2009 Slam Dunk Contest

[PrettyT11]

Re: 2009 Slam Dunk Contest

You act like he didn't have great dunks when he was in. The only bad part was him doing his last dunk 50 times.

The dunks he did in that contest where weak and had been done in dunk contest for years. There was nothing great about anything he did. Then they gave him about 50 chances to finish one dunk. Somebody tell me what was so great about one short person jumping over another short person?? That was not a "50" dunk at all. It was a complete joke. Iggy was robbed.

Like somebody else said. You can't compare what he did with what Spud did at all. Spud was bringing new dunks and innovation to the contest. Plus he MADE all his dunks. It didn't take him 50 tries. Nate didn't do anything new at all. Just a bunch of stuff we have seen many times before and was done better when the other guys did it.

[Shinyhubcaps]

Re: 2009 Slam Dunk Contest

The dunk contest stopped being cool when Lebron said no to it. Ever since then, I haven't enjoyed it.

I'm sorry, but that makes no sense.

For one, he was never in it, so it's not like they lost anything for having him out of it. For another, it is just name recognition, and I would actually doubt that the dunks he would do would be anything unique. In 2004, which is when you are referring to, I would rather have anyone than Chris Andersen, but just because Jason Richardson and Fred Jones aren't named Lebron James, would that make their dunks any worse?

Jason Richardson and Fred Jones did dunks that are above and beyond what James would have done had he participated.

[slvicick]

Re: 2009 Slam Dunk Contest

The whole rising stars concept is dumb, only having 4 contestants is dumb too.
They need to get like 8 guys and put up a million dollars for the winner of it.

[HHHRVD55]

Re: 2009 Slam Dunk Contest

I'm sorry, but that makes no sense.

For one, he was never in it, so it's not like they lost anything for having him out of it. For another, it is just name recognition, and I would actually doubt that the dunks he would do would be anything unique. In 2004, which is when you are referring to, I would rather have anyone than Chris Andersen, but just because Jason Richardson and Fred Jones aren't named Lebron James, would that make their dunks any worse?

Jason Richardson and Fred Jones did dunks that are above and beyond what James would have done had he participated.

Don't you think the dunk contest was better when we had the likes of Vince Carter and T-Mac in it? Players who we knew could dunk and would put on a show. With Fred Jones and Chris Andersen, I didn't know what kind of dunks they would bring and, frankly, I didn't think it was all that great. You take those two out and put in Lebron going up against Richardson and it would have been awesome. Lebron not only brings name recognition but he would have made more people care about it, IMO.

And what you said makes no sense either. How can you know that what Richardson and Jones did are above and beyond what James might have done had he been in it?

Plain and simple, I think that ever since Lebron said no to it, the only superstars have looked at it and said, if Lebron said no to it, why should I do it? And without the superstars, it sucks. I'm sorry, but I don't want to see Nate Robinson, Fred Jones, Rudy Gay, or Rudy in it.

[ProfessaPackMan]

Re: 2009 Slam Dunk Contest

Lebron just dunks with great power. Nothing fancy at all compared to what the other top dunkers in the league(VC, J.Rich, T-Mac, Rudy, Iggy,etc)

[HHHRVD55]

Re: 2009 Slam Dunk Contest

That's during a game. Wouldn't you put Amare in the same as Lebron? Yet Amare was in the dunk contest. Same with Dwight Howard, he dunks with power more often then not, yet he won the dunk contest last year and is in it this year.

I bet that with an open court, no defenders, and being able to do whatever he wants, Lebron could put on a show in the slam dunk contest.

[ProfessaPackMan]

Re: 2009 Slam Dunk Contest

Man you can say that for just about 70% of the players in the league, come on now lmao.

Hell, put me in there with an open court and no defenders and i'll put on a show.

I didn't even know why Amar'e was in there in the first place.

Lebron in an open court on a fastbreak, 9 times outta 10 he'll do some tomahawk type dunk with a lot of power and then BSPN will hype it up as if he just shattered the backboard.

