Tag: Russell Westbrook

Porzingis’ Early Exit Brings Knicks’ Bench To Life

~ Dave Ettinger ~ Leave a comment

kp

Here we go again.

Kristaps Porzingis exited Thursday night’s game in the 3rd quarter with a left knee injury. Get used to hearing those words. We all know how talented Porzingis is, but availability is your best ability.

At this moment, the severity of the injury is unknown, but Porzingis will undergo tests today. Stay tuned.

As he gingerly walked to the locker room, the Knicks attempted to hold on to a lead against the crosstown Brooklyn Nets. A lead that was as many as 18-points, quickly turned into a 4-point deficit. While it seemed like the same old story “on the road”, the Knicks’ bench came through in the clutch. Michael Beasley, the most confident man in America, dropped 15 points in 20 minutes. The bench scored a total of 45 points, as the Knicks picked up their 2nd “road” win of the season, 111-104.

Obviously the Knicks need Porzingis if they’re going to make the playoffs, but this squad is fun to watch (with or without him). The most amazing part is….THEY PLAY DEFENSE!! Actual team defense. Ya know..help, rotate, hustle, give effort. Now standing at 15-13, the Knicks will put their 3-game winning streak on the line Saturday night, when they host the Oklahoma City Thunder.

You know what means….NO, not Das Boot….

IT’S MELO’S RETURN TO THE GARDEN!!

Honestly, I think there will be a mixed reaction in Madison Square Garden tomorrow night. But, I implore Knicks’ fans not to boo Carmelo Anthony. The failures and shortcomings of the Knicks were not his fault. He was a very good player for the 7 seasons he put on the ‘Blue and Orange’.

Prediction: Thunder 107, Knicks 94

Assuming the Knicks are without the services of Kristaps Porzingis, I can’t envision their bench duplicating Thursday night’s performance. Melo will drop his usual 22. Paul George will contribute in multiple facets of the game. And Russell Westbrook will hang a triple-double on top of the tree. The question is: will Enes Kanter get up close and personal with a former teammate??

Catch all the action for Carmelo Anthony’s 1st game back at Madison Square Garden, Saturday night @ 7:30 P.M EST.

I’ll stand up from my couch and applaud Melo when he’s introduced. Then he’ll go right back to being the enemy.

 

Can the Knicks continue to win games if Porzingis misses extended time?? Will you cheer or boo Carmelo Anthony in his return to the Garden?? Tell me in the comment section below. Don’t be shy….

You can now find me on the Radio too. Download the TuneIn Radio App and search OWWR. I’ll be on live every Wednesday from 6:10 P.M. – 8:00 P.M EST. I also broadcast every show on Facebook Live via my DaveTalksSports.com Facebook Page: http://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports .

Since you enjoy my writing, follow me on twitter @DaveEttinger2 or like my page on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports. You can also Subscribe to my YouTube Channel: DaveTalksSports. Thanks for reading!! Now go tell all your friends!!

 

Thursday Is The New Saturday

~ Dave Ettinger ~ Leave a comment

dodgers-beat-cubs-in-game-five-to-reach-world-series

Stupidity. Elation. Revenge. Greatness.

Thursday night was filled with all of the above — and more….

Marshawn Lynch Is A Jerk!!

We already know the elevator doesn’t go to the top floor, but Lynch hit a new low Thursday night. In the 2nd quarter, of a 3-point game, Derek Carr was hit late by Marcus Peters. This led to a healthy scuffle. In his infinite wisdom, Marshawn Lynch ran onto the field in defense of his teammates. Not the smartest move, but some would call it admirable. It’s what he did next that lands him in the ‘Einstein Hall of Fame’. Check out the sequence here. Lynch can be seen grabbing and shoving an official during the scrum. What an idiot!! He was immediately ejected from the game. He should also be fined and promptly released from the Raiders. If he’s not, I’ll be confused. He sucks anyway.

