"He may be late to the party, but DeMar DeRozan has no plans on being a wallflower now that's he has the invite.

DeRozan found out in the wee hours of Thursday morning as the team was heading to its charter flight to Orlando that he would be replacing good friend Brandon Jennings in the NBA all-star game dunk contest.

You may recall DeRozan was in it a year ago and finished runner-up to Nate Robinson. DeRozan certainly remembers it and it's fuelling him this time around because the second-year Raptors feels he got jobbed the first time around.

DeRozan believes even with the ankle injury that kept him from attempting any two-footed takeoffs, he deserved the title a year ago. Now up against the unofficial "people's choice" in rookie Blake Griffin, DeRozan isn't shying away.

"I'm still confident," he said following a light shooting practice at the Orlando Sports Center. "I think it will be really entertaining, back home for me and playing at home for Blake. It should be really fun."

Also in the contest, which will play out Saturday, Feb. 19, at the Staples Center in L.A., are Oklahoma City Thunder's Serge Ibaka and Washington Wizards' JaVale McGee.

"A lot of people are rooting for Blake and I don't blame them," DeRozan said. "The things he's doing this season are incredible. It should be very entertaining. This year, hopefully, I'm going into it healthy and have my legs and maybe try something new."

DeRozan had played only a couple of games heading into the dunk contest last year. Prior to that, he had sat out five consecutive games because of a right ankle injury."