Blake Griffin does not plan to defend his slam dunk championship

[insidehoops]

Apparently Blake Griffin doesn't want to enter the 2012 all-star slam dunk contest

Read this: http://www.insidehoops.com/blog/?p=9189

What's your reaction?

[Haymaker]

Great, no cheesy chorus and no lame-ass Kia dunk.

[Fudge]

Seriously? No point in watching it this year then. Who are some legitimate competitors anyways? Alonzo Gee? McGee again? McRoberts?

:sleeping

[Vienceslav]

Bring Ibaka back i want to see what he planed in the other rounds.
DeAndre Jordan could also provide some good dunks i think.

[East_Stone_Ya]

maybe we see less show elements then..i mean the choir thing last year was just :facepalm

[32Dayz]

Great, no cheesy chorus and no lame-ass Kia dunk.

:applause:

[Lebron23]

Great, no cheesy chorus and no lame-ass Kia dunk.


This

[Fudge]

Actually come to think of it, it shouldn't be too bad if DeRozan can give it another run. Derrick Williams also showed some glimpses.

[senelcoolidge]

He has nothing to prove. Move on. He's playing in the All Star game, that's all that really matters. Plus the slam dunk contest is so tired, only little kids like it.

[Lebron23]

Griffin only had 1 great dunk in the 2011 Dunk Contest. NBA needs to get rid of the dunk contest, and replace it with a 3 or 3 competition.

[KBryant24]

good. that means the dunk contest won't be rigid
even lebron wouldn't agree to sell out to KIA just to win some pointless contest.

but on a serous note, its time for king james to finally take home that hardware
jordan in 87, kobe in 97, james in 12 !!!

[alenleomessi]

Deandre or i dont watch

[KBryant24]

Griffin only had 1 great dunk in the 2011 Dunk Contest. NBA needs to get rid of the dunk contest, and replace it with a 3 or 3 competition.
yes.... and i would like for them to do a player draft for the allstar game like they do for the NHL

[entropy35]

Good. His dunks were not that good, and expectations will be higher which he will likely not be able to meet.

[blacknapalm]

it might have been cheesy but there's no reason to do it again. lebron hasn't done it once. aside from that, i don't see DD doing it again. dunk contests have really been mostly underwhelming since j-rich. i think i'm looking more forward to the damn skills competition and that's ten kinds of lame sauce

[OmniStrife]

Great, no cheesy chorus and no lame-ass Kia dunk.
co-signed.

[Tenchi Ryu]

Back in the day it was all about skilled dunks. Now its all about props and shit
:facepalm :facepalm :facepalm

[livingby3's]

i would like to see maybe a derozen or fernandez or iguodala or jrich. the shows put up by these wingmen were spectacular in the previous contests. i would love to see gay in the dunk contest personally.

[blacknapalm]

i would like to see maybe a derozen or fernandez or iguodala or jrich. the shows put up by these wingmen were spectacular in the previous contests. i would love to see gay in the dunk contest personally.

j-rich is done. he's won it, is older and injuries have slowed him. i will say this though...his dunks are among some of the most underrated. i don't think derozan will do it. he was frustrated with last year's results and the 'prop show'. iggy? maybe but he's done it once already. same with josh smith. fernandez could do it again but we'll see. rudy gay tried it once, maybe he'll do it again.

at this point, it's just hard to top some of those 80's/90's dunks. outside of VC/j-rich, some nate, some dwight...there hasn't been a whole lot to get excited about

it might just be best to watch an 80s mix: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJhAL3c_A1Y

EDIT: crap, i forgot josh smith won already

[shallehalle]

Terrico White will save the dunk contest

[strifed169]

durant and westbrook should join

than maybe LBJ would join cause we all know he ain't going if nothing but scrubs participate

[blacknapalm]

durant and westbrook should join

than maybe LBJ would join cause we all know he ain't going if nothing but scrubs participate

griffin, dwight, nate rob, derozan, josh smith, rudy gay were scrubs? c'mon. at this point, i don't think lebron will join and no one should get their hopes up. he's had multiple opportunities.

i actually don't mind shannon brown trying again. i think he was nervous last time or didn't practice much. those dunks were mostly crap. i know he has better dunks than that. dude beat out lbj himself in the mcdonald's slam dunk contest and looked much more at ease. he just needs to get back to that 'fun' spot

[T-Time3]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uh9uAorTzgM
is this yar's the right time ?

[Cermet]

Elliot Williams - didn't play much but boy that man can dunk

[GOBB]

One and done? Today's athletes are weak

[coin24]

Is Terrico White even eligible?????