Don’t let stupidity overshadow a fantastic football game. If you like offense, and 4th quarter comebacks, and last-second touchdowns, this was the game for you!! Check out the crazy, 31-30 box score. Those are video game numbers!! The Raiders, down 9 entering the 4th quarter, completed a dramatic comeback with a buzzer beating touchdown. After 2 touchdowns were nullified, and the Chiefs lent a hand with 2 dumb penalties, Derek Carr finally connected with Michael Crabtree in the corner of the end zone. The game clock read 0:00, and after the extra-point, the celebration was on.

The Drought Is Over

After 29 years, the Los Angeles Dodgers are returning to the World Series. They defeated the Chicago Cubs, 11-1 in Game 5, and will await the winner of the ALCS (Yankees/Astros). The Dodgers had a magical season, winning a league best 104 games. And one of their lesser known players had a magical game Thursday night. Enrique Hernandez, super utility man, hit 3 home runs, driving in 7 runs. Decent.

The Dodgers avenged their 2016 NLCS loss to the Chicago Cubs, enjoying major contributions from Chris Taylor and Justin Turner. The Dodgers are hopeful their young shortstop, Corey Seager, will return to the diamond for the World Series. Seager missed the NLCS with a back injury. Maybe Seager will channel some Kirk Gibson in this one….

Melo vs. Knicks Headlines NBA On Thursday Night

16. 17. 21. No, not my locker combination, but the score differential in the 3 NBA games played on Thursday night. 3 stinkers from 3 bad teams; Lakers, Bulls, and Knicks. Luckily, the NBA and their insane offseason created storylines for months. Melo opened his season against his old team, and Little Ball made his Lakers’ debut.

Ball, Patrick Beverly. Patrick Beverly, Ball. Welcome to the NBA rook‘!! All the little guy could muster up was 3 points on 1 of 6 shooting from the field. What a shame!!

As for Melo, he was Melo. He dropped 22 points (8-20 from the field) and contributed nothing else to his team. The Oklahoma City Thunder are a superior team to the Knicks, so it wasn’t a contest. Russell Westbrook picked up where he left off, finishing with a monster triple-double (21 points, 16 assists, and 10 rebounds).

How Bout Dem Yankees?!

And now, it’s Yankees’ time!! The Yankees head back to Houston to take on the Astros in Game 6 of the ALCS tonight on FS1 @ 8:08 P.M. EST. Luis Severino and Justin Verlander will take the hill. I’m going to hang my hat on 1 stat (and hope it works). Verlander’s e.r.a. in starts after throwing 120+ pitches is over 6.00. He threw 124 pitches in his last start. Fingers are officially crossed.

I know who MLB is rooting for. Yankees vs. Dodgers is MLB’s wet dream. I just want the Yankees to take care of business tonight, because Game 7’s scare me.

What were you watching Thursday night?? Will the Yankees clinch a World Series birth tonight?? Tell me in the comment section below.

 

You can now find me on the Radio too. Download the TuneIn Radio App and search OWWR. I’ll be on live every Wednesday from 6:10 P.M. – 8:10 P.M EST. I also broadcast every show on Facebook Live via my DaveTalksSports.com Facebook Page: http://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports .

Since you enjoy my writing, follow me on twitter @DaveEttinger2 or like my page on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports. You can also Subscribe to my YouTube Channel: DaveTalksSports. Thanks for reading!! Now go tell all your friends!!

 

Everyone Wave Goodbye To Melo

~ Dave Ettinger ~ Leave a comment

carmelo anthony

It’s official.

Everyone say, “Bye Bye Melo.”

While the majority of ignorant Knicks’ fan continue to bemoan this trade, and bash Carmelo Anthony’s Knicks’ legacy, I will applaud the trade and Melo.

Carmelo Anthony’s Legacy

Carmelo Anthony, now 33, was drafted #3 overall in the 2003 NBA Draft out of Syracuse University. He will suit up for the Oklahoma City Thunder this coming season (his 15th). He spent 7.5 seasons with the Denver Nuggets before spending the last 6.5 seasons with the New York Knicks.

