Throw it DOWN, Big Fella!
The next Larry Nance? (Photo. Mannion)Every year the NBA rolls out its roster of All-Star Weekend dunk contest participants, and every year people complain because Kobe, LeBron, Vince and other big-name superstars aren’t included. I used to be part of that crowd myself, until I accepted that we’re most likely never going to get a field that satisfies everyone: MJ vs. ‘Nique in their primes won’t happen again, and the last real star-studded group was back when young Vince, younger T-Mac and Steve Francis went at it in 2000.
Understand that Kobe and Vince, in particular, have already done the dunk contest — and won it. For them and other established superstars, the risk of losing a dunk contest to some young whippersnapper like Nate Robinson or Gerald Green would do more to hurt their image, ego and endorsement potential at this point in their careers than it would help those things if they won. On the other side, guys like Nate and Gerald can build a career and a portfolio off of one dunk contest victory. Is there any way G-Money gets his own RBK sneaker if he doesn’t win the ‘07 contest? Is there any way Nate has a painting of himself hanging in the Nike House of Hoops store in Harlem if he doesn’t take the ‘06 dunk crown? Not to mention the NBA can create new stars via the dunk contest, which gives them an incentive to showcase lesser-known players.
So, with complaints coming in as usual, the League announced the ‘08 dunk contest field yesterday. There is one legit superstar in the group, along with a star on the rise, a somewhat unheard-of rookie, and last year’s defending champ.
Jamario Moon — The Disney movie studio decision-makers should be watching what Moon does in New Orleans. If the Raptors’ overnight celebrity pulls off the upset and takes home the title, that’s the storybook ending right there for another sports flick along the lines of Invincible and The Rookie. (Who would play Jamario in the movie?) He’s got the hops and he’s already put a few guys on YouTube this year, but since a lot of fans still don’t know much about him, Moon (8.5 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.6 bpg) will have to win them over.
Rudy Gay — All the elements are there for Rudy to blow the roof off of New Orleans Arena: He’s got power (ask Ike Diogu), versatility (ask the Jazz), maneuverability in mid-air (ask Yi Jianlian), and hops (ask anyone) and he’ll get excited after a big finish (the anti-Josh Smith reaction). I’m a little biased since Rudy (19.4 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.5 spg) is one of my favorite players in the League, but I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he wins the whole thing.
Gerald Green — Two years ago when G-Money was a rookie, he wasn’t in the dunk contest because he hadn’t played enough to justify a spot. That probably would’ve been the case this year, seeing as Gerald is getting NO burn in Minnesota (12 mpg, 19 DNP’s), except now he’s got Defending Champion status to punch his All-Star ticket. If nothing else, though, the lack of PT will help Gerald. On an unconscious level, any kind of realization that this could be his last notable appearance on the NBA big stage could cause Green’s Harold Miner instinct to kick in. On a conscious level, Gerald lives for dunk contests. You saw how planned-out he had everything last year: the cardboard cut-out of Nate Robinson, the Dee Brown jersey, the table, and the obvious practice time it took with Paul Pierce to pull off that side-backboard cram. He’ll be prepared this year.
Dwight Howard — The star of the show could easily end All-Star Weekend with a dunk contest title and an MVP trophy in the big game. Last year we heard about the “Kiss the Rim” dunk that Dwight wanted to do, but didn’t get a chance to pull off; he’ll probably make it one of his first two dunks this year, and it would be like nothing we’ve ever seen before in competition. Since everyone seems to agree that Dwight got low-balled on his “sticker dunk” last year, that could get him some sympathy scores. Not to mention the brownie points he’ll get from being one of the few true superstars willing to compete. Add those factors into the power, vertical, creativity and engaging personality he always has, and I would make Dwight (22.1 ppg, 15.2 rpg, 2.5 bpg) a favorite with no problem. It’s been said that big men don’t fare well in dunk contests, but Larry Nance, Shawn Kemp and Amare Stoudemire (all 6-foot-10) did pretty good in their dunk contest appearances.
