There was once a time when the dunk contest actually meant something, but after watching Saturday night’s pathetic showcase, I realize that those days are long gone. Oh, how far the mighty dunk contest has fallen, when scrubs like Gerald Green, Nate Robinson and Tyrus Thomas are participating.
Where are the stars? In order for an event like this to succeed there must be stars competing. I don’t understand how the NBA can have a dunk contest without the game’s best young dunkers involved? Can someone please explain why LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony are not participating? Why isn’t David Stern making them perform in the contest, just like any other league commissioner would do? (Can you imagine the home run contest without Ryan Howard?)
It seems rather foolish that the NBA doesn’t force its star players to compete in the dunk contest. After all, isn’t it in the player’s best interest to promote his sport? This recent trend where stars don’t compete in the dunk contest has got to stop. Not long ago, the dunk contest was a source of pride among the game’s best young dunkers. Past winners have included Julius Erving, Dominique Wilkins, Michael Jordon, Kobe Bryant and Vince Carter. Yet today’s young high-flyers are too full of themselves to compete and as a result of this, fans are left with an inferior product.
Last night’s event was just awful. Nate Robinson’s inability to complete a dunk in his first attempt was infuriating. Similar to last year’s shenanigans, the 5-foot-9 Robinson needed several attempts to complete one successful dunk. He made a mockery of the event. It was absurd to have him take part when he couldn’t throw down a dunk with any consistency. After awhile, I had to turn off the television because watching Robinson fail -- over and over again -- was just too depressing.
