I know. You’ve read this kind of thing before. But I won’t be here for long, because my suggestions are pretty simple.
Despite Magic Johnson‘s annual declaration that “The dunk contest is BACK!” the NBA All-Star dunk showcase simply isn’t what it used to be. It’s not for lack of trying — the League has tinkered with the rules plenty of times over the years in their efforts to make the contest more appealing — but they can’t do much about top-level superstars declining to compete, or the natural evolution of fans with shorter attention spans who get tired of seeing dunks they’ve seen before. Until human beings are able to dunk a basketball on the tail-end of some Olympic gymnastics moves (without a trampoline) the dunk contest will break little new ground.
The best competitions in recent memory haven’t been memorable because of the format itself, it was because a superstar (e.g. Dwight Howard) came to save the day. There is really no replacement for star power, but what the NBA can do is find a system that makes for a competitive contest no matter who’s in it.
So how do you improve the product? These are just one man’s ideas:
* Six dunkers.
* Up to three dunks apiece in Round 1, with the three finalists determined by the highest combined score of their two best dunks. (So if JaVale McGee gets a 50 and a 49 on his first two dunks, he doesn’t have to attempt a third dunk if he feels safe.) What you’ll inevitably get is one or two guys who will take that third dunk knowing they need a high score, so they’ll try something innovative and energetic.
* Two dunks apiece in the finals, best combined score wins. If there’s a tie, it goes to a one-dunk competition. If that’s a tie, one more dunk, and so on …
* Three-strikes policy regarding missed dunks. You get two misses per attempt, and after three you’re done (but you do get points for trying). That includes bad lob passes.
* All judges must be either former Slam Dunk contest winners, or guys who have recorded a 50 in dunk competition.
* Rearrange the All-Star Saturday schedule. Drop the Shooting Stars completely, cut the Skills Challenge and Three-Point Contest to four participants each, and have the Slam Dunk contest take place earlier on the clock. I’ve been to a few NBA dunk contests, and by the end of the event, everybody is restless and just wants to go party. Keep the whole night shorter and the crowd will be more into it.
* How do you entice the superstars? Aside from a $1 million prize for the winner, I can’t think of anything. Either guys want to compete or they don’t. And honestly, you’re going to get a better show from an eager-to-impress Gerald Green than you are from a reluctant, forced-into-it LeBron James.
What would you do, if anything, to change the Slam Dunk contest?