All-Star Weekend--The Obvious Flaw That Makes It So Boring and How It Can Be Fixed

Jeremy Evans throws down one of his jams in the  Sprite Slam Dunk Contest

We all miss the all-star weekends with Jordan, Bird, Magic, Vince Carter, etc. in the contests. We miss the creative ideas with no props. We miss everything about the old contests. But we cannot go back in time and we have to deal with this period in time's boring All Star Weekend.

Everybody knows what is wrong with All Star Weekend. The NBA's superstars do not want to participate anymore.

The ideal lineup for the contests would go something like this;

Skills Contest;

Chris Paul

Deron Williams

Steve Nash

Derrick Rose

Rajon Rondo

Russell Westbrook

Ricky Rubio

Tony Parker

They may as well rename the contest (something like the Point Guard Skills Contest) considering they do not have anyone but point guards in the contest. Granted, point guards are the quickest and have some of the most skill out there, but there are other players out there who aren't point guards who can run this obstacle course successfully.

3-Point Contest;

Ray Allen

Kevin Durant

Jimmer Fredette

Kevin Love

Kobe Bryant

Dirk Nowitzki

People love variety. The mix of positions and height would draw attention itself.  Everyone would want to tune in to see how Jimmer would do, just because of the hype. Ray Allen is possibly the greatest three-point shooter of all-time. Durant, Kobe, and Dirk are clutch shooters who can do great in this competition, especially if they get a little hot. Kevin Love won this year and it would be nice to see him go at it again.

Dunk Contest;

LeBron James

Blake Griffin

Dwight Howard

Andre Igoudala

Russell Westbrook

Derrick Rose

LeBron is the one player every basketball fan wants to see in the dunk contest. LeBron made a promise he would do it, but didn't come through. Blake competed last year, but claims "dunk contests aren't my thing." Dwight is electrifying and insanely athletic for a near 7-footer. Igoudala, if he still has the energy and bounce, has competed before and is a magnificent dunker. Westbrook and Rose would add the element of a guard in the contest, and would draw attention from everyone. Yes, there are two more dunkers in the ideal contest here, but take away some of the boring commentary from the All-Star Weekend and you would be able to fit them in easily.

Those who don't watch, you cannot tell me you wouldn't tune in to see these players who are "superstars" perform and compete in these contests.

Instead we have Jeremy Evans, James Jones, Anthony Morrow, and Chase Bundinger competing, players who many of you didn't know before yesterday.

How does the NBA expect me to watch year-after-year with these players who never step on the court during games anyways? I want to see the superstars, the best players in the world on All-Star Weekend. Don't you?

First off, the NBA should state, if playing in the All-Star game, you are expected to compete, if asked, on All-Star Saturday. It would finally give fans the opportunity to see these superstars in a competition.

There needs to be new ideas. The HORSE game between Joe Johnson, Kevin Durant, and OJ Mayo a few years ago wasn't a bad idea, but you have to hope it gets done in a certain amount of time. You can even pre-record the event and show it on television later during the day. This way, the players can do crazy shots and have time to finish off before going into a three-point tiebreaker like they had to the one year they did it in '09.

Something that would help the time limit thing--make it an ALL DAY thing. From 12 noon to about 10 or 11 at night. This way, you can add different the various different events.

Maybe a game of 21 between a few players or even one-on-one. LeBron & Kobe, D-Rose & Westbrook, anyone who is willing to play one-on-one would be nice.

A three-on-three game would work well too. Pick&Rolls would be well in effect, and the players can have fun with it while staying competitive and serious.

Even the Celebrity Game needs to be fixed. Kevin Hart made that game somewhat watchable. His antics kept me laughing and watching, hoping he either crosses someone or someone blocks his shot into the 15th row. Most of the "Celebrities" I have never heard of. Arne Duncan, the Secretary of Education played well. Maybe Obama would be willing to play? Secret Service would have to be all around the court and security would be about triple what they would usually need, but television ratings would be sky high. I figure bring back the old players they used to have, as well. My ideal Celebrity Game would be this;

Barack Obama

Kevin Hart

Arne Duncan

Terrell Owens

Romeo Miller

Justin Bieber

Michael Jordan

Candace Parker

Snoop Dogg

Just to name a few, those are some celebs who supposedly can ball. Obama, Hart, and Bieber would draw fans, especially Bieber. Who wouldn't want to see Michael Jordan, the greatest player ever, go at it one more time on national television. Scottie Pippen did it last year, why not Jordan? I would like to see Candace ball with the boys. Tamika Catchings did it the past two years and played decent. T.O. and Romeo have played before and played extremely well. Snoop apparently has major skill, so he'd be a good celeb to have out there. 

The All-Star Weekend will always be around, but the question is--will it always be exciting? The NBA has slacked off on new ideas lately, and these are some simple things I had in mind.

What ideas do you have? Comment below and tell me.
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