Career Averages: 24.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 45.2 FG%, 81.3 FT%

Carmelo Anthony ‘is who he is’. He’s a great scorer who’s been a decent rebounder. He plays very little defense and isn’t seen passing the ball very often. But, to his credit, he hasn’t had many superstar teammates throughout his career.

His biggest fault: He’s not Lebron James. 

I’m serious. He was drafted in the same draft as Lebron. He played nationally televised high school games against Lebron. And since they’re friends, Melo has carried this comparison his entire career. Nuggets and Knicks’ fans should applaud Melo for his contributions to their franchises, rather than criticize him for being Championship-Less.

*He didn’t offer himself his contract (and No-Trade Clause).

The Trade

This Trade was made official on Monday, as Carmelo Anthony waived his No-Trade Clause.

Knicks Get:

Enes Kanter, Doug McDermott, and the Chicago Bulls’ 2nd Round Pick

Thunder Get:

Carmelo Anthony

This is a good trade for both teams. Those who are killing the Knicks, or giving them an ‘F’, don’t understand this situation in the slightest. Here’s why:

1.) Carmelo Anthony had a No-Trade Clause. This Means he needed to sign off on any deal, making it nearly impossible to trade him.

2.) Due to reason #1, this is the best deal the Knicks could have received. Those who were expecting two 1st-round picks also don’t know which way is up.

3.) $$. Isn’t everything about money?? This move gets money off the books after this season (even if Kanter picks up his player option in 2018-19).

4.) Morale. Despite Carmelo Anthony still being a good player, this will boost the attitude and environment in the Knicks’ locker room, thus leading to more productive play on the court.

This trade made sense for both teams. From the Thunders’ perspective, they didn’t give up a lot to obtain Melo, and they improved in the short-term. This offseason they acquired Paul George and Carmelo Anthony for Victor Oladipo and Enes Kanter. While Westbrook, George, and Melo may only be together for 1 playoff run, Sam Presti (Thunder General Manager) deserves a raise.

 

What do you think of this trade?? Give it a grade in the comment section below.

 

You can now find me on the Radio too. Download the TuneIn Radio App and search OWWR. I’ll be on live every Wednesday from 6:10 P.M. – 8:10 P.M EST. I also broadcast every show on Facebook Live via my DaveTalksSports.com Facebook Page: http://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports .

Since you enjoy my writing, follow me on twitter @DaveEttinger2 or like my page on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports. You can also Subscribe to my YouTube Channel: DaveTalksSports. Thanks for reading!! Now go tell all your friends!!

BREAKING NEWS: Melo Has Been Traded!!

~ Dave Ettinger ~ 4 Comments


In breaking news, the Melo-Drama has come to an end. The New York Knicks have agreed in principle to trade Carmelo Anthony to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Knicks Get:

Enes Kanter

Doug McDermott

And a 2nd Round Pick

Thunder Get:

Carmelo Anthony

 
Melo, being 1 of only 3 players with a No-Trade Clause, must sign-off on the deal. According to league sources, the deal will be complete Monday morning.

Doug McDermott is entering the last year of his rookie contract ($3.3 Million). Kanter is under contract for this year ($20.56 Million) and has a player option for the 2018-2019 season ($18.6 Million).

The Thunder also acquired Paul George this offseason, so it’ll be interesting to see how these new additions meld with Russell Westbrook.

Stay tuned for more details and analysis of the trade once it’s official.

 

How do my Knicks fans feel?? Are you happy Melo has been traded?? 

Tell me in the comment section below.

 

You can now find me on the Radio too. Download the TuneIn Radio App and search OWWR. I’ll be on live every Wednesday from 6:00 P.M. – 8:00 P.M EST. I also broadcast every show on Facebook Live via my DaveTalksSports.com Facebook Page.

