NBA Slam Dunk Contest 2012: 3 Reasons to Be Excited for Sub-Star Players

While everyone is crying for players like LeBron James, Blake Griffin or Dwight Howard to participate in this year's dunk contest, fans should actually be excited for the lesser-known players.

Over the years, the star-caliber of players has certainly decreased over the years, but that is no reason not to tune in for tonight's contest.

For these reasons, you should still be checking in tonight to watch Derrick Williams, Paul George, Jeremy Evans and Chase Budinger in the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest.

No Expectations

If a superstar player was in tonight's contest, the fans would be expecting something huge—likely so huge that they wouldn't be satisfied no matter what.

With these four guys, there are really no expectations for what they can do, so we will be satisfied with mostly anything that is entertaining.

After seeing players like Vince Carter put the ball through his legs to Blake Griffin jumping over a car, there are only so many more things that players can do.

Showtime for the Non-Showmen

Let's be honest, these are not the guys that are typically the center of attention when we attend a NBA game. More or less with certain guys, but still even a player like George doesn't pull the attention of a superstar athlete.

This competition gives us a look at some of the talented, but less-accounted-for players. The spotlight is always on players like James or Kobe Bryant, but now it will shift to some guys who deserve a little love themselves.

An Even Playing Field

If a player like James or Griffin were in this competition with three of these other guys, the competition would be rather lopsided.

It isn't likely that the NBA would get four superstars anyways, so it is best that they level the playing field.

Sure, we want someone to standout as the best, but we also want to see some sort of competition. If there was a high flyer who we know would be unstoppable, the competition as a whole would not be as entertaining as it could be.

Jeff Chase is a Featured Columnist for the Chicago Cubs and Arizona State football.
Follow @Real_Jeff_Chase