Another NBA All-Star weekend has gone by and as expected, another weak slam drunk competition. The recent lack of creativity and performance has even driven some NBA analysts to question the frequency of the competition itself. ESPN's Sportscenter NBA experts suggested that the competition be held every other year as the crowd is beginning to see the same dunks over and over again.
The truth is that the lack of showmanship has nothing to do with the setup, time limit or frequency of the event. The biggest problem that the sports world agrees upon is the lack of quality players participating in the slam dunk competition. This is the absolute and most definite reason for people wanting more! The last time more than one all-star participated in the competition was 2003 when Jason Richardson and Amare Stoudamire enrolled. Before that, the most recent memorable roster was in 2000 when the roster included Vince Carter, Steve Francis, Larry Hughes, Tracy McGrady and Jerry Stackhouse. Now there's a lineup!
Can someone please explain why the NBA's greats continually refuse to participate in the single most anticipated and hyped-up all-star event of the year? Maybe we should ask David Stern, the commissioner himself? The fans deserve to see the best perform. After all, if it weren't for the fans then the NBA millionaires wouldn't be millionaires. The NBA should require the slam dunk roster to feature as least 3 all-stars to compete against each other for the title.
Just imagine an all-star slam dunk competition featuring Lebron James, Kobe Bryant (even at his age), Kevin Durant and Blake Griffin. Now that would be a show! Fans miss the days of their young school-aged kids begging their parents with excitement to allow them to stay up and see the dunk finale. That excitement has not existed for sometime and the fans deserve its return.
Even today, the average person remembers the slam dunk battle between Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkens back in the 1988 slam dunk competition. It wasn't just the dunks that made that night so memorable - it was the showdown. It was the Ali vs Frazier battle of slam dunking. That same kind of excitement would be resurrected if the NBA was able to step up and get today's NBA greats to set aside their egos and give the fans what they want and deserve - an NBA Saturday night showdown with the best dunkers in the game.
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