in the head-to-head round. Due to their collective performance, the Eastern Conference came away with 30 points compared to the 10 points that Lillard brought in with his overall victory.

The Eastern Conference Skills Challenge squad, which consisted of Holiday, Brandon Knight and Jeff Teague, finished with a total running time of 1:50.9. Lillard, Jeremy Lin and Tony Parker made up the Western Conference’s Skills team, but the 2012 champion couldn’t get the job done for his crew. Parker, who may have been too confident in his passing and shooting abilities, was eager to get from station to station. On two instances he moved on to the next station before completing a challenge and went through a whole rack of balls when attempting the long-range shot.

Parker’s time of 48.7 seconds gave the Western Conference a total running time of 1:53.3, thus awarding the Eastern Conference 30 points to their nightly total. Lillard, who finished with the best time in the team and individual skill challenges, clocked times of 28.8 seconds and 29.8 seconds. On his second try he became the only player to make his long-range shot on his first attempt.

Holiday, who met up with Lillard in the final round, finished with the best time on Team East. He started off with a blazing time of 29.3 seconds, but finished with a respectable 35.6 seconds. Lillard was too quick and efficient in his performance to give Holiday any chance of winning. Due to that, Lillard earned the Western Conference 10 points.

Also, during the broadcast the TNT announcers were discussing which player had the best handles in the league. They came to a consensus that “Kyrie has the tightest handle in the NBA.”

Updated Score: Eastern Conference 40, Western Conference 30

Today we will be discussing the weak Central Division, Anderson Varejao as an All-Star, Jeremy Pargo’s role once Kyrie Irving returns, New York’s big win over the Miami Heat and early-season awards.

Cavaliers Corner

Dec 5, 2012; Cleveland, OH, USA; Chicago Bulls power forward Carlos Boozer (5) defends Cleveland Cavaliers small forward C.J. Miles (0) in the fourth quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

First Question: How would you rate the early play of the Cavaliers against a pretty weak Central Division?

Chris Manning: On a scale of one to 10, I would give it a 2.5. The Cavs are 0-4 against the ‘weak’ Central Division, and in order to be a good team in the NBA, you have to win games within your division. Losses against the Pistons, Bucks and Bulls are nothing to be ashamed of, but the Cavs really haven’t been competitive in those games. And in two of those losses (the first against Chicago and the game in Milwaukee) Kyrie Irving was playing. The Cavaliers really have to fix this issue and start winning games in the division if they want to take that next step moving forward.

Jerry Bulone: Well it has been a small sampling size, with only four games and three of those being on the road, so I am going to withhold my judgment; I will say this, when I look at the Central division I think the Cavaliers, with health on their side and a few more tweaks, can be right there with Milwaukee and Indiana. I do not see any clear-cut strengths they have over the Cavaliers.

Dec 5, 2012; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Anderson Varejao (17) slam dunks beside Chicago Bulls shooting guard Marco Belinelli (8) in the fourth quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Second Question: What makes Anderson Varejao All-Star material?

CM: First off, look at his stat line: 15.0 points per game, 15.4 rebounds per game, 50.2 percent shooting and a career high 77.2 percent shooting from the free throw line. To break down his rebounding further, Varejao is averaging 6.1 on offense and 9.3 on defense. Those numbers are outstanding, and to average 15 and 15 a game really speaks to how good Varejao has become. It’s also hard not to be impressed with how hard Anderson plays. He brings it every minute he is on the court, and that is something often missing at the top levels of the NBA. If he doesn’t make the All-Star team this season, it will be travesty.

JB: I made a very unpopular argument on Bleacher Report that Andy has been our best player this year, and I stand by it. He is leading the league in rebounding and has career highs in points, assists and steals. He is only averaging a few points less then Bosh and Lopez and has double the rebounds. If Andy is not an All-Star this year, then the game needs to be renamed “the most popular players on winning teams game.”

Dec 1, 2012; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Jeremy Pargo (back) and Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard (0) go for a loose ball in the second quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Third Question: Once Kyrie returns, what will Jeremy Pargo’s role be?

CM: In my mind, he has earned his place as Kyrie’s backup. Even though his play has dropped off in recent games, his body of work indicates to me that he is a better option than Donald Sloan moving forward. When Kyrie does come back, I expect him to still play 15-17 minutes a game as the Cavaliers ease Irving back into the flow of the game. When Kyrie fully gets back, Pargo should still play around 10 minutes a game when Kyrie gets a break and/or is in foul trouble. I wouldn’t even be opposed to the two playing as a duo from time to time if other combinations are not working.

JB: I think the real question is what will Boobie’s role be. I think Pargo can develop into be a solid back up. With him and Donald Sloan (whom I think is underrated), Gibson is expendable. Both players are younger (Sloan 24, and Pargo 22) and seem to play well when given the chance. Boobie’s three-point shooting may be missed, but at some point you can only have so many point guards and I think Gibson would have more value then Pargo or Sloan.

NBA Roundup

Dec 6, 2012; Miami FL, USA; Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) is fouled by New York Knicks forward Rasheed Wallace (36) during the second half at American Airlines Arena. Knicks won 112-92. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Fourth Question: Why do the Knicks match up against the Heat so well?