Terrence Williams

Paul George


+ some others that can actually dunk... no shit props.. no KIA rubbish

I dont want to see anyone from previous years, I want a real dunk contest...

[step_back]

Paul George
Alonzo Gee
Bill Walker
Russell Westbrook

I'd like to see that line up this year.

[Story Up]

Who is the kid from Utah? I want to see him!

[Harrison_Barnes]

Actually come to think of it, it shouldn't be too bad if DeRozan can give it another run. Derrick Williams also showed some glimpses.
DeRozan has already said he does done with the dunk contest, at least until they remove the gimmicks and props and make it about the dunks or if Toronto hosts it.

[Glide2keva]

He didn't deserve it last year. His makes were mediocre. His misses were more exciting.

Derozen should've won, but it seemed like all Griffin had to do was show up and it was his.

[kkling]

Good, his dunks were not all that great last year, especially that lame ass car jump shit.

[QuebecBaller]

So Griffin is flopping on the dunk competition... :lol :lol :lol

[BlackVVaves]

Good riddance, that KIA ish was lame .

[Rake2204]

I say this every year but I think two of the biggest things holding the dunk contest back these days is 1) the short list of competitors and 2) the subsequent short list of dunks. On top of everything else, the dunk contest is facing history every single year. It's always been that way. In the mid-90's, any dunk contest that didn't end like Jordan's and Nique's was declared a failure by many. Then, Vince Carter happened. After Carter's showing, more contests were considered failures because there was no Vince moment (granted, introducing the Wheel of Dunks was a failure in itself).

Essentially, ever since I was old enough to watch dunk contests live (1993), there's always been a strong contingent of fans who felt the dunk contest should be removed because they thought every dunk had been done or no one could perform any slam within the same area code of what Jordan and Wilkins did. However, regardless of how one feels, I never understood what ridding of the dunk contest accomplishes. Wouldn't folks at least like the opportunity to possibly see something awesome? You know what happened the first time it was cancelled? 2Ball. 2Ball happened. There's been a ton of great dunk contest in the 2000's. If we'd ended the contest and kept it ended, we would have missed out on too many excellent moments.

Last year's contest is remembered, unfortunately, for a choir and a Kia. But honestly, aside from those two gimmicks, it was a solid contest. In the first round alone, DeMar DeRozan threw down a between the legs dunk off the basket stanchion, Serge Ibaka made the furthest free throw line dunk in NBA Dunk Contest history (merely a toe on the line), JaVale McGee dunked two balls on two baskets, and Blake's first attempt nearly made me fall out of my chair (before he resorted to a safety finish). There was a lot happening and it wasn't all gimmick based.

But back to my primary point, I miss six competitors. Here's the breakdown:

2000: Six Competitors, three first round dunks per competitor (one using teammate), three finalists (two dunks a piece).
Total: 24 Dunks

2011: Four Competitors, two first round dunks, two finalists (two dunks a piece).
Total: 12 Dunks

[SpecialQue]

This doesn't surprise me. He did a Bill Simmons podcast during the lockout and when he was asked about the dunk contest he said he probably wouldn't do it again. The reason? Apparently he saw all the negative comments about his dunks, especially from former NBA players, and it soured the experience.

[GOBB]

This doesn't surprise me. He did a Bill Simmons podcast during the lockout and when he was asked about the dunk contest he said he probably wouldn't do it again. The reason? Apparently he saw all the negative comments about his dunks, especially from former NBA players, and it soured the experience.

:roll: What a softy

[Doranku]

He didn't deserve it last year. His makes were mediocre. His misses were more exciting.

Derozen should've won, but it seemed like all Griffin had to do was show up and it was his.

Yup, this. It's good that he's not participating because now there won't be a predetermined winner.

[GOBB]

Yup, this. It's good that he's not participating because now there won't be a predetermined winner.

:facepalm conspiracy theories

[Cangri]

That's good, he actually sucked in the dunk contest.

[CelticsDraftee]

Who is the kid from Utah? I want to see him!

And get Gerald to be a "prop."

http://gifsoup.com/view4/3333318/jeremy-evans-o.gif

[SpecialQue]

I don't have a problem with Blake winning it last year, but it did remind me of the Academy Awards. You know how they'll give an award to an actor because he was snubbed for his prior, better roles? Like Pacino getting an award for Scent of a Woman but not The Godfather or Dog Day Afternoon. Not that Blake was snubbed, but it seemed more like they were rewarding his SEASON of great dunks (like the Mozgov) and not really any that he did at the contest.