[jmood88]

Re: 2009 Slam Dunk Contest

The dunk contest stopped being cool when Lebron said no to it. Ever since then, I haven't enjoyed it.

Lebron isn't a creative dunker, I don't know why you would want to see him in the contest.

[HHHRVD55]

Re: 2009 Slam Dunk Contest

I think he could be creative. But, it doesn't really matter, since we'll never see him in it.

[Brankles]

Re: 2009 Slam Dunk Contest

After seeing some of the players in the NBDL... They should do an NBDL vs NBA dunk contest. That would give some incentive for the NBA guys to try a little harder. Heck, even do it for the three point contest, too.

Plus it would give the NBDL some much-needed publicity.

[Jukeman]

Re: 2009 Slam Dunk Contest

I would love to see the D league all stars vs the allrookie team!

[Shinyhubcaps]

Re: 2009 Slam Dunk Contest

Don't you think the dunk contest was better when we had the likes of Vince Carter and T-Mac in it? Players who we knew could dunk and would put on a show. With Fred Jones and Chris Andersen, I didn't know what kind of dunks they would bring and, frankly, I didn't think it was all that great. You take those two out and put in Lebron going up against Richardson and it would have been awesome. Lebron not only brings name recognition but he would have made more people care about it, IMO.

And what you said makes no sense either. How can you know that what Richardson and Jones did are above and beyond what James might have done had he been in it?

Plain and simple, I think that ever since Lebron said no to it, the only superstars have looked at it and said, if Lebron said no to it, why should I do it? And without the superstars, it sucks. I'm sorry, but I don't want to see Nate Robinson, Fred Jones, Rudy Gay, or Rudy in it.

It may deter future stars, but now Dwight Howard, an All-NBA 1st Team C is in it, and it doesn't encourage other stars. Plus, they had already begun to angle it toward rising stars and not established ones since prior to Lebron James; in 2001, they had Desmond Mason, Corey Maggette, Deshawn Stevenson, Baron Davis (not yet a star), Jonathan Bender, and Stromile Swift. It's not like the first year that Lebron James turned it down was the pivot point.

And Tracy McGrady was great, but he wasn't quite a star yet. Vince Carter was on the rise, so I understand that. However, I know that if they catered just to stars, they'd all go in like Tyrus Thomas in 2007 saying that they just want to dunk, get out of there, and get paid. (Granted, Thomas did one good dunk, but he really did not care.)

And I say that Richardson and Fred Jones are better just because I don't see James do anything overly creative just for the fun of doing it. Maybe if he gets paid or if he does it for an endorsement, but other than that... he's a good basketball talent, but he doesn't really let loose just for fun, it seems.

I wouldn't mind seeing him in the contest, but I just thought it was wrong to say that the contests have been bad since he turned it down, especially because they weren't really laden with superstars before that.

[TheMatrix31]

Re: 2009 Slam Dunk Contest

Man you can say that for just about 70% of the players in the league, come on now lmao.

Hell, put me in there with an open court and no defenders and i'll put on a show.

I didn't even know why Amar'e was in there in the first place.

Lebron in an open court on a fastbreak, 9 times outta 10 he'll do some tomahawk type dunk with a lot of power and then BSPN will hype it up as if he just shattered the backboard.

You don't know why Amare was in there in the first place? Did you watch that dunk contest? He was phenomenal, and he could have easily won the contest.

[X*Cell]

Re: 2009 Slam Dunk Contest

You don't know why Amare was in there in the first place? Did you watch that dunk contest? He was phenomenal, and he could have easily won the contest.

agreed... one of the most memorable dunk contest dunks in my lifetime was the Nash header off the backboard to Amare.

[skitch]

Re: 2009 Slam Dunk Contest

I seriously don't think I've watched a full dunk contest since Carter's domination.

Not a knock on the athletes in the competition now, but I'd really like to see the bigger stars show off a little bit. I know this is beating a dead horse, and it will never happen, but whatever.