2012 NBA Slam Dunk Contest: Jeremy Lin's Absence Will Cripple Event
Jeremy Lin is not a spectacular dunker, but his appearance as an assistant to Iman Shumpert would have at least made the contest interesting. With Jeremy Evans reportedly taking over for Shumpert per this report from Alex Kennedy of Hoopsworld:
"Iman Shumpert of the New York Knicks will no longer compete in the dunk contest, according to sources close to the situation. Shumpert missed Monday’s game against the New Jersey Nets due to a knee injury and he’ll rest during the weekend. While he wanted to compete in the dunk contest, getting healthy is his top priority.
Shumpert will likely be replaced by Jeremy Evans of the Utah Jazz.
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What are we left with now?
The dunk contest field was already considered weak with Iman Shumpert included, but now with a field of Paul George, Derrick Williams, Chase Budinger and Jeremy Evans, it's even worse. Instead of asking who will win, some fans may be asking, "who is that?"
Here are some tweets from around the country about the strength (or lack thereof) of the field.
"NEW! VIDEO: Young LeBron fan begs him to join Slam Dunk Contest and save his Saturday night… goo.gl/fb/dQDpf
— Shana Renee (@SdotRenee) February 22, 2012"
"There are 40 players in the NBA who have more dunks this season than any player in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest.
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) February 17, 2012"
"My latest column: The NBA's slam-dunk competition has outlived its usefulness es.pn/zQ6Alx
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) February 21, 2012"
"I don't know what's worse. The contestants in the 3pt or slam dunk contest.
— Emridge (@Ejayjones3) February 17, 2012"
Iman Shumpert was at least a window to Jeremy Lin, as anything with him is gold right now. Though Shumpert's name didn't immediately jump off the page or computer monitor at you, it at least was a window to another shameless exploitation of Lin.
Lin was set to be Shumpert's Baron Davis to his Blake Griffin, but now we've lost that cheap thrill as well. Anything with Lin is golden, and a little razzle dazzle with the NBA's newest star would likely have been the highlight of the event.
I'm not taking anything away from Jeremy Evans, as you can see from the video below, the kid has mad ups, and may very well throw down some vicious slams on Saturday night.
The problem is, this event is about star power and the 2012 version is lacking in that department in a major way.
Combined the field has zero All-Star appearances, zero seasons averaging at least 13 points per game and about five years of NBA experience. To be blunt, these are not exactly household names, and none of the players hail from major market teams either.
Houston, Indiana, Utah and Minnesota don't carry a huge amount of national appeal. Without Lin and Shumpert, the Dunk Contest has lost the New York factor as well.
It's all setting up to be a clunker of sorts. Hopefully I'm wrong, and one of these young players is set to have their coming out party, but I doubt it. On Sunday morning, we will probably hashtag this one: #weaksauce.