CM: To put it simply, the Heat are awful defensively, and the Knicks are superb on that end of the floor. The Knicks have a three-guard rotation that includes Jason Kidd, Raymond Felton and 34-year old rookie sensation Pablo Prigioni. They have Carmelo Anthony, one of the best pure scorers in the NBA. They have solid role players like J.R. Smith and Steve Novak that can stretch the floor. They also have Marcus Camby and Tyson Chandler on the inside, giving them a big advantage over Miami. Long term, I think Miami will figure it out and win the East, but the Knicks are a matchup nightmare for Miami. The Heat looked confused last night in the Knicks 20-point win, and it all goes back to Miami’s defensively play.                      

JB: I honestly do not think they match up that well. The two games this year New York was hot from three-point land. They hit 18 three pointers yesterday, and 19 on November 2nd. While the Knicks do have an advantage at center on the defensive side, it is not enough to overcome all the strengths Miami has in the long run. In their opening playoff series last year, the Knicks struggled and only managed one win, which was a two-point win at New York. So I think it’s more circumstance at this point.

Dec. 4, 2012; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) dribbles the ball around Brooklyn Nets point guard Deron Williams (8) during the second half at Barclays Center. Thunder won 117-111. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

Fifth Question: With the season almost one quarter through, who are your early season award winners (MVP, ROY, DPOY)?

CM: Right now, my MVP vote would go to Carmelo Anthony. The Knicks are playing the best basketball in the NBA right now, and he is playing the best basketball of his career, and I see the Knicks as a real contender in the East. My DOPY vote would be for Serge Ibaka, who leads the NBA with 3.26 blocks per game, with Anderson Varejao coming in second due to his rebounding ability. I give Ibaka my vote because he can change the game with a single swat, which historically is a weakness for Varejao (he only averages 0.7 blocks per game for his career). Last, the ROY at this point has to be Portland’s Damian Lillard. As a rookie, he is ninth in the NBA in scoring with 19.3 points game, and he has clearly been the best and most consistent rookie thus far.

JB: My MVP is Kevin Durant and it’s not even close. His team has the best record of all the serious candidates. He has become a much more efficient and all-around player, and as a result the team is still among the best in the West. ROY is a little closer, but it has to be Damian Lillard. He is leading all rookies in points and assists. He is shooting better then Waiters, and right now is the better all around player. DPOY is too close for me to call at this point, no one has separated themselves.

Make sure to check back next week to see what Zachary Kolesar and Dan Pilar have to discuss at the “Weekly Roundtable.”

I will give a quick synopsis of each team’s roster, some of their statistics from last year and why I think they will finish in the position that I predicted. Agree or disagree, stay tuned to RDE to see where your team lands in the 2012 Offseason Team Rankings.

June 28, 2012; Newark, NJ, USA; Damian Lillard (Weber State), right, is introduced as the number six overall pick to the Portland Trail Blazers by NBA commissioner David Stern during the 2012 NBA Draft at the Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-US PRESSWIRE

No. 13 – Portland Trail Blazers (5th in Northwest)

2011-12 season: 28-38 (.424), 4th place in Northwest Division (4-10)

Offensive Efficiency: 102.8 (12^th)

Defensive Efficiency: 103.7 (22^nd)

2012-13 roster:

F-C – LaMarcus Aldridge

F – Luke Babbitt

G – Will Barton

F-G – Nicolas Batum

F-G – Victor Claver

F-C – Joel Freeland

F – J.J. Hickson

F – Jared Jeffries

C – Meyers Leonard

G – Damian Lillard

G – Wesley Matthews

G-F – Aleksandar Pavlovic

G – Ronnie Price

G – Nolan Smith

G – Elliot Williams

I love the direction that the Blazers went with their draft picks, taking point guard Damian Lillard with their first pick and center Meyers Leonard with their second pick. Lillard could be the other starting guard beside Wesley Matthews, as he proved himself as a four-year player at Weber State. He was a proficient shooter, making 46.7 percent of his field goal attempts (15.5 field goals attempted per game), 40.9 percent of his threes and 88.7 percent of his free throws. He’ll eventually be a huge impact player for Portland, but that time is a while off. The same goes for Leonard. The former Illini was much needed on a roster lacking a true center. Marcus Camby was not that effective last season and is also no longer with the team.

With Jamal Crawford (Clippers), Gerald Wallace (Nets) and Raymond Felton (Knicks) all heading off to franchises on the rise, the Trail Blazers lost three of their top six scorers last season. They are losing their best sixth man in Crawford and starters in Wallace and Felton. The starting lineup will have a whole new look to it; a lineup that had the injury bug hit them often in 2011-12. With those veterans mentioned above heading in different directions, the Trail Blazers will struggle a lot more this season with chemistry and will most likely be stricken with some injuries to key players. The bench is pretty thin, especially down low, so one injury to a key player could send this team reeling.

The Trail Blazers won’t be returning to playoff-contending level anytime soon, but there are some bright, young offensive stars that fans could see develop this season. Portland will have a season comparable to that of which the Cavaliers had last season. Playoff contenders before the All-Star break, but lottery hopefuls by the end of the season.