Since you enjoy my writing, follow me on twitter @DaveEttinger2 or like my page on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports. You can also Subscribe to my YouTube Channel called DaveTalksSports. Thanks for reading!! Now go tell all your friends

Kyrie Irving Put On A Show

~ Dave Ettinger ~ 2 Comments

kyrie

Ever hit the snooze bar a few too many times?? Yeah, me too. And you finally wake up. You’re running frantically around the house, trying to get to work on time. You show up right on time, but you can still feel that nervous energy flowing. Once settled in though, you tend to exceed expectations. Ya know, really make up for the way your day started.

That was Lebron James on Tuesday night. Yes, we’re talking about Lebron James again….

Get used to it. Everything is about Lebron James. He is the face of the NBA. Praised for the victories and blamed for the losses. Anyway….

Lebron’s poor play from Game 3 spilled over to Game 4. He looked disinterested. He lacked the aggressive nature we saw in games 1 and 2. The Cavaliers found themselves down 10 points at halftime, and trailed by as many as 16. It’s a good thing Kyrie Irving brought his ‘A Game’ last night. While Lebron became a spectator with early foul trouble (we’ll get into that a little later), Kyrie put his entire team on his back. Kyrie finished with 42 points (21 in the 3rd quarter)!! He was extremely efficient, shooting 68% from the field (15-22). For those who haven’t noticed, Kyrie Irving is the real deal. Outside of Russell Westbrook, he and Stephen Curry are the most electrifying point guards in the game. He has the best ball handling skills in the league (sorry Steph), can shoot from half-court, and is an absolute wizard when he drives the lane.

Kyrie Irving is the SOLE reason the Cavaliers aren’t hitting the panic button today.

Back to last night we go. Lebron James committed 4 fouls in the 1st half. How often do you hear that?! I have one question for Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue: WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!?! How could you leave Lebron on the floor with 3 fouls and 7 minutes left in the 1st half?? Okay, maybe that was 2 questions….

Lue is lucky Lebron is a smart player. Lebron didn’t pick up another foul for the remainder of the game. But imagine if Lebron fouled out in the 3rd quarter, and Kyrie’s twisted ankle in the 3rd quarter caused him to leave the game?? The Cavaliers would have been ‘up you know what creak without a paddle’. Instead, Lebron and Kyrie dominated the 3rd quarter. They emerged from the locker room, down 10 at halftime, with a vengeance. They combined for 30 of the Cavaliers 40 points in the 3rd quarter. Yeah, I’d say their ON/OFF switch works just fine.

The Cavaliers now lead this series 3 games to 1 and are 1 game away from the NBA Finals. This would be Lebron James’ 7th consecutive trip to the NBA Finals. Let that sink in for a moment….

The Cavaliers will win Game 5 back in Beantown and will punch their ticket to the NBA Finals, which tip-off June 1st. Check out Game 5 on TNT on Thursday @ 8:30 P.M. EST. Keep this in perspective: while the Cavaliers are schlepping their tired bodies back to Boston, the Golden State Warriors have their feet up on the couch in the comfort of their own home.

Will the Cavaliers playing an extra game prove costly in the NBA Finals?? Tell me in the comment section below.

Since you enjoy my writing, follow me over to intheneutralzone.com where I am a contributing author there as well. You can also follow me on twitter @DaveEttinger2 or like me on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!

 

 

 

The Good, The Bad, and The Unknown

~ Dave Ettinger ~ Leave a comment

roy hibbert

Monday night marked the beginning of the 2nd round of the NBA Playoffs. Within the first 2 games, there were 2 emphatic statements made. One was better than good, while the other was ehhh for lack of another word, worse than bad. And Tuesday night, the other 2 games will get under way. Let’s start with The Good:

