Three-Point Shootout Contestants Literally Looking Up to Frye

Channing Frye will be shooting for big men everywhere in the NBA's All-Star three-point contest.

Then again, it depends who you ask.

Phoenix's 6-foot-11 Frye will be just the second center to take part in the 24 contests. The only other one was Sam Perkins in 1997.

Other competitors named Friday for the Feb. 13 contest in Dallas are defending champion Daequan Cook of Miami, All-Stars Paul Pierce of Boston and Chauncey Billups of Denver, Golden State's Stephen Curry and New York's Danilo Gallinari, a forward who is the second-tallest in the event at 6-10.

"(Frye is) definitely representing the center position,'' said Suns center Jarron Collins. "He definitely represents all the big guys out there. Most of us wouldn't dare shoot a three.''

Frye, though, sees it a bit differently.

"I'm pretty much shooting for myself,'' he said. "For all the big men, that bigger picture, I don't think about that.''

Frye will be the second-tallest competitor ever. Dallas' 7-foot forward, Dirk Nowitzki, participated five times, winning in 2006 in Houston.

As for the 6-9 Perkins, he didn't show much in his lone appearance. He finished last out of eight competitors in 1997 in Cleveland.

"Sam had a more deliberate delivery,'' Collins said of Perkins, who also played power forward. "Channing has a quick release. I think that favors him a lot going into the shooting contest. He's got to get hot and make a rack or two and try to give himself a chance.''

If Frye shoots like he has this season, he certainly has a chance. He's firing away at a 43.8 percent clip, having made 99-of-207.

Those are staggering numbers considering Frye was just 20-of-70 on three-pointers (28.6 percent) in his first four seasons with New York and Portland. Then he signed with the Suns last summer, and everything changed.

"I came into to the league shooting 15 to 17 footers and I took a step back every year,'' said Frye, who was Phoenix's starting center for the first 41 games before coach Alvin Gentry decided to bring him off the bench for the past 10 games behind Robin Lopez. "I shot a lot of long twos but I didn't get a lot of opportunities to shoot threes because it wasn't really in our system (with the Knicks his first two years and Trail Blazers his second two). This summer, it was like, 'Why should I shoot a bad long two. I might as well shoot a three ball.'''

In Phoenix's wide-open style, Frye's shooting has fit in quite well. He's averaging 12.1 points.

Even if Frye doesn't believe he'll be shooting for all big men in Dallas, he'll have a big supporter in the 6-11 Collins. In case you're wondering, Collins is 0-of-5 on three-pointers in nine NBA seasons.

Chris Tomasson can be reached at tomasson@fanhouse.com or on Twitter @christomasson