Shaq's plan isn't so grand...

Kobe Bryant and Vince Carter will not participate in this years dunk contest--and so there goes Agent Shaq's grand plan.

Vince Carter decided he wouldn't prior to Bryant's decision and both did not flail at Shaq's message. While it was clearly a great potential story, Bryant did not give much of a reason to the reporters that asked him why he did not wish to participate in this years dunk contest.

Bryant chuckled and laughed at Shaq's remarks and gave the reporters a feeling that there is no way he will be swayed. Reporters then asked him who would win if LeBron did participate--he said Shannon Brown but James would be a very close second. Of course Brown is Bryant's teammate and so moral support for a fellow Laker is necessary.

What bothers me is the fact that after such a bold statement by Shaq, nothing really happened. Still Carter and Bryant would not participate and it doesn't seem like the NBA is trying to get the players to participate.

So what are the real reasons for not participating? I can only think of a few:
(1) Potential injury
(2) Embarrassment of loss?
(3) Not enough money involved
(4) The stars want to just relax

Out of the four reasons, I think only that latter one is credible. Potential injuries can occur at any time during practice and players do crazy things during practice as it is. Monta Ellis doesn't need to chuck a shot with his back facing the hoop from the tunnel of an arena--but he did... twice on video. And well amazing practice dunks don't need to happen but LeBron puts on a show before the game majority of the time. Injuries simply are not a sufficient reason to back off from the dunk contest.

The embarrassment of a loss in the dunk contest is just as weak of an argument. Losing is a part of every game and even if you are a star who loses to a less-known player--there isn't embarrassment in a dunk contest (unless you're the Birdman Chris Andersen when he took about 20 attempts for one dunk that he had to run full court for... that was sad). But Bryant and Carter are not anything like the Birdman.

Then there is the issue of money. Money always speaks volumes to athletes, but I think a night where a star has the spotlight creates a louder resonance than nickles and dimes or hundreds of thousands. It is another crown that a basketball player can win--and at the end of your career as a basketball player, you want as many accolades as possible so you can get into the Hall of Fame. Sure both Bryant and Carter have won the dunk contest before but winning it again after 5-10 years is phenomenal.

Last but certainly not least, the players just want to relax and have fun--if that's the real reason they don't want to participate, then I can't argue with that. After a grueling season and being a star, I can understand why one would want to just sit and be entertained instead of being the entertainer.

We tend to forget about this when it comes to basketball players. They are not machines. Basketball is their job and sometimes their passion. But even with every job--you need a vacation. In this case, they might just want to see another athlete fly through the air, is that so much to ask for?

Is it right for us criticize and pester Bryant or Carter to participate in the dunk contest if they just want to have fun by being a part of the crowd? No--not really. But I wish they would just tell us that's the reason...