The 2010 Sprite Slump Dunk Contest…
Every true fan of the NBA has two things marked on their calendar for February every year. One is the trade deadline and the other is the Slam Dunk Contest during All-Star Weekend. This year's Sprite NBA Slam Dunk Contest was the worst of all-time. This is in no way an over-statement. The dunks performed by Los Angeles Lakers guard Shannon Brown and Charlotte Hornets forward Gerald Wallace were average at best. In fact, Wallace looked as though he was completely dis-interested in the entire event.
DeMar DeRozan executed a really nice windmill dunk in the first round. Trailing behind teammate Sonny Weems along the baseline, DeRozan caught a lob pass off the side of the backboard and threw down the windmill for the contest's only 50. Nate Robinson did what he does best... a 20ft high lob, two-foot takeoff, catch and finish. But c'mon, this had no energizing feeling, no suspense, in fact really no presence at all. Even Kenny, Charles and company on TNT were declaring the competition a yawn-fest after the first round.
Smile! You may have just killed the Dunk Contest!
I have to be especially critical of Nate Robinson. While he executed dunks in far less time than in his past years and simply did enough to win, he once again brought nothing new to the table. He didn't earn this win, he was simply up against a wide-eyed and unprepared rookie, a half-asleep Bobcat veteran with eyes on an All-Star Game appearance and an LA Laker who was just simply disappointing and far too indecisive. There was absolutely NO ENERGY in this contest at all. There was no rivalry, no suspense and seemingly no real sense of urgency to beat a rookie Toronto Raptor in the final round.
I'd also like to bring everyone's attention to judges Mark Aguirre, Rolando Blackman and Derek Harper who were great members of the Dallas Mavericks organisation, but never really set a crowd on fire by dunking the Basketball. Dominique Wilkins and Spud Webb were obviously chosen due to their battle in the 1986 contest in Dallas' last turn at hosting the All Star Weekend.
In a time where fans should have far less digital influence on the game, (i.e. All Star participant voting) I found it gut-wrenchingly awkward that the final score was displayed as a 51-49 percent win to Robinson. Only the story of a 3-time champion could save this from ending in some sort of mass-suicide by most of the paid-up patrons and NBA officials alike.
Even Dikembe Mutombo would've sat motionless during this contest.
What really caught my attention though was Robinson's post-debacle comment to Cheryl Miller. He mentioned that "they" didn't allow the use of any props this year.
What the eff? And who is "they"?
One can only assume he meant the NBA in general but surely even they are not silly enough to not realise the reality here. The main catalyst to the re-discovered excitement and drama of the Slam Dunk Contest over the past couple of years has been the use of props and storylines. Why the hell couldn't the players use props??
This is the only prop Nate Robinson got to jump over last night...
Another question I have is when were the players notified of this "rule"?? I mean, judging by the quality, (or lack thereof) of the dunks performed, I'm guessing they were told less than a week ago and had prepared absolutely nothing else at all.
With David Stern's comments over the weekend regarding the NBA's likelihood of posting a $400m loss this season, is it possible the NBA just simply cannot afford a fake phone booth prop, a mask or even another cupcake? I mean really... How much does the guy who brings out the 12 foot hoop actually charge per hour?
I want to see Nicholas Batum dressed up like Bat-Man, I want to see Andre Iguodala in an afro wig re-create Doctor J's brilliance, I want to see a 13ft hoop, I want to see two designated "Dunk Captains" choose their respective "Dunk Squads" and go at it, I want to see the established stars team up with the young blood to raise the roof off the stadium!
Nate Robinson and Dwight Howard had truly started/resurrected something "super" over the past couple of years and tonight the whole concept took a monumental step backwards.
Whoever is ultimately responsible for this has done every NBA fan a huge dis-service. Cross the Dunk Contest off your calendar for next February. It seems the only thing that could save it at this point is a visit by a certain Cleveland Cavalier.
PS - LeBron, don't make promises you can't keep.
Laker Blues…
As a quasi-Laker fan I'm happy to celebrate the dominance that LA has enjoyed over the past couple of seasons. I enjoy watching Kobe Bryant reaching even higher than we thought the top of his game reached. I enjoy watching Phil Jackson play the NBA the same way a cat plays with a mouse before she eats it. Always seemingly in control and never panicked.
Whether you follow the Lakers the way I do, you're a die-hard fan or anything in between, you have to be more than a little concerned with the current Laker funk. I know it's only two games but this current Laker stew that's being cooked stinks of failure and complacency. The only player excelling since Gasol's hamstring injury is Lamar Odom. This is great for Lamar but seemingly horrendous for the Lakers as no one else seems willing to step up from the bench crew.
Jordan Farmar had a nice scoring night against an average Dallas squad but apart from that there's no spark from the bench at all. Sasha Vujacic, Derek Fisher and Josh Powell are just horrible to watch. (With the exception of Fisher's defense... I can handle that!)
They make me cringe when they shoot the ball these days and they make it look like they've been sitting out of Basketball for a year.
Sasha and Derek putting their heads together is like watching two hippos try to walk a tight rope. It's going to end badly...
There's no underestimating the value of Pau Gasol in this equation. Now I'm not saying he's the "hardest" guy in the League but I certainly think the inside-outside game that he is a catalyst of, certainly holds the Lakers in better stead.
As for Kobe, well it's easy to consider the finger injury, the knee injury, the elbow injury etc. The only trouble is, Kobe still continues to shoot tough fall-away jump shots during the 4th quarter of close games. Surely his brain isn't injured too?
