Griffin Simply Given Dunk Title

Blake Griffin could have just showed up, done run-of-the-mill, recycled dunks and been handed the Dunk Contest trophy Saturday night. And that's exactly what happened.

In today's dunk contests, it's rare to do anything - ANYTHING - that hasn't been seen before. Creativity is essential but now it's all props and gimmicks. JaVale McGee's two-basket, double-dunk was impressive but when you have to wheel in another basket, it's not a true dunk. Dwight Howard's from 2009, with the extended 11-foot basket, was also new but very gimmicky. And that's what the dunk contest has become. 

DeRozan should have made finals

Maybe that's why I felt DeMar DeRozan got hosed on his scores. A between-the-legs dunk from the baseline off a pass off the support system deserves higher than 44. Missing the first few attempts probably hurt that particular dunk and the fact it was the first dunk of the night didn't help his score. McGee and Griffin missed even more attempts yet weren't dinged on their scores. 

DeRozen didn't need any props for his attempts. He was the only one that didn't use any, or he was saving them for the final round. DeRozan scored one of the two 50s in the first round with his second attempt, yet didn't make the finals. That's not a surprise when Griffin had already been penciled in for one of the spots.

Griffin's dunks weren't anything new or impressive. He moved on through the competition based on the fact everyone wanted to see him win. His first dunk attempt looked like it was going to be very impressive. However, after two misses he modified it to a standard 360 cock-back dunk. Every person in the contest can do that dunk. His second attempt was even more run-of-the-mill. A baseline windmill from a pass off the side of the backboard.....after seven attempts. And the worst part is it got a 46, better than DeRozan's between-the-legs dunk. It was clear at that point, the fix was in. No matter what Griffin did he was going to win. He shouldn't have even made the finals. DeRozan and McGee were the two best dunkers of the first round.

The one Griffin dunk I did like was his rendition of Vince Carter's arm-in-the-rim dunk. Griffin tossed it off the backboard before powering it through. Even though we've seen that type of dunk before, I'll take it because he tweaked it and added some of his power to it. 

Good idea but jumping the hood isn't that great

And that brings me to maybe the most overrated dunk there's ever been. When you say "he dunked over a car" it sounds impressive. Unfortunately it wasn't in this case. The small Kia they wheeled out was placed under the basket so he didn't have to jump far. Going over the hood meant he didn't have to get very high. The whole thing was set up long before the event even started. They would use the "official car of the NBA" to bring down the house with everyone's "favorite dunker", Blake Griffin. Cue the choir singing "I Believe I Can Fly." (Another low-light.) 

Of course Griffin would have to be in the finals. Sorry, better dunker, you're gone. The Blake Griffin cash cow must be milked. It's been set up for months now.

At least Chuck called it like he saw it.

"I hate to say this but that's not the greatest dunk," Barkley said. 

"But the presentation was pretty fun," Kevin Harlan said. 

"Yeah, but that's like when you have a pretty girl. If she's dumb, it don't matter."

The other dunker, Serge Ibaka, didn't 'wow' me with his rendition of the "free throw line" dunk. He took off right at the line, which is further back than we've seen, but he's 6'11" so it cancels out. Brent Barry could take off from near the free throw line. Grabbing the toy with his mouth hanging at the rim, and especially the kid actor, was silly. 

I watch the dunk contest every year. I get what the league is trying to do with it - get people watching and create a spectacle. However it's getting a bit out of hand at this point, which is hurting the event. The contestants don't need "coaches", especially yelling at the crowd and commentators, and pumping up the crowd. No more bringing extra baskets out. No more cars. It's time to eliminate the props. 

The real "best ever"

Maybe I'm a stick in the mud but I know what I'm looking for and I haven't been seeing it lately. Maybe I'm not embracing the new-school dunk contests. But I saw the highlights of MJ and Dominique battling. There were no props there. Just high-flying, power dunks.

I saw the best dunk contest ever in 2000 with winner Vince Carter and Steve Francis and Tracy McGrady. There were no props used. Vince Carter didn't miss one of his dunks. They were fresh and incredible. Jason Richardson did some amazing dunks that hadn't been seen before when he won back-to-back titles. The closest thing to those two is DeMar DeRozan. He is doing some dunks no one else playing right now can do, and he's doing them so easily I think it's hurting his scores. And he doesn't have the name recognition, that's his biggest problem. And being a good player should factor in to it. 

I'll keep watching All-Star Weekend, always. The dunk contest has the ability to be great. It just wasn't Saturday night, and it hasn't been great in the past few years. Maybe my standards are too high. 

(Photos: ESPN, Getty Images)

All-Star Game Always Entertaining

As snow fell and blew again last night, it confirmed my theory that weather/Mother Nature will be the end of us all. Look at the what's been going on lately. Thirty inches of snow in D.C. in one week? An earthquake that devastated an entire island country? Hurricanes that ruin everything in its path? (At least hurricanes provide motivation for football teams.) Floods, blizzards, dangerously low temps and tsunamis? Weather will do us all in.

And now an erratic list of thoughts during last night's All-Star game:

-I don't care for Dwight Howard's act. He's not funny, and his commercials are self-serving. He said before the game that he has "no beef" with Shaq, and he's never "tried to be him." "I'm my own person," he said. Yet after somehow hitting a three, he stares in disbelief at his hand. Shaq's been doing the stare-at-my-hand thing for years.

-After the whistle, LeBron tried a nonchalant windmill that missed - just do that in the dunk contest. The lob he caught from Wade was dunk contest worthy, also. LeBron said before the game, "It's all about the fans. It gives them a chance to see me." Thanks for your modesty. If he really thought that he would have already entered a dunk contest.

