NBA All-Star Slam Dunk Contest 2012: This Year's Competitors Are Worse Than Bad

The Slam Dunk Contest is one of the greatest events professional sports has to offer. But this year, it doesn't look as promising.

Vince Carter, Kobe Bryant, Blake Griffin and Michael Jordan are just four of the stars to light up the contest, which usually features a big name or a proven slam-dunk artist.

This year, we have neither.

Most NBA fans don't know half of the dunk contest's participants. Jeremy Evans, Chase Budinger and Paul George haven't made much of a name for themselves.

Derrick Williams? He lit up defenses in college and electrified crowds with his dunks in college, but he has yet to prove himself as a star in the NBA.

Maybe having no defense will help.

All will have a chance to dunk over a car and prove themselves to be the next Blake Griffin, but none have the national publicity Griffin has.

As a result, the NBA should expect lots of people to avoid watching the contest.

Sure, if you watch a highlight reel and study the contestants you'll have a reason to watch. But as a casual  fan, I see no reason to watch.

Iman Shumpert would've drawn attention, mainly because Jeremy Lin would be assisting him. But once Shumpert withdrew from the contest and was replaced by Utah's Jeremy Evans, things changed.

In 2011, Serge Ibaka flew from the free-throw line and completed an astonishing dunk, but he still finished third. That same year, JaVale McGee dunked three basketballs in less than three seconds, and he finished second.

In 2012, both those performances would likely win the contest, unless Williams, Evans, George or Budinger dunks over a car.

Last year, the NBA scored big-time. This year, not so much. 

Most fans want stars who already have made a name for themselves in the NBA. College basketball fans  remember Williams, but he hasn't been on the highlight reel much in the pros. Neither have the other three contestants.

They'll have their chance to prove us wrong on Saturday.