Chris Paul, and his Los Angeles Clippers, marched into Oklahoma City and sent a clear message to Kevin Durant and the Thunder. Chris Paul sent another message that I’m pretty sure his critics heard loud and clear as well. Paul put his Clippers on his back and led them to a decisive 122-105 victory to grab a 1 game to none lead in the series. Paul hit 8 three-pointers, that’s right, EIGHT three-pointers!! Yes, Paul went 8 of 9 from downtown and also added 10 assists to his stat line. He essentially contributed in half of his teams points Monday night. Paul, without a doubt will not continue to drain three’s at such a frenetic pace, however, he should be able to maintain his elite level of play throughout the entire 2nd round. This would get the monkey off his back and would land him in his first Conference Finals of his career. The MVP to be, Kevin Durant, may have something to say about that though, as I expect a bounce back performance in Game 2 from Durant and his trigger happy side-kick Russell Westbrook. By the way, imagine if Robin turned to Batman and said, “You know what Batman, I think we should change the name of this movie to Robin Returns.” Batman would have picked up Robin and put him back in his closet. Durant needs to man up and tell Westbrook to give him the damn ball and get out of his way! Anyone who knows basketball has been saying this for years, but I guess Durant doesn’t want to listen. Now, let’s move on to the bad….THE VERY BAD:

Roy Hibbert, oh poor Roy Roy. The stat line says it all: 0 points, 0 rebounds, and 5 fouls (in 18 Minutes). What in the blazing saddles is going on here?? Roy Hibbert is listed at 7’2″. 0 Rebounds?!?!?! You should get at least one rebound by accident….from the bench….when you’re 7’2″. I, along with the rest of the world do not understand what has happened to Roy Hibbert, but he better figure it out quick or else his Pacers will be watching the Heat steamroll the Wizards rather than having that dubious pleasure themselves. And last but not least, the unknown:

Only time will tell what will happen in the rest of the series’ that have yet to start, but the big conversation of the 2nd round thus far has been the Miami Heat vs. the Brooklyn Nets. A lot of people are jumping on the Brooklyn bandwagon because they swept the regular season series with the Heat this year (4-0). I for one am not buying into that. Yes, winning 4 straight games, no matter how close they were, against the two time defending champions is an outstanding feat, however, this is not the regular season anymore. The Miami Heat rest their players throughout the regular season, and from time to time honestly just don’t try sometimes. Come playoff time, Lebron, Wade, and company are all business, all the time. And frankly, they are just a better team than Brooklyn. The other question is, as a Knicks fan, if you had to root for one of these teams, who do you root for? This is not an easy question to answer, but I would have to root for the Heat. Despite what some delusional Knicks fans think, the Knicks and the Heat don’t have a rivalry anymore. The Knicks and Nets don’t have a rivalry yet either, but fuel will definitely be thrown on the fire if the Nets can somehow dethrone the Heat. Plus, Knicks fans can’t root for a team that employs Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett (come on now!).

Stay tuned for my predictions going forward in these NBA Playoffs.

If you enjoy my writing, follow me over to intheneutralzone.com where I am a contributing author there as well. Also you can follow me on twitter @DaveEttinger2 or like me on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!

Thank you for reading and leave a comment in the section below.

