The NBA Has to Improve the Dunk Contest

Photo Courtesy of SI.com

I got home late to watch All-Star Saturday I had on the DVR.

The NBA took the liberty of tweaking some of the events this year and I was fine with that. The Shooting Stars event was okay. The new twist to the Skills Challenge was nice, but the two events that I looked forward to the most are what I'm (sort of) here to talk about. 

As a basketball fan, this was one of my favorite times of year because the guys in the 3-Point Shootout and the Dunk Contest always put on a show. A few of my friends and I would gather This year, I love what the NBA did with the 3-Point Shootout by having one rack be all money balls. 

Here's the part of the blog where I explain what the money ball is....you know, in case you just love how I write, but you're not quite a sports fanatic like me...

The money ball in the 3-Point Shootout is the odd looking ball that isn't all orange. Each one of the regular basketballs shot through the hoop is worth one point, but that special colorful ball at the end of each rack is worth two points. 

Now that we've gotten that out of the way. I was very impressed with Bradley Beal and Marco Bellineli in the final round. Bellineli got hot at the end and that's how it's supposed to be done. Sure, it would always be nice to start off hot, but who's going to argue with your method if you win the trophy?

So, let's really get to why I'm here writing this blog at 4:47 a.m.

All I heard all night was about how horrible the dunk contest was. The new format put guys in one round that was freestyle and another where they got to use a prop if they wanted to. Most dunks were put down after the second attempt by each competitor which really takes the energy out of the building if it's something spectacular you want to do.

That's just part of the reason why this year's contest was a flop. The other reason that this contest was a flop comes down to two words.

NAME. RECOGNITION. 

 

It's not that people don't know who Harrison Barnes is. He's not an NBA star. Guys like Paul George and John Wall carried this year's contest. They had to. Their names on the docket are what really sell fans on the idea of tuning in. Sure, Damien Lillard (who is going to be a really good player in this league) surprised a few people. But what Terrence Ross and McLemore did was forgettable (as far as their dunks were concerned).

The NBA needs this contest, more than anything, to have star power. The fact of the matter is people will tune in to see what Blake Griffin will do. People will buy more tickets to All-Star Saturday if they know LeBron is going to dunk. There have to be other stars in the contest.

Let's try this lineup for a dunk contest...and since I'm handcuffed to this format that the NBA adopted this year, I'm gonna try to use it.

Photo Courtesy of MiamiNewTimes.com

EAST 
LeBron James
Paul George
John Wall

Photo Courtesy of BlackSportsOnline.com

WEST
Blake Griffin
Nate Robinson
Andre Iguodala

Sure, three of these guys have won the contest before, but admit it. If the NBA told you these guys were in the dunk contest, you'd cancel everything to watch it. I would. I would make myself completely unavailable on a Saturday to ensure that this would be watched live.

But maybe it's more than that. Maybe the league needs to step in and sweeten the pot a little for the dunk contest to get back to where it was. Remember when you found out that Vince Carter was going to be in it. You nearly peed yourself with excitement as a fan. Okay, maybe not. But you were excited. Remember watching guys like Kobe Bryant and Jason Richardson...you know, the guys you KNEW could throw it down? It was epic.



The Association has to get back to that...because, honestly, the All-Star Challenge between, Kenny, Charles, C-Webb, Shaq and EJ was far more entertaining than that. Something has to give. What amount of money would it take to get a star-studded field together? It certainly isn't a million dollars, but that's what Magic Johnson offered LeBron if he would enter the contest.

So...now what? Bump it to $2 million? $4 million? $5 million and a tricked-out ride? Someone in the league office needs to find out what it's going to take because, as a fan, the last thing I want from here on out is the dunk contest killing my vibe after a great 3-Point Shootout.