All-Star Saturday Night

The NBA All-Star Saturday Night has always been an event I enjoy watching. Highlighted by the 3 point and Slam Dunk Contests, I remember the days of Craig Hodges drilling 3 after 3 and Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins and Kobe Bryant dunking away.

Except for the opening shooting contest, the competitions were woeful.

I love watching an aging Kenny Smith still able to shoot half court jump shots and nail them for Team Texas. Allan Houston looked like he could still step on the court and play today if he had to and also had great legs on his half court attempts. The event was quick and harmless with a fun ending when teams are racing the clock to hit the half court shot.

The night went downhill after that. The competitors in the Skills Competition were paired with a youngster who could win a college scholarship if their NBA point guard won the contest. The lackadaisacal approach through the crossover section to start the contest was embarrassing. I want to see these guys break a sweat for the kids and use their speed. The fact that the free throw is the toughest stage of the course shows how poor shooting can be for the point guard position today. After finishing last in his 2 previous appearances, Tony Parker turned up his game as the night went on and prevailed.

There was not a lack of effort in the 3 Point Shootout, but there was a lack of shooters.

Read this list and think of what comes to mind:
Brandon Rush, Mike Miller, Ray Allen, Jordan Farmar, Steve Novak, Mario Chalmers, Matt Bonner, Klay Thompson, Stephen Curry, and J.J. Redick.

SHOOTERTS! Sharp-shooters. Snipers. That is the list of the Top 10 3 point shooters in the NBA by shooting percentage.

Guess how many were in the contest to determine the best sharpshooter in the NBA….

1. Mario Chalmers.

Now read this list and think of what comes to mind:
James Jones, Mario Chalmbers, Ryan Anderson, Anthony Morrow, Kevin Durant and Kevin Love.

Probably something like “A 9 seed who just can’t crack the playoffs.”

Nope, that’s the NBA’s selected competitors in the 3 Point Shootout.

Thanks David Stern, way to bring it strong (don’t worry, it gets worse).

The winner: Kevin Love, Power Forward. A Power Forward won the NBA’s sharpshooter contest.

Are you kidding me? This is like holding the Home Run Derby and having some utility infielders and back-up outfieders plus a great hitting pitcher compete.

It is not that these guys can’t shoot, it’s that I don’t want to watch them shoot.

My favorite moment of the contest was Charles Barkley commentating about how scouts were worried that Kevin Durant could not bench press 190 pounds coming out of Texas. Charles’ reply was something to the effect of, “I just laughed at that and though, a basketball doesn’t way 190 pounds.” Thank you Sir Charles, thank you.

David Stern’s night did manage to get worse. How? Well, Chase Budinger, Jeremy Evans, Paul George and Derrick Williams lined up next to each other, that’s how.

They lined up next to each other because they were the NBA’s idea of a good slam dunk contest.

Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwight Howard, Blake Griffin true All-Stars and the greats of the NBA, and great dunkers of the NBA were in the city and in some cases in the building…..on the sidelines with faux glasses on and munchies in hand.

This was a complete farce. I’ll give it to the guys who competed, they did a fair job, but no one turns on their television waiting to see any of them.

How do you have a slam dunk contest without Blake Griffin?

How did it get worse? American got to vote by tweeting or texting. No Dr. J. No George Gervin or Dominique Wilkins. None of the greats of dunking lore able to judge those who hold down the fort today. Nope. America. With a cell phone. Awful. I don’t care who Pete in Poughkeepsie thinks is the best. I want to know who The Iceman thought really “got it”.

Thankfully, even The Big Aristotle Shaquille O’Neal agreed with me. He asked out loud on TNT where the stars were and how he to grew up enjoying seeing Jordan and the stars of the day compete.

The only thing that made this event worse was the racist and out of place comments from Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs. Combs was holding down a first row seat and was brought onto the court by Kenny Smith. Smith did a nice job of pointing out that Combs’ son just signed with UCLA (he’ll be a cornerback on the football team). Combs ignored this compliment and was instead mroe focused on highlighting that “white men can’t jump.” Kenny also mentioned Combs had a new network starting to which Combs replied how excited he was and that it would be great for “black power, raise your fist in the air.”

What?

I’m guessing “Puffy” was not excoriated for this because of the double standard that exists. Let’s imagine that a white enternainer stood on center court of the same court and said anything close to the same thing and highlighted by “white power.”

That individual would be fired, marred by the press and forced to publicly apologize.

Does Combs think this is the 1850s? The early 1900s or even the 1960s in Alabama? My lord, I was appalled. I hope that his network goes bust before it really gets off the ground for no other reason than that viewpoint does not belong in the American public. Combs can have his freedom of speech, but if he expects to be rewarded for it, or that it does not come without repercussions, I hope he finds out he is sorely mistaken.

This is not the 1968 Olympics, Sean. It’s the 2012 All-Star Weekend. Get with the times and get ouf ot he public eye.

Big day today – Daytona 500, Match Play Finals, All-Star Game and the Oscars. Enjoy folks.