Melo Jr. Gives It His All

~ Dave Ettinger ~ 2 Comments

Well apparently the Knicks didn’t get the memo about Kevin Durant.  He is a beast in the 4th quarter!  Durant scored 12 of the Thunder’s 20 points in the 4th quarter and they won the game 95-94.  J.R. Smith and the Meloless Knicks gave it their all against one of the best teams in the league, but it just wasn’t enough.  J.R. Smith did his best Carmelo impression last night scoring 36 points on 29 shots.  He played a good game off the “bench”, but he couldn’t beat the Thunder by himself.  Raymond Felton and Amar’e Stoudemire both added 16 points, but the offense was pretty inefficient as a whole (they shot 40% from the field and 32% from 3 point range).  Believe it or not, the Knicks actually had a 6 point lead heading to 4th quarter, so it makes sense that they got outscored by 7 points in the 4th quarter (haha, figures).  That leads me back to my original point.  Kevin Durant is the best player in the NBA that is not named Lebron James.  The Knicks obviously didn’t realize that.  They should have been double teaming Durant in the 4th quarter and forced someone else to beat them.  Outside of Durant and Westbrook, no one else on the Thunder took more than 7 shots.  If you had doubled them and forced Serge Ibaka or Kevin Martin to beat you, I bet you would have had some success.  Unfortunately, the Knicks decided to go one on one with Kevin Durant, and he killed them when it mattered most.  I have to put most of the blame on Coach Woodson.  Mike Woodson keeps preaching that it doesn’t matter who starts games, it only matters who finishes games.  Well Mike, you continue to screw up the lineups at the end of games so what exactly are you talking about?!?!  How you don’t have Amar’e Stoudemire in against the Heat down the stretch is beyond me.  Plus last night he did the same thing with Tyson Chandler sitting him for 5 and a half of the most crucial minutes of the 4th quarter.  How many times do I have to hear about the questionable moves and substitutions from Woodson before someone questions him as a great coach?  People think because the Knicks have a good record that he must be doing a great job, but I’m here to tell you that their record could and should be even better.  Woodson needs to pull his head out of the sand and start managing his roster properly.  For starters, I like Kurt Thomas, but send him off to the nursing home already.  Secondly, James White should be a star in the D-League, not A STARTER on an NBA roster (let alone on a good NBA roster).  The next step for Woodson is to get Melo 100% and bring he and Amar’e back to the starting lineup together.  This will infuse some instant offense into the starting lineup and will keep them from getting down early in games.  It will also bring some size into the starting lineup, and while Amar’e is not a great rebounder, he’ll certainly grab more boards than James White or Kurt Thomas.  Everyone questions Amar’e’s defense, but everyone’s defense on this team is questionable besides Tyson Chandler.  At least Amar’e is trying on the defensive end, which is more than you can say about Steve Novak.  Is he not the worst defender in the NBA?  I defy you to find a worse defender in the entire NBA than Steve Novak.  Woodson should leave J.R. in his role as the 6th man, because it would make no sense to have 2 “Carmelo’s” on the floor at the same time.  If Woodson continues to bring Jason Kidd in as the backup point guard, Kidd can manage Smith’s personality and mold him in to a well-rounded basketball player.  As for size, defense, and toughness the Knicks have Chandler and need to hope and pray that the combination of Kenyon Martin and Marcus Camby can help in those departments.

Let me get back to last night’s game.  The Knicks should take only positive notes away from this loss to the Thunder.  Think about it this way, did anyone in the world besides a completely biased Knicks fan think they were going to win that game last night?  No chance in hell.  I personally thought they were going to lose by 10 points.  The fact that they had a lead heading into the 4th quarter and only lost by 1 point without their top scorer is an impressive feat if you ask me.  It would have been a nice game to steal since they have an insane schedule in March, but they should feel good about themselves moving forward.  The Knicks have a much needed day off on Friday, but will be right back in action Saturday night at home against the Utah Jazz.  Maybe we’ll see Carmelo Anthony back in uniform by then.  Either way, tune in to MSG @ 7:30 P.M. to watch the Knicks beat the Utah Jazz.

If you enjoy my writing, follow me over to intheneutralzone.com where I am a contributing author there as well.  Also you can follow me on twitter @DaveEttinger2 or like me on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports.  Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!

It’s definitely better than the Pro Bowl, but the NBA’s All-Star Weekend is no slam dunk

~ Dave Ettinger ~ Leave a comment

Come Thursday night, the NBA will wind down the first half of the season with two thrillers. First, you will have a rematch of the NBA Finals from last season as Miami travels to Oklahoma City(and this could very well be a preview of this year’s finals as well), and then you will have a showdown in the city of angels. The Clippers will try to continue their winning ways against their cross building rivals(get it, I said cross building instead of cross town because they play in the same arena, well at least I thought it was funny), the Lakers. Once the final buzzer sounds on that contest, it’s off to Houston for the 2013 All-Star Weekend festivities. Now I know that the All-Star Game’s TV ratings have been climbing the past couple of years, until last year(“hey, let’s put the All-Star Game on TV at the same time as the Oscars!!” “Good idea!!”, said the two employees who were surely fired as soon as the ratings came out). However, I believe the NBA is not maximizing it’s potential throughout the entire weekend.

