All-Star Slam Dunk-In

The NBA will add an additional event into the All-Star weekend this year. The new "All-Star Slam Dunk-In" will be another dunk contest, however the two contestants in this contest will compete for a bid on to the Saturday Night Sprite Slam Dunk event--in essence, it is a meta-dunk contest weekend.

The two players who have been chosen to compete are the rookie DeMar DeRozan and the sophomore Eric Gordon. The players will compete during the half-time of the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge, which will be held on Friday, February 12.

Each player will perform two dunks and the viewers will decide who should move on. How do we vote? Well the audience could vote by either text-messaging DUNKS (38657) or by going on nba.com.

My first issue with this event is--is this contest over-doing what the All-Star weekend is about? We all look forward to the 3-Point Contest and the Dunk Contest, and the All-Star game of course; but are these other competitions a deteriorating what the weekend is all about?

I thought the drill that the point guards run was kind of cool but unnecessary, however a dunk contest to see who gets into the dunk contest? I think it's a tad bit redundant don't you?

However the concept is interesting and it covers a blank spot on Friday nights' agenda. I just feel that the two contestants who are participating will need to be even more creative if they make it to the dunk contest because they would have used their amazing dunks already.

It becomes a matter of publicity then, DeRozan has created his own website to promote his dunking abilities so he can venture off to the dunk contest. Since there isn't a panel judge on the performances of the dunks, whoever wins the crowd--wins the contest. I think the All-Star Slam Dunk-In will be more publicity than about the dunks themselves--then again that's what the weekend seems to be turning towards; which isn't a bad thing because it's more catered to the fans but I just feel like it might be overdone.

To have Charles Barkley race the oldest referee in the game is one thing to please the fans but to have two dunk-contests is another. Let the contest be and don't take away the value of it by trying to create a preliminary contest to preface the major one.