HoopsHype.com Rumors

Ryan Wolstat: Terrence Ross told us last night that's the last time he does the dunk contest Twitter @WolstatSun

Toronto Raptors, All-Star, Terrence Ross 

Earl K. Sneed: Vince Carter says he was honored by Terrence Ross' tribute and reached out to the Slam Dunk champ. Twitter @EKS_MavsNBA

Dallas Mavericks, Toronto Raptors, Vince Carter, All-Star, Terrence Ross 

Terrence Ross: Shout out my mans @JeremyEvans40, he's a cool an humble man. Great athlete. Everyone follow the 2012 dunk champ... Twitter @T_DotFlight31

Toronto Raptors, Utah Jazz, Jeremy Evans, All-Star, Terrence Ross 

That dunk, which came after the Toronto guard caught a pass off the side of the backboard, set up the finale between Ross and Utah guard Jeremy Evans, last year’s champion. Evans then one-upped him by slamming a one-handed, windmill dunk over a painting of him dunking. Well, Ross topped that dunk and sealed his 2013 title by jumping over a ballboy, putting the ball through his legs, and then flushing it, one-handed, with plenty of force. “It was my favorite event to watch every year, since I was a small child,” said Ross, who added that he hadn’t really competed in a dunk contest. “Actually winning it, I never thought I’d do it.” Boston Globe

Toronto Raptors, Utah Jazz, Jeremy Evans, All-Star, Terrence Ross 

Ross said the plan to jump over the ballboy was hatched by his agent. Ross said he told the boy the day before that he was going to dunk over him, but Ross didn’t say that he was going to go through his legs. “You’re not going to hit me, right?” the boy asked him. “No, I’m not going to hit you,” Ross said. Boston Globe

Toronto Raptors, All-Star, Terrence Ross 

Marc Stein: Sense I get, though, is that Toronto ain't gonna bite on Bargs-for-Gordon deal. Raps have Terrence Ross & Alan Anderson playing well there Twitter @ESPNSteinLine

Charlotte Bobcats, Toronto Raptors, Trade, Ben Gordon, Alan Anderson, Andrea Bargnani, Terrence Ross 

A day before getting a chance to introduce himself to an international audience, Raptors rookie Terrence Ross admitted he was a tad nervous. “A little bit. All this media and all the players (all-stars) showing up, I’m just trying to settle in,” Ross said on Friday afternoon. Was Ross also feeling pressure from past Raptor performances, particularly Vince Carter’s back in 2000? “Yeah,” Ross said with a laugh, “especially with Vince.” Toronto Sun

Toronto Raptors, Terrence Ross 

Terrence Ross: Each sale helps #dunkcancer. $15 a shirt, free shipping to US, $10 to Canada. Get'em at dunkcancer.com Please RT!!! Twitter @T_DotFlight31

Toronto Raptors, Terrence Ross 

How are you getting ready for the dunk contest? Terrence Ross: I'm just practicing hard, just working the dunks I think I should be able to do at the contest. DeMar [DeRozan] is helping me, Rudy [Gay] is helping me a lot. DeMar is giving me some good advice on how to do some dunks and improve on my score while getting the crowd on my side. Who is the best dunker at the All Stars? Terrence Ross: I would say [Michael] Jordan and [Dominique] Wilkins, those two were the best. HoopsHype

Toronto Raptors, Michael Jordan, Dominique Wilkins, Terrence Ross, All Star Game 

Terrence Ross is thrilled to be one of six competitors and the lone rookie entrant in Saturday’s Sprite Slam Dunk contest in Houston as part of All-Star Saturday. And as the Toronto Raptors guard defies gravity, he’ll be uplifted by a number of young fans he probably never knew he had. That’s because the 22-year-old guard out of Washington plans to dunk something far bigger than basketballs — he wants to help dunk cancer and help the children battling the despicable disease every day. Before the Raptors play host to the Denver Nuggets tonight, Ross will announce his involvement in launching a three-part fundraising campaign in partnership with “Dunk Cancer” and its month-long initiative, ”Dunk Cancer Month,” during the NBA’s All-Star Weekend. Ross has committed to help raise money to benefit the Children’s Cancer Association and his high school back home, Jefferson High, in Portland, Ore. “Ever since I was in about the third grade, my mom has run an out-of-home day care service,” Ross said. “So there were always kids around. One of the kids that she took care of had cancer. We were close to the family and were always around each other so it hit home for us. That’s the main reason I’ve chosen to support “Dunk Cancer” and “Dunk Cancer Month.” NBA.com

Toronto Raptors, All-Star, Terrence Ross 

So what does the 6-foot-6, 195-pound Ross, the youngest of the contestants, have planned? “I’ve been planning my dunks for about a week now, testing them with teammates to see which will get really good scores,” said Ross, who noted that Raptors newcomer Rudy Gay has provided some pointers. “I’m definitely going to do something new, nothing I’ve done during the season.” So a few surprises then? “Possibly,” said Ross, who is averaging 6.6 ppg and 2.1 rpg in 17.3 mpg. “I think I have a fairly good chance of winning. Plus, I need to advance to build up my contribution.” NBA.com