January 22nd, 2008 at 9:18 am
Top Gun says:
1st- Jamario Moon
2nd- Rudy Gay
3rd-Gerald Green
4th- Dwight Howard
January 22nd, 2008 at 9:20 am
Brown says:
I think this year’s dunk contest is gonna be sick, but that’s just me. I’m really excited to see what Moon and Gay bring, but Green and Howard aren’t slouches either.
If Green repeats, will he be the first player to win the contest two years in a row for two different teams? I figure somebody at Dime would be able to find out the answer.
January 22nd, 2008 at 9:20 am
sxrs says:
isnt jamario moon a former globetrotter?
i read somewhere he’s gonna come in prepared as well, he and dixon have been working on some things ‘we havent seen before’.
Anyway, it should be exciting, if only for the fact that for the first time in two years i wont have to watch little nate robinson try the same dunk 24 times. okay, that happened only once but still, i have a hard time liking this dude. i admit he can flat out jump, but when you can jump this high, people shouldnt be surprised that he can put it between his leggs, i mean, if you’re 5-9 and you can touch the rim with your elbow or whatnot you have A LOT of time to do something up there…but still, when he pulls of a nice dunk, that’s a 50, where anyone else would have gotten a 45 for the same dunk.
January 22nd, 2008 at 9:24 am
sxrs says:
>
Although it is irrelevant imo, i think it would indeed be the first time. Only Jordan and Richardson have won it back to back if i recall well.
January 22nd, 2008 at 10:09 am
Kobeef says:
the tale of the tape favors Rudy:
wingspan = 7′3″ (vs 6′9″ for green and 7′4 for oden FYI)
Max Vert = 40.5 inches (vs 39″ for green)
Height 6′9 (vs 6′7.5 for green)
Rudy is an insane athlete.
He is not an “in your face” guy (Nate/Gerald) so you don’t see it in his game but there are few in the league in his class. Wow did the rockets ever crap the bed by trading him.
January 22nd, 2008 at 10:13 am
Jah says:
THE PROBLEM WITH BIG MEN IN THE DUNK CONTEST:
Their height makes it look like they’re not jumping high, which is a turn down to the fans and judges alike!
THE SOLUTION:
The big men must bend their legs at the knees during hangtime; the illusion of HIGH-FLYING becomes greater then and only then!
Jah, the Dunk Doctor
(I speak the TRUTH!)
January 22nd, 2008 at 10:35 am
dagwaller says:
Jah, the other solution would be to let Howard raise the rim, like he wanted to do last year. That would be pretty cool. Imagine Nate trying to dunk on a 12 foot rim. If he did it, that would be the end of the game.
Anyway, very pumped for that weekend. One of my favorites every year.
January 22nd, 2008 at 10:50 am
Bust Jlaze says:
I have a bad feeling that Dwight Howard is going to try and LITERALLY “KISS THE RIM”. Please Dwight, don’t do it…there’s only 2 outcomes for that:
1.) He attempts the dunk going at too fast a clip, and busts his lip/knocks his teeth out
2.) He completes the dunk, but it looks so stupid that the crowd is silent. It’s not funny enough to get a good laugh, and it’s not good enough to get a big roar. Dead, awkward silence.
January 22nd, 2008 at 10:58 am
Flo Jo says:
Dwight – 1st
Rudy – 2nd
Gerald – 3rd
Moon – 4th
Rudy would have to be the X-Factor tho. You just don’t know if he might decide to jump into the rafters then throw it down.
On a side note, it’s too bad that Nick Young couldn’t participate. He has a nasty behind the back 360. Why can’t there be more dunkers in the contest like back in the day?!
January 22nd, 2008 at 10:59 am
flyp says:
I’d be psyched if Moon went up for an alley from Dixon and came down clean-shaven. Honestly, I love the guy’s hustle, but the ’stache is not TV-friendly.
