Should Blake Griffin Be Dunking On All Star Weekend?

Blake "The Barbarian" Griffin is my favorite up and coming superstar in the NBA.  He is dominating the league as I predicted and is well on his way to becoming the greatest thing since sliced bread.  It was announced recently that Blake "The Barbarian" plans to enter the slam dunk contest during all star weekend.  At first I was excited about the thought of Blake unveiling his arsenal of spectacular dunks on the world, but then I thought about it for a moment and realized this may not be a good thing.

Blake "The Barbarian" missed an entire season last year with a broken knee cap he injured in the final preseason game on a dunk.  Chances are the knee has fully healed and Blake is only 21 years old, but why take the risk?  Isn't this the reason other high profile players such as Lebron James don't participate?  There is very little to gain and so much to lose.

On the flip side Blake "The Barbarian" gets an opportunity to leave an indelible impression on the fans and create a buzz like great dunkers of the past.  With a victory in the slam dunk contest he instantly gets mentioned in the same breath as Dr. J, Kobe Bryant, and Michael Jordan.  That's a very distinguished group to be in.  His popularity would sky rocket and his jersey sales would go through the roof.  Perhaps this is just what Blake Griffin needs to get past the psychological hurdle of recovering from injury and the chance to take advantage of the spotlight in LA.

In the end it was a brilliant move if he competes, has some memorable dunks, walks away with a trophy, and remains injury free.  It's a disaster if he comes away from the contest anything less than 100%.  Athletes shouldn't go into competition fearing injury, but they also shouldn't take unnecessary risks with their livelihood and career.  I'm sure he'll be fine, but if I was advising him I'd tell him not to do it.