Also, the Kia dunk was a great gimmick and instantly iconic, and I think the only people who aren't that impressed by it are hardcore basketball fans. The general public was understandably wowed by it, because people around the watercooler are going to talk about "he dunked over a car" more than any other, technically better dunk.

[stallionaire]

Great, no cheesy chorus and no lame-ass Kia dunk.

Exactly. Happy his prop using lame ass isn't in it. ****ing flopper.

[vinsane01]

I wouldnt mind seeing him try again without the unnecessary antics.

[Rake2204]

Also, the Kia dunk was a great gimmick and instantly iconic, and I think the only people who aren't that impressed by it are hardcore basketball fans. The general public was understandably wowed by it, because people around the watercooler are going to talk about "he dunked over a car" more than any other, technically better dunk.
Not to be overly critical, but I was ready to be impressed when I saw the car rolling out. The choir crushed my spirit a little bit. And the whole "coach" thing killed me inside. Still, I was ready for something next level. Maybe I was waiting for him to jump over the middle of the car. Or maybe I was expecting him to finish with something besides a routine two hand dunk. I was just expecting more, period. At it's core, it was a two hand alley oop where he kicked his legs behind a little bit, and that was disappointing.

Still, as Vinsane said, I'd definitely be interested to see if he had anything new or fresh in the bag. It's tough to not want to see more of that guy's arsenal. Maybe he exhausted everything he had last year. But then again, maybe not. I wouldn't mind finding out.

[b0bab0i]

Good riddance, that KIA ish was lame .
He was suppose to jump over an exotic car (Lamborghini) , but KIA is the Official Sponsor of the NBA, so the NBA forced him to go with a KIA.

[Sakkreth]

He doesn't have what to defend it wasn't dunk contest, but popularity show and commercial.

[imdaman99]

He was suppose to jump over an exotic car (Lamborghini) , but KIA is the Official Sponsor of the NBA, so the NBA forced him to go with a KIA.
yeah so it's like 100% obvious the nba forced him to win. pathetic

i wanna see westbrook in it.

[Noob Saibot]

Ah well good riddance, one of Blake problem's was he had Kenny "The Lame" Smith coach him. Like Dunkers need a coach to do new dunks in a live contest, lol.

[HurricaneKid]

He had no business winning last year. NONE.

[Chrono90]

One and done? Today's athletes are weak

yup. Back then, Jordan joined 3 times and won twice. Athletes today don't want to take a chance of losing.

[ThatsGame]

Kia aren't going to buy it for him this year

[KB2009Champ]

let the young guys have a shot, they actually want to compete.

Paul george & Derrick williams

[devin112]

good. that means the dunk contest won't be rigid
even lebron wouldn't agree to sell out to KIA just to win some pointless contest.

but on a serous note, its time for king james to finally take home that hardware
jordan in 87, kobe in 97, james in 12 !!!

You got kobe's d!ck in ur mouth and the Clippers d!ck in ur ass. You're either polishing kobe's knob or talking hater shit on the clippers. Why so butt-hurt bro?

Blake wanted to jump over a Benz, but the NBA said NO and put in the KIA dumbshit. You probably live in LA, pick up a paper and read some articles online about stuff before taking another one up the butt.

[wang4three]

Griffin only had 1 great dunk in the 2011 Dunk Contest. NBA needs to get rid of the dunk contest, and replace it with a 3 or 3 competition.

3 on 3 is boring.

[shallehalle]

i like the idea of getting at least 6 dunkers, make the prize money bigger and adding 1 dunk for each round and make it so that there are 3 finalists

I thought Lebron couldnt't jump as high, but maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan, his dunk against Bucks, that windmill was just :bowdown: :bowdown: :bowdown:

[Scholar]

I'm not interested in seeing Griffin in the dunk contest again anyway. He's a great dunker, but I don't think he can do too many flashy dunks.

A team should sign Air Up There for a 10-day deal. Let him do the 720 and a 360 between the legs. That guy can dunk like it's nothing.

[dunksby]

I want westbrook there!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNhDf9hEpfE :applause:

[inclinerator]

come on lebron man up and join

[talkingconch]

He's a good dunker, but it only looks good during a game. He had no creativity in last years contest IMO. The jumping over a Kia was just a sponsor move or w.e, popularity crap. Now dwight had a hell of a lot of creativity when he did it

[Velocirap31]

come on lebron man up and join

He doesn't have to go up against Blake, so this would be the best timing for him.