BTW, how much would it suck if Dixon gets traded before the All-Star break so the Jamario/Juan practice time disappears?
January 22nd, 2008 at 11:01 am
FK in Toronto says:
The only reason Jamario Moon (Apollo 33) wont win is that fan votes contribute 50% of the score this year.
BEAST’s celeb status will take him far with fan texting…
January 22nd, 2008 at 11:10 am
Bust Jlaze says:
I dunno, FK…the fans generally wanna see nasty dunks, no matter WHO the guy is…if Moon’s dunks are better, then he’ll win.
January 22nd, 2008 at 11:47 am
jz_smoove says:
The Moon will rise above and beyond the Green Gay (d)HO!
…sorry that was lame but i couldnt resist.
January 22nd, 2008 at 11:54 am
Kobeef says:
Good point Flo Jo – I was looking forward to seeing Nick Young dunk – he was one of the few guys drated in 2007 with a reputation as a dunker. Besides – it would be worth the appearance just to see what the wiz crew would try to pull off for Nick.
Maybe his non-selection was part of the crack-down on immature behavior we’ve seen in washington.
January 22nd, 2008 at 12:10 pm
Bobby B says:
With only 4 contestants in this year’s contest, does anybody else think they should increase the number of dunks to three each in each round? As it stands, each contestant will get two dunks in each round, for a total of four dunks each. I think each of these guys could come up with six good dunks. And, to make things a bit more fair, they could throw out the lowest score in each round. Thus, three dunks per contestant per round and throw out the lowest of the three.
N.B. There’s a time limit so we won’t have a Nate Robinsonesque performance of some dude attempting the same dunk a dozen times. So, I don’t think the extra time to complete an extra dunk in each round would be a huge deal.
January 22nd, 2008 at 12:38 pm
GEE ...First the Dolphins now the Heat?!?! says:
Bobby yes I agree they should increase the number. Then again I have a lot of ideas about how they should do the dunk contest. I am sure I am in a long line of people in that one though.
I would love for them to do 1 alley oop dunk. Who can do the tightest oop. Let the 4 contestants pick their favorite guard and then get creative on the oop. Now that would be tight.
Anyway one thing that must be remembered is every dude who can dunk nasty in a game can’t necessarily do that on a set stage just for dunking. Some dudes are just in game dunkers. You look at Shawn Kemp honestly all his in game dunks were way better than his dunk contest dunks.
So that I think will play a factor for Moon or Gay. Cause 1 of the 2 of them I think can only get real nasty in the game.
I would also love it, if they payed like Yao or different centers who get no burn so many thousands to challenge each dunker. Then have a who can do the best poster dunk.
I am here all day folks lol I could do this forever.
Still I utimately agree with DIME we just don’t have the rivals we used to have.
I am hoping G-Money will win just create that atmosphere of him always defending it and someon trying to overthrow him.
Andre. I. got robbed!
January 22nd, 2008 at 1:10 pm
Myrie says:
ATTN ALL,
What would be your suggestions on improving the NBA Slam Dunk Contest? See if you can provide about 3….
January 22nd, 2008 at 1:17 pm
GEE ...First the Dolphins now the Heat?!?! says:
Best Alley oop
Best poster
see 16 for both of those
Finally allow fans to vote in who they want to see in the contest and they must play.
HELLO.
Vince, Kobe, LeBron and T-Mac (That China vote) only way to sub out is injury.
Oh and in case fans get crazy and vote like Yao Ming in, Stern can veto it and insert the next best candidate with the most votes. Wade.
January 22nd, 2008 at 2:03 pm
Jah says:
dagwiller,
While that is definitely an idea, I doubt they would be willing to do it. I would love to see someone boom on a 12 foot rim, though! I think the easier option however, is to just bend at the knee.