The game itself is not what I have a problem with. You can’t make superstars try in a game that is solely meant to be an honor. The game gets good enough ratings as is, and I still tune in because basketball is fun to watch when the score is 184-179. You get to watch the NBA’s elite throw alley oops to each other, and in the off chance that the game is close down the stretch they do actually try. The one problem that I have with the game is actually the voting process. This game is meant to showcase the leagues best players. It is not meant to be a popularity contest. I understand why the NBA allows fans to vote but it ruins the integrity of All-Star appearances. Think about it. When the talking heads debate whether or not someone is a hall of famer don’t they always bring up how many All-Star teams they’ve been on? How are you going to tell me that Joe Schmo from his couch, who doesn’t even know the first thing about basketball(he has heard of Kevin Garnett though), should have any say in who gets in the hall of fame? Most people would probably say, “you’re overreacting, it’s just the All-Star game.” That’s my point. This weekend should matter. It should be an honor for the best players in the league to say, “I’m an All-Star.” I think the NBA should allow a combination of the coaches and hall of fame committees to vote on All-Star appearances. If the committees aren’t willing to get involved with active players then the NBA should decide on a collection of well respected basketball journalists to vote on the All-Star game.

The biggest problem I have with this weekend is what happens on Saturday. These days, the slam dunk contest is essentially a joke. Remember when the slam dunk contest used to mean something? And it was more exciting then the game itself? Yeah, me too. But those days are long gone. One of my most vivid memories of any All-Star game is Vince Carter’s spectacular dunk fest of 2000. Carter threw down one unbelievable dunk after another, putting together a highlight reel for the ages. If you ask me, that is still the single greatest slam dunk performance of all time. No offense Mr. Jordan, but I’m sure you were watching the beginning of Vinsanity too. Anyone remember who assisted Carter in that slam dunk contest?? No peaking at the video, that’s cheating. Yes, it was a young Tracy Mcgrady. The most memorable moments in slam dunk history are definitely Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins in the 80’s battling it out for the title of slam dunk champion. That concept seems laughable now a days, and that’s what has me steaming mad. Michael Jordan was the best player in the NBA every time he competed in the slam dunk contest(hell, he was the best player whenever he did anything). Fans also got to see greats like Clyde Drexler and Scottie Pippen perform once upon a time. That is what the fans want to see today. They want the best players in the league to battle it out like the slam dunk contest still means something. You have to be an avid basketball fan to even know who the competitors are in this years contest.  No offense to the guys competing, but are you tuning in to watch Terrence Ross?  Nope, didn’t think so.  Lebron James and the rest of the superstars of the league are doing the NBA a disservice by not competing. They are only hurting themselves and their brand by not putting together the best show possible at a star studded weekend.  I mean, it’s not like any of the guys we want to see would be inconvenienced by competing.  They are already going to be in Houston.  Instead of tweeting little jokes to cause a stir about possibly maybe hopefully competing in the dunk contest(what a subtle way to get attention buddy), Lebron should come on TV and emphatically say, “I’m going to bring the dunk contest back to life by competing in it and winning it!” If he did that and implored other superstar dunkers like Russell Westbrook to compete, everyone else would follow suit. Listen I’ll still be watching all the events this weekend, including New York Knick James White in the dunk contest, but don’t tell me you wouldn’t rather see Lebron do a 720 dunk or watch him dunk from the 3-point line. Insert haha here…

Here’s the slam dunk roster I would like to see:

Lebron James, Russell Westbrook, Blake Griffin, J.R. Smith, Javele McGee, and Josh Smith

Now tell me you wouldn’t tune in to watch that!

If you want to see more of my work, please check me out at intheneutralzone.com.  I am now a contributing author on that site as well.