Empty the Bench

Is it just us, or does this seem like perhaps the lamest field in the history of the NBA Slam-Dunk Contest, or ‘Dunk-A-Thon’, as they’re calling it this year? Aside from the incredibly lame name, it’s a super lame field. The NBA invited a guy who doesn’t even want to participate. Why would they do that? There are so many incredible young athletes, guys who would kill for some publicity, that they could have chosen instead. They have Nate Robinson, a guy who can’t ride most amusement park roller coasters- we’ve seen that before. He’s short. He can dunk. Great. It’s boring. They have a guy in Dwight Howard who is a pure power player and not even known for creative dunking. I like Dwight, just not in the dunk contest (although his plans to raise the basket to 12 feet did intruigue us). And why only four contestants this year? Since the All-Stars stopped participating, the contest has traditionally been a great showcase for young talent, and is one of the more entertaining and accessible events for the casual NBA fan. Kobe Bryant in 1997? Stoudemire, J.R.Smith and Josh Smith in 2005? Iguodala in 2006? Isaiah “J.R.” Rider in 1994? Wait . . .

You can call me a conspiracy theorist, I’ve been called worse, but I believe this is by design. I think David Stern hates the Slam-Dunk Contest (I refuse to use that asinine new title). Over the years, he has made his disdain for all things flashy and fun known. This is the same man who canceled the event altogether after the Kobe victory in 1997. A man who abhors style. A man who represents a black hole of fun.

Well, we’re all very upset about this year’s contest here at Empty the Bench in general. But that doesn’t stop us from being excited as hell to see what Gerald Green can pull off. Word on the street is he does dunks off the banners in The Garden during practice. In practice! Are we talking about practice?! He is the one guy who actually embodies what the contest should be about: a young super-athlete, a creative dunker, a guy who hasn’t been in all the headlines yet, a guy who could be a star and goldmine for the NBA for years to come, a guy who the casual NBA fan should have a lot of fun watching dunk this weekend. I wish I could say the same for the other three. $100 on Green, any takers?