Imagine if Dwight goes up for the “Kiss the Rim” all straight-legged…I would bet good money he draws an awkward silence because he is pushing 7 ft. tall…but if he were to kick those knees back…more agile appearance = more votes!
Another thing. Am I the only one tired of seeing dunkers jam over props? Unless of course someone drives an automobile out onto the court, I do not want to see any other props…
…speaking of automobiles, how hot would it be if they did drive a car out onto the court, dunk over it, then give the car away to a lucky fan?
January 22nd, 2008 at 2:08 pm
Amar says:
I’d make it 8 people, 1st round is a random pairing (something like a coin flip or something else?), where it’s two guys doing a dunk off. 5 attempts, top 3 scores count (no re-do’s) in the first round. 2nd round is the 4 winners of the head-to-head first round, same rules as the current dunk contest.
January 22nd, 2008 at 4:01 pm
GEE ...First the Dolphins now the Heat?!?! says:
Ok seeing a Dwight bang on 12 would be crazy but can you imagine a smaller dude banging on it. Say if Vince came back and did that…best dunker of all time no question (I still feel some question that, even after his many feats).
Amara I am feeling that 8 people too.
The most horrid thing they ever did for the dunk contest was bring out that wheel where they had to duplicate a dunk from the past. 1. Dudes hands are different sizes and some can’t palm the ball. 2. It was just corny cause not all dudes can jump from the free throw line.
I am gone say this too. I know this will NEVERRRRR happen. Just for the sake of seeing it and all, I am still one who would love to see an And 1 vs. All Star Snub game.
Like your players who got snubbed let them come and get down with And 1 I know the L wouldn’t do this cause 1. they got to save face and 2. a lotta league dudes ain’t trying to be embarrased or possibly not win to And 1.
Imagine that dude who can do the 360 twice or something and Helicopter in the dunk contest. As Duke says…ohhhhhh babbbbby!
January 22nd, 2008 at 4:57 pm
Celts Fan says:
the problem w/ increasing the # of dunks or dunkers is that they were decreased for a reason. Without the headliners, this just isn’t as “sexy” as it used to be. Factor in that it seems like, in this age of 24/7 media, that we’ve seen everything, and it just hasn’t been what it once was. The way to fix that isn’t to increase the number of dunks or dunkers, it’s to increase the prize money! I think it’s roughly $30K now (or the same as the dollar bill in my wallet to these guys.) If you make the prize a cool $1M, who turns that down? Even superstars would shell out for a mil. You can sponsor the hell out of it, so it doesn’t cost much more to the league, but will get superstars in the contest. I know this is far from an original idea, but can anyone give me one good reason why not to do this? It seems like it makes a lot of sense…
January 22nd, 2008 at 10:57 pm
Jah says:
After watching each players top 10 dunks on NBA.com, I think this contest will be more hotly contested than ones in the past.
Dwight’s my favorite just because he’s Dwight, but don’t sleep on Rudy.
Jamario’s a dark horse because no one knows what to expect from him at this juncture. I don’t see Gerald taking the trophy home this time, though…
January 23rd, 2008 at 10:11 am
Bron42 aka global-4A-reason says:
jah your not really breaking news here, everyone knows you lift your legs to make it look like your in the air longer, just look any city slam contest. Thats also why alot of guys do the “running motion” as they jump cuz it looks like your up there longer. also the jump over the car and drive off thing has been done in city slam and over seas.
Like i said wayyy back when, rudy is crazy athletic but he misses alot of dunks. Hence why he lost the high school dunk contest to candace parker cuz he missed his last 2 dunks. I jus dont see moon doin anything that creative.
January 23rd, 2008 at 10:15 am
doc says:
Kemp had some nasty contest dunks not just in games. And its a tossup to me this year they all sick on the dunk tip.
January 24th, 2008 at 2:47 pm
DWeekz says:
dude i got j-moon…He got dat bounce…