It's the Milwaukee Bucks that visit the Lakers tonight in LA and after only emerging victorious by one point in overtime last meeting, the Lakers are vulnerable at best. It kicks off an interesting week for the Lake Show with a visit to San Antonio, Dallas and then back home to attempt to avenge their latest loss to the Clippers.
Milwaukee present a definitive challenge to LA. The Bucks have a good presence inside and the Bogut vs Bynum match-up will be great to watch. I'm most excited to see if Phil will give Shannon Brown significant minutes guarding Brandon Jennings. I think Brown's mixture of speed and strength will provide the perfect counter. Either way it will be entertaining! I'm predicting a triple double for Lamar Odom also... I see 14p, 16r and 10a for the lanky number 7.
Jennings could destroy the Lakers... or provide the perfect opportunity for Shannon Brown to arrive.
Buckle up no matter who you are, as when the Lakers experience the Blues, it seems everyone has a lot more to talk about.
Morrison Underrated?
Having watched a few Laker preseason games last week, I've come to a disturbing conclusion...
Adam Morrison may in fact be underrated.
He has been ridiculed mercilessly for being a Jack Haley-type on the sidelines since arriving in Los Angeles last year. The only thing wrong with that accusation is that Haley always looked hyperactive albeit out of place, whereas Morrison has looked borderline retarded on most occasions.
In the games I have watched this week, Morrison's spacing, passing and overall awareness is seemingly far greater than a lot of his fellow Lakers. Even Phil Jackson was quoted as saying that he'd noticed that Morrison had been "the Lakers best shooter during pre-season".
Now I know pre-season can never be given too much credit, we've all seen plenty of false heroes in October. But I can't help but think Morrison may just have something to offer this season for the Lake Show. Along with the emergence of Shannon Brown, the Lakers could end up being hailed as geniuses for the Radmanovic deal last year.
It's still in the balance of course, but hey, so is the Ron Artest deal.
Bring on the season-openers already!!!
Pop quiz… which Laker bench players deserve an NDBL contract?
Funny you mention how I can bring Kobe up at any time. I was brushing my teeth this evening and I realised Kobe Bryant is an anagram of "a knobb trey". That's perfect for what I think of him. Just one giant plate full of d!cks.
Of course Adam Morrison isn't taking the court. I was suggesting that the Lakers bench is so much weaker than last year, and that is the reason they will not be repeat finalists. Losing Radmanovic for two salary cap inclusions hurts the Lakers. Shannon Brown ... a player who would not have got minutes on last years team, hurts the Lakers. The 08/09 Farmar, Vujacic and Fisher hurt the Lakers. Their 07/08 selves would not have let Shanon Brown make an appearance. But now, due to the a knobb trey of guard production, Shannon Brown actually looks good. Oops.
And Fisher isn't in a slump. He's just d.u.n. He's old. He can't even keep up with Rocky the Denver mascot, so he's not gonna stay with Chauncey Billups . Plus Billups will just destroy him in the post like he did in the finals in '04.
Point guard used to be a strength of this Lakers team, with the flexibility to go with the old sage, or the young athletic buck. Both of whom could hit the open three and keep defenses honest. Now it's just a revolving door for other teams PGs to feast on on offense, and sag off of to make defending Gasol and Kobe easier on defense.
Pot… Kettle… Celtics… Lakers…
You're ability to be hypocritical astounds me. An undeniable fact of our hoop arguing life is that we could be talking about the '94 All Star Game and you'll somehow bring it full circle to link it to how bad Kobe Bryant is for Basketball. So my little stab about the Celtics hit a nerve eh? Well, I guess they have a longer off-season to reload for next year.
Now for the Lakers diagnosis you so proudly displayed. Nice numbers, and they do support your arguement to an extent. However, you're not going to see Adam Morrison take the court unless he's shooting for a framed Kurt Rambis jersey at half time. I'd go as far to say that Shannon Brown's toughness and hustle has probably contributed more to this season's Laker cause than Radman's did last year... So I still count that as an upgrade. Right or wrong.
Fisher, well he's definitely in a slump. But he's been down before, there's no real need to write him off entirely. He'll be chasing Chauncey Billups this time not Aaron Brooks or Deron Williams. So at least that offers some suffice from purely a quickness perspective.
Sasha is struggling. I can't hide from that. He looks to be a complete distraction. That short period of play in Game 6 against the Rockets was a bad sign. Substituted in to play a role... Grabbed the ball and took a stupid shot... Substituted out... Predictably not seen again. A great chance for the leaders of the club to take him under the preverbial wing and hopefully re-inspire him. (However, it doesn't look good for Sasha at all right now)
Jordan Farmar showed some great signs late in the Rockets series. I guess the problem here has been the surprising play of Shannon Brown. He has not only sent Farmar to 11th man infront of Green Mile Mbenga, but he has also cut into Fisher and Vujacic's minutes. It is safe to assume it has rocked the boat a bit. I'd actually be personally ringing the so-called "idiot bell" if I was to believe there were no over-inflated egos in LA.
At the end of the day, someone not something is going to have to give for the Lakers to be successful. Fisher, Brown, Farmar, Vujacic and Walton cannot ALL play 18-20 minutes per game.. So someone's going to have to "man up" and take a back seat. It's going to depend on who wants to step up though as to who is going to do that.
It's an exciting time to be an NBA fan.. and an exciting time to hate almost everything you say... we've dealt with the Basketball for now, for I also don't have time for everything else. 