OT: Indiana Pacers Superstar Paul George to Skip NBA Dunk Contest

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...uperstar-paul-george-to-skip-nba-dunk-contest



It is a sad truth these days that the best players no longer participate in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest.

And you can add Indiana Pacers forward Paul George to that list.

The reigning NBA Most Improved Player of the Year has achieved superstar status in 2013-14, averaging 23.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists for a Pacers team that currently sports the league's best record at 32-7.

After the Pacers' 106-92 win over the Los Angeles Clippers Saturday night, George told Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star that he was asked to participate in the dunk contest but declined, citing a need to rest.

In that Clippers game, we were treated to the dunk of the year from the 23-year-old:

[video=youtube;lAN6qoW-KGg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAN6qoW-KGg[/video]

According to the website Real GM, the NBA has asked George to participate in the dunk contest, three-point shooting contest and skills competition. George told the Indianapolis Star that, while he hasn't completely ruled out the other two competitions, he is likely to decline all three.

George made the All-Star team last season and is a shoo-in for the 2014 game, ranking second in Eastern Conference All-Star voting.

It has become a rarity for veteran All-Stars to compete in the dunk contest. The last All-Star to compete was Blake Griffin, as a rookie in 2011. The last non-rookie All-Star to compete was Dwight Howard in 2009. We've come a long way from the days of Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins.

George has competed in the dunk contest before. He placed third in the 2012 contest in his second year in the league. He didn't seem to enjoy the competition, telling Buckner:

(Not to) take nothing away from the dunk contest, (but) it was a joke. I guess whoever had the biggest celebrity involved in their dunk was going to be the winner. I guess I should have tried to reach out to some people.

But now George would be the biggest celebrity involved in any dunk contest dunk. Is he really avoiding the contest to conserve energy, or is he still bothered by the hypocrisy involved?

 

I think the dunk contest is boring. And why did the NBA ask him to be in the 3pt contest when he is already in the all-star game? There are so many players shooting above 40% and he's not one of them.

 

I just think that the star NBA players are afraid to loose to other star NBA players.

 

Very early, the dunk contest winner was always the biggest name competing, not the best dunk. Stern markets stars, not the game process. So I turned against it and made the objectively-scored 3-point contest my favorite event. As the years went on, other fans followed, and miraculously, the game went out of existence.

Then the network and the dumber half of the fans brought it back. In this second incarnation, dunks are more creative, but the scoring is still subjective.

To get the best dunkers to participate, just make the prize whatever they earn per game.

 

[video=youtube;1xD5dHC2jgw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xD5dHC2jgw[/video]

 

"To get the best dunkers to participate, just make the prize whatever they earn per game."

The prize would be proportional to the player receiving it. The player in 2nd place receives half his per-game salary. 3rd place gets 1/3 his game pay.

This would not only motivate the best players to participate. It would also motivate the Commissioner to stop influencing voters to favor the biggest name. The reason is that the the bigger name who wins, the more it costs the league. Voting for lesser players would save money.

 

The first winner was huge superstar Larry Nance.

 

No need to waste time arguing over subsequent years.

 

Year 3 was Spud Webb.

 

......to be honest I wouldn't even call George a "superstar".......all-star yes.

 

So, how many superstars are there in the NBA right now, and who are they? What defines a superstar? Level of play or jersey sales. For example, Tim Duncan is/was a superstar based on the quality of his play. He's never been one of the leaders in jersey sales, that's for flashier players of lesser talent like Blake Griffin.

If it's based on quality of play, George is the best player on the best team in the league. He's 4th in the league in Win Shares, trailing only Durant, LeBron and Love (is Love a superstar based on stats, even though he plays on a losing team?). He's 5th in WS/48 trailing Durant, CP3, LeBron and Love. He's a top 10 player on the offensive end, and a top 5 player on defense. Because he plays the same position as Durant and LeBron, we won't make 1st team All-NBA (but, ironically could win MVP if the Heat and OKC continue to struggle like they have recently and Indiana wins 65+ games), but he's a lock for second team All-NBA and 1st team All-Defense. So, is it only name recognition that keeps him from being a superstar, in your opinion? Not trying to be a smart ass (this time), genuinely curious what Paul George needs to do be considered a superstar (and don't say win a championship, because that excludes Durant, CP3 and Love, along with Barkley, Malone, etc.).

BNM

 

BTW, with replays of that dunk being all over Sports Center and Game Time, look for a jump in Paul George jersey sales.

There's actually a special on NBA TV right now about Paul George. Looks like the league is pimping him as the next big thing.

BNM

 

Nance was a top player in the league then. But what was really disgusting was the favoritism to America's Team, Turner's Hawks. Selfish Dominique Wilkins, who cared only for individual awards like this, was royalty and was handed the Dunk Contest mantle to automatically win. When teammate Spud won it, Wilkins looked lost on camera. He didn't know what to do. After thinking, he gulped that Spud was his teammate, so he'd share it with him.

http://www.nba.com/history/all-star-weekend-slam-dunk-contest/index.html

 

Each year, the no-names in the contest would be barely, dismissively mentioned by the TV commentators, who got excited when they mentioned the big name or two in the contest. They had film clips to show of those two. Everyone knew who would win.

The mechanics to engineer the win were: The voters and audience were heavily influenced by the TV guys blaring their bias over the loudspeaker. That caused the crowd to cheer or be silent, which influenced the voters.

I remember Terence Stansbury had the best dunk in the 1987 1st round. The TV guys yawned and immediately started talking about the next contestant. So Stansbury got a low rating from the voters and did not make it to the 2nd round.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/stanste01.html

 

Level ranking should go like this-You have your All-Stars, Your Stars and your Superstars. To be a superstar I think you have to prove that you can win multiple championships on the same team from start to finish like Kobe, Jordan and Duncan did. There is few superstars in the history of the NBA compared to All Stars and Stars.

 

So, by your criteria, Kevin Durant isn't a superstar? He is on the way to winning his 5th scoring title, but has zero championships. What about Charles Barkely. Was he not a superstar? He never won a championship. What about Karl Malone? It takes great teammates and often a little luck, to win an NBA championship. There have been, and always will be, many great NBA players who don't win a championship, let a alone multiple champions, due to circumstances beyond their control. That doesn't mean they aren't superstars.

Shit, if LeBron would have stayed in Cleveland, he might not have ever won a championship. Does that make him any less talented? No, it just means he has a better supporting cast in Miami than he ever did in Cleveland. Hell, he took a team with Mo Williams as their second best player to the finals, but didn't win the title because his teammates were crap. He was already a superstar and had won multiple MVP awards before he left Cleveland.

BNM

 

No neither is LeBron James.

 

LeBron James is not a superstar?

Congratulations on being the only person in the entire world who thinks so.

BNM

 

Dwight Howard / kryptonate ruined it

hoop fam