[Rake2204]

He's a good dunker, but it only looks good during a game. He had no creativity in last years contest IMO. The jumping over a Kia was just a sponsor move or w.e, popularity crap. Now dwight had a hell of a lot of creativity when he did it
I believe Blake Griffin could expand his mind and attempt some pretty mind-numbing dunks in competition. Another issue I have with just two first round dunks instead of three: three first round dunks usually meant the lowest score would be dropped and a player would be judged based off their top two slams. With just two dunks, I feel there's a much lower opportunity for players to take a chance. If their first dunk finds itself scored in the mid-40's, players have to almost play it safe for their 2nd dunk. By default, this can make for a lame-duck first round. After Blake's first round 360 (which didn't go as planned), I felt we sort of saw a safe dunk from Griffin in round 2. As we know, playing it safe is no way to go through a dunk competition.

[Timmy D for MVP]

It could have been an all big man affair with Griffin, Ibaka, Mcgee and one I wanna see is Vessely (if healthy).

That said I do think this is best for the contest. Ibaka and Mcgee had the better jams but Griffin won the crowd over just by being there and his dunks were pretty boring in comparison to the other guys.

I'd like of course for Lebron to join and to get Ibaka back. And like I said Jan Vessely. But I want Andre Iguodala to get another crack at it because I think he too was robbed of the title in his first go round. That behind the backboard dunk was on of the more impressive I've seen. But he's a technical dunker so... might not translate to the audience who now votes the winner right?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKkVzaM-L_k

[shallehalle]

He doesn't have to go up against Blake, so this would be the best timing for him.
like Griffin did something unreal :facepalm

[shallehalle]

I want westbrook there!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNhDf9hEpfE :applause:
in game dunkers isn't same as dunk contest dunkers

[Velocirap31]

like Griffin did something unreal :facepalm

I know, I'm glad you guys can see through all the hype around him. The average person doesn't. He was a determined winner before the contest happened though, so there is no reason to believe it wouldn't be the same the second time.

[Rake2204]

But he's a technical dunker so... might not translate to the audience who now votes the winner right?

Is it a full-on audience vote? Somehow, I'm not sure I realized that.

I'm going into full-on preach mode now, but I think the Dunk Contest is just asking for another re-birth. By this I mean the NBA coming to a "Back to Basics" realization. I figure at some point the outside factors (the fan voting, the gimmicks, the general setup, the sponsors, and the spotlights) will convolute the contest so greatly it will necessitate a nuclear meltdown where everything crashes and we'll have to start from scratch.

6 Dunkers. 24 total dunks. One subtle sponsor. A purse. No gimmicks. Legitimacy.

[NoGunzJustSkillz]

Man, I almost forgot about Stern rigging the Slam Dunk Contest last year :facepalm

[HurricaneKid]

The actual dunks last year were fairly impressive. I think Griff was probably the second to worst.

It was better than when Nate Robinson missed 16 dunks in a row and won.

[REACTION]

I wish it was more of a street-style dunk contest with more casual practice-type dunks leading up to their final dunk.

[shallehalle]

i've seen Griffin do a Vince Carter between the legs dunk during Clippers warm up, it's on youtube. And if he would have made that first dunk (360 wmill) and that 360 of the side of the backboard, it would have been a different story. But his first made dunk was like a 40 at max. Second dunk was about 44-45, because of all the misses. Elbow dunk was 47-48 in my opinion, and that car dunk, i actually can't rate it.. something between 43-47, because jumping over something or someone and catching an alley oop is actually really difficult.

People talking about Ibaka. He jumped off the FT line, and so? It looked ugly as hell. How can you give him more than a 45? A lot of players did that dunk, even Barry. Second dunk was.. also nothing that special to advance to the next round.

McGee had to bee in the second round, that's easy.

Derozan, of course.

But Griffin had all the hype, and i don't understand how do they judge between the legs dunks, which were never made.

[dunksby]

in game dunkers isn't same as dunk contest dunkers
Are you shitting me? If thats the case why dont they bring street ballers to dunk? its the NBA dunk contest so players who show significant dunking capability during the games participate.

[Velocirap31]

They could have a dunk competition where it is NBA players vs. Non-NBA players. For example, there would be 3 NBA players against 3 non-NBA players. Each player could get two or three dunks and the team with the highest cumulative score would win. Then there would be a fan-voted MVP of the competition. This MVP would essentially be the winner of the dunk contest. Good idea?