-TNT always does a good job of promoting the NBA. But their announcer/reporter rotation is questionable at times. They don't need five guys in the studio, while leaving Reggie to do color commentary. Reggie is not good. He's a hype man. He throws out nonsensical, often demeaning comments that are abrasive and absurd. McHale needs to start calling games. He's the next man in, and he seems very capable.

-Craig Sager continues to amaze everyone. The suits and ties are to be expected, but the run-on questions and general stupidity are what stands out. TNT needs to get rid of the interviews with guys on the bench. We don't need David Aldridge leaning over two guys to ask a pointless question. Sager was able to get the quote of the game out of Melo after asking him how scoring 17 points in the first half was so easy. "It looks easy. A lot of hard work goes into that craft."

-The NBA All-Star game is the best all-star game by far. I still love watching it every year. With that many "Alpha Dogs," there's going to be some serious competition. Dwayne Wade deserved the MVP. Seven dunks, including a lob to himself on the glass. He was the most spectacular player, and he didn't force as many shots as LeBron and Melo did.

-George Karl could have used a better rotation. Durant should have played more. Dirk should have gotten more shots, he was feeling it throughout the game. Melo hit shots, too, but he also came out gunning with the intention of scoring the most points. The West should have won.

-Deron Williams fouling Wade with 12 seconds left was the dumbest play I've seen this year. Maybe he couldn't see the score because of the huge jumbo-tron. It doesn't matter, there had just been a time out. Williams went down a notch or two after that bonehead play. And what's up with his hair?

-This year featured the ugliest shoes I've ever seen in an ASG. The weird blue and pinkish red shoes were not a good look. Chris Webber's Dadas from 2002 thought those shoes were bad.

-The half-time show dragged on for what about an hour. Two really long performances, followed by introducing the Olympic team was too much. Did Kobe need to have his $2M earring in during that introduction?

-Dear David Lee, Your left handed lay-up is not welcome here. Continue getting 12 boards a game, but don't expect to get much playing time if you're ever invited back. Regards, The All-Star Game.

-Some JSJ Awards from last night:

• Best inbounder: Chris Kaman
• Slowest player: Tim Duncan
• Best screen-setter: Tie, Tim Duncan and David Lee
• Biggest knee brace: Tim Duncan
• Most out-of-place looking jumper: Zach Randolph
• Worst offensive play: Missed lay-up by Randolph
• Over-the-hill Award: Tim Duncan
• Most annoying: Dwight Howard
• Should have sat out with an "injury": Tim Duncan

What's The Deal, LeBron?

If LeBron won't enter the dunk contest, get him in the three-point shootout. What's the real reason he won't participate?

Every all-time great has won hardware at All-Star Saturday. Is "The King" better than Bird, Kobe, Dr. J and Jordan? Maybe one day, but he's not above participating in the dunk contest or three-point shootout.

This take suggests that if requested by the league office, a player must appear in All-Star Saturday twice in their career. I agree with some of that opinion, but I don't think the league should force them to participate.

A player like LeBron James should want to participate on Saturday.

Winning the three-point shootout or the dunk contest is another notch in the belt. It's a rite of passage. Saturday night is all dunks and threes. LeBron does both those things as much as anyone in the league.

I don't understand why he keeps ducking the Saturday events. It's because he doesn't want to look bad by not winning. But he would win the dunk contest by just entering the damn thing.

LeBron could recycle old dunks and make them look so much better. Watch a couple tapes from over the last 15 years. Dominique did it with just raw power. LeBron could win so easy. [I need to note that Vince Carter is the best I've seen.]
 

But if no dunk contest, win the three-point contest instead. He's seventh in the league in three-point attempts, averaging over five per game. Win that and nobody doubts his shooting skill ever again.

Wild Theory Alert: There is one more thing LeBron could do (other than multiple championships): Win both contests. On the same night, while competing in the Shooting Stars competition. He could do it, and you know it. He would be the greatest All-Star ever.
 

One argument is he's already won a couple ASG MVPs that he doesn't need to do anything on Saturday. Maybe that's right, but then he should've been in the dunk contest early in his career. If Jordan and Kobe could do it, shouldn't LeBron be able to do it, too?

LeBron would rather dress up in a bow tie, and act up for the camera on the bench. I'm not interested in that.

Dunk or shoot, LeBron. Dunk or shoot. You've already waited too long.

Disclaimer: It is recommended that all "Wild Theories," here and in the future, be ignored.

Rookie Challenge Set

If you enjoy the NBA at all then you'll want to check out game played on Friday night of All-Star Weekend. The Rookie Challenge, which features nine first-year players versus nine second-year players, packs as much excitement and entertainment as the actual All-Star game. It features the best young players in the league balling All-Star-style.

The Sophomores have won seven in a row against the rookies, which makes sense. This year looks to be another win for the sophomores, but a surprisingly impressive rookie class will hopefully make it a game.

Last year Kevin Durant set a record scoring 46 points. This game is never lacking scoring and high-flying dunks.  It's been played every year since 1994 (except for 1999*.)

I love the idea of this game. It gives fans a chance to see the brightest young stars in the league perform under bright lights, in front of the best players in the game. It provides a chance to put on a show, and to prove who's the best of the best.

The T-Mobile Rookie Challenge will air on TNT February 12 at 8 p.m.

*1999 was the strike-shortened season, and there was no All-Star game. That season, much like 1994 in MLB, is viewed by some as less than legitimate. Certain fans refuse to credit the Spurs for winning a title that year, after a 50-game regular season.