Toronto Raptors, All-Star, Terrence Ross 

The NBA announced Thursday that rookie forward Terrence Ross (@T_DotFlight31) has been selected to participate in the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest on All-Star Saturday Night presented by State Farm. Ross is the fifth Raptor invited to participate in the event, joining Vince Carter (2000), Tracy McGrady (2000), Jamario Moon (2008) and DeMar DeRozan (2010 and 2011). This year’s contest will take place Saturday, February 16 at the Toyota Center in Houston and will be broadcasted on TSN2 and TNT beginning at 8:30 p.m. (ET). Raptors.com

Toronto Raptors, Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, DeMar DeRozan, Jamario Moon, Terrence Ross, All Star Game 

Jody Genessy: Jeremy Evans will get a chance to defend his Slam Dunk crown per @jphanned. Participants: Bledsoe, Faried, White, Green, Ross, Evans. Twitter @DJJazzyJody

Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Clippers, New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors, Utah Jazz, Eric Bledsoe, Gerald Green, Jeremy Evans, James White, Kenneth Faried, Terrence Ross, All Star Game 

Evan Dunlap: Gerald Green, Terrence Ross, James White, Eric Bledsoe, Jeremy Evans, and Kenneth Faried in the dunk contest. Twitter @BQRMagic

Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Clippers, New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors, Utah Jazz, Eric Bledsoe, Gerald Green, Jeremy Evans, James White, Kenneth Faried, Terrence Ross, All Star Game 

For the past week or two, teammate DeMar DeRozan has been paying particular attention to young Ross. In Ross, DeRozan sees a second — or actually a third — chance at dunk redemption and he doesn’t want to see him come up short. If you haven’t guessed by now, this is all about the dunk contest that will be part of NBA all-star event a week Saturday and Ross’ expected involvement. Official word of the contestants doesn’t arrive until Thursday night, but there is a groundswell of support for Ross which includes Eastern Conference all-star captain Dwyane Wade, who has taken to Twitter to trumpet the inclusion of Ross. Toronto Sun

Toronto Raptors, DeMar DeRozan, Terrence Ross, All Star Game 

DeRozan readily admits he took the wrong approach to the dunk contest in his first year and regrets it to this day. “My rookie year, I was honestly nervous,” DeRozan recalls. “And my first year, I didn’t practise (at all). I didn’t do anything. I was hurt a week before (sprained ankle) and I missed something like four games (actually five) so I was like: ‘I’m not doing this.’ I wound up doing , but I didn’t work on anything. I just winged it. Now, I think about if I had worked on it and really put some thought into the dunks, I could have won it.” Toronto Sun

Toronto Raptors, DeMar DeRozan, Terrence Ross, All Star Game 

And therein lies the reason he’s been getting after Ross. He doesn’t want his young teammate to make the same mistake he did and is going out of his way to make sure he doesn’t. “ I’m telling him, first of all, just because he thinks it’s any other dunk contest and you just go out and dunk, no,” DeRozan says stressing the negative at the end. “I try to let him know that millions of people are going to be watching you. You could change how people look at you from that day on. Everything is going to be different.” Toronto Sun

Toronto Raptors, DeMar DeRozan, Terrence Ross, All Star Game 

Having been passed over before, the snub (my word not his) of an invite to the NBA rookie/sophomore game barely registers for Raptors guard Terrence Ross. He may yet get to Houston as a dunk contest participant, but the Eastern Conference assistant coaches who did the voting for what is now called The Rising Stars Challenge did not deem him worthy of a spot on that team. Ross shrugged it off like it barely mattered. “Not surprised,” Ross said. “I mean, I didn’t even go the McDonald’s all-American or the Jordan Classic so not being in the all-star game is not really a big deal for me.” Toronto Sun

Toronto Raptors, Terrence Ross, All Star Game 

In a proposed deal, Memphis would likely receive another young Raptors player and a future draft pick, sources said. The Grizzlies have unsuccessfully tried to pry Raptors rookie Terrence Ross as part of the deal, sources said. Toronto has deemed Ross untouchable in these talks. Yahoo! Sports

Memphis Grizzlies, Toronto Raptors, Trade, Rudy Gay, Terrence Ross 

The reason? The asking price is far too high. As I mentioned last week, the players most coveted include the likes of Jose Calderon, Terrence Ross and one of the young bigs — and I know Jonas Valanciunas’s name has come up in conversation — and I would suggest GM Bryan Colangelo should have no interest in that kind of chatter. Toronto Star

Memphis Grizzlies, Toronto Raptors, Trade, Rudy Gay, Bryan Colangelo, Jonas Valanciunas, Terrence Ross