[Rake2204]

They could have a dunk competition where it is NBA players vs. Non-NBA players. For example, there would be 3 NBA players against 3 non-NBA players. Each player could get two or three dunks and the team with the highest cumulative score would win. Then there would be a fan-voted MVP of the competition. This MVP would essentially be the winner of the dunk contest. Good idea?
I've heard a variation of this thrown around numerous times but I've never been a fan of the idea. There's something inherently more entertaining to me when it's only NBA basketball players participating in the dunk contest. I know there's niche dunkers doing crazy things all over the world. It just means more to me when it's an elite basketball talent and someone who belongs to an NBA team.

[guy]

If this was the 80s, we would've seen a Blake/Wade/Lebron/Howard dunk contest by now.

[The Choken One]

DeRozan's was better..

[Ikill]

Last years dunk was actually pretty good IMO and Blake did throw done some pretty nice dunks but the only thing people want to remember is the kia. Everyone was saying how Blake was going to be shit in the dunk contest but he actually ended up being good. By saying it was rigged your trying to find another reason to hate. :confusedshrug: Blake Griffin is quickly turning into the most hated and most underrated player in the NBA

[chips93]

Apparently Blake Griffin doesn't want to enter the 2012 all-star slam dunk contest

Read this: http://www.insidehoops.com/blog/?p=9189

What's your reaction?

thats not really a surprise, he never defends anything

:D

(if somebody has already made that joke, wel i dont care, im not gonna scroll through 6 pages to find out)

[shallehalle]

They could have a dunk competition where it is NBA players vs. Non-NBA players. For example, there would be 3 NBA players against 3 non-NBA players. Each player could get two or three dunks and the team with the highest cumulative score would win. Then there would be a fan-voted MVP of the competition. This MVP would essentially be the winner of the dunk contest. Good idea?
No! Because it's NBA dunk contest, and non-nba dunker would win with ease.

[HurricaneKid]

i've seen Griffin do a Vince Carter between the legs dunk during Clippers warm up, it's on youtube. And if he would have made that first dunk (360 wmill) and that 360 of the side of the backboard, it would have been a different story. But his first made dunk was like a 40 at max. Second dunk was about 44-45, because of all the misses. Elbow dunk was 47-48 in my opinion, and that car dunk, i actually can't rate it.. something between 43-47, because jumping over something or someone and catching an alley oop is actually really difficult.

People talking about Ibaka. He jumped off the FT line, and so? It looked ugly as hell. How can you give him more than a 45? A lot of players did that dunk, even Barry. Second dunk was.. also nothing that special to advance to the next round.

McGee had to bee in the second round, that's easy.

Derozan, of course.

But Griffin had all the hype, and i don't understand how do they judge between the legs dunks, which were never made.

Christ half our team in HS threw down oops. If he would have jumped over the tall part of the car it would have been something. He didn't. That was the worst dunk of the day.

And yes, had he made his misses they would have been impressive. But he didn't. If anything, you lose points for missing, not gain them.

[Velocirap31]

No! Because it's NBA dunk contest, and non-nba dunker would win with ease.

Ya, probably. Motivation for NBA players to get their shit together.

[HurricaneKid]

What? Its problem is that it is without star power. Your answer is to bring in guys no one has ever heard of?

[usama123]

the allstar weekend needs a makeover...

the shooting stars is boring...do we really care about wnba players and old vets
skills comp- getting old and tiring of the same thing over and over
3 pt- only saving grace
dunk- its good every other year...its needs stars... not some scrubs

[swi7ch]

they just need to offer more money so stars enter the competition and not scrubs

[Rake2204]

Christ half our team in HS threw down oops. If he would have jumped over the tall part of the car it would have been something. He didn't. That was the worst dunk of the day.

I agree on that front. A routine two-hand alley-oop is about as easy as it comes for a guy like Blake Griffin.

[Derka]

I'd love to see McGee go at it again. He got ripped last year.

[Maniak]

Good. Hopefully this lowers the chance of another rigged contest.

[BarberSchool]

All he needs to do to defend his title is complete that sick contorted 360 windmill he missed and quit on last year.

[gyu]

Put Paul George in the dunk contest. He can do a 360 between the legs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3ZtF8GaS3U

[Ol Dirty Bastard]

All Star Weekend is dying - also fans shouldn't be allowed to vote.

[Rake2204]

Put Paul George in the dunk contest. He can do a 360 between the legs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3ZtF8GaS3U
The fact that he can do this dunk is insanely impressive. Yet, I'm not sure if I like his style. I saw a cilp of him doing Vince Carter's 360 windmill and again, it was awesome that he could pull it off, but it felt a little underwhelming.

[Aidan]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPzpQJGfSMA

Would love to the the Jets reaction to this!