Feb.13 at 1:02 pm

its just alex says:
Lame.

Feb.13 at 1:05 pm

RV says:
i still think he needs to go through the legs and tap the backboard with the ball before dunking…one of you Slam guys must have him on speed dial, make it happen

Feb.13 at 1:07 pm

Jukai says:
It’s not lame. Why doesn’t Rudy Gay then say “Hey, I want the rim eleven and a half feet. Make it eleven and a half feet” and Gerald Green say “I want mine eleven feet, it’ll look more impressive!”…… and then what happens when a bunch of these guys who requested the rims be raised, each at a different height with each player going one after the other (WHICH WOULD TAKE FOREVER) realize that THEY CAN’T DUNK IF THE RIM IS AN INCH HEIGHER? Do they suddenly say “oh well, I lost cause the rim was too high! I woulda won if it was ten feet!”

Feb.13 at 1:08 pm

matt the jazz fan says:
second that alex. super-lame. dwight should come out and say that if the nba won’t let him raise the rim he won’t participate in the context…
and if he signed some sort of clause saying he had to partiicpate, well then maybe he could do layups instead. sheesh talk about shooting yourself in the foot, stern!

Feb.13 at 1:08 pm

RV says:
or better yet, go up from the left side and pin the ball (two handed)way up high on the bacboard, then rotate counter clockwise and dunk it..

Feb.13 at 1:08 pm

Jukai says:
Seriously, the rim is ten feet. The dunk contest is about dunking on an NBA REGULATION basketball. Can I lower the rim to seven feet? If I can, I’m competing. I can do some sick sh*t.

Feb.13 at 1:09 pm

Jukai says:
No one has that in their clause, Matt. Good showing of your knowledge of basketball though.

Feb.13 at 1:10 pm

James the balla says:
jukai … your an idiot. It would be a good idea, almost like horse. Just no lowering of the net.

Feb.13 at 1:10 pm

matt the jazz fan says:
jukai i think we can safely say that all participants can in fact dunk on a rim that’s an inch higher. please refer to youtube for evidence

Feb.13 at 1:11 pm

k.o. says:
what a crock of sh*t. how bout those stupid obstacles and passing targets in the skills comp? are those standard?

Feb.13 at 1:11 pm

Jukai says:
You’re right, I want to wait five minutes inbetween each dunk as they lower or raise the rim for each player than watch as that player realizes its too high for him. The people competing in the dunk competition can’t make their dunks as it is… This idea is stupid, and YOU can lick my sack, good sir.

Feb.13 at 1:12 pm

James the balla says:
hahaha … there are two nets, you make one 12 and keep dunking on the other.

Feb.13 at 1:13 pm

Jukai says:
Matt, sure they can dunk on an eleven foot rim. Can they do a 180 backwards dunk on an eleven foot rim? Maybe, they have twenty tries to do it in the all-star game!!!!

Feb.13 at 1:13 pm

James the balla says:
you know, two ends on a court.

Feb.13 at 1:13 pm

Jukai says:
James, what are you, legally retarded? What is stopping Gay then for requested a thirteen foot net, and Moon requesting an eleven and a half foot net? Do they flip a coin or bring in more backboards?

Feb.13 at 1:15 pm

James the balla says:
well obviously everyone isnt asking for, one person is. And if they all did you rig a net do drop and lower easily. They can be regulation nets, just with a lowering system. Seeing someone dunk a 13 foot net would be crazy too. That would win the comp.

Feb.13 at 1:16 pm

James the balla says:
I think the Bob “Mac” HORSE game should be in All Star weekend … Kobe vs Bron Bron

Feb.13 at 1:17 pm

matt the jazz fan says:
jukai, i’d assume that before making fools of themselves on (inter)national tv they might try doing that 180 on an 11 foot rim or whatnot. and seriously why do you assume that it’d take so long to move a rim up or down 6 inches i agree that some sort of rule about two tries per dunk - or whatever - should however be incorporated…

Feb.13 at 1:19 pm

James the balla says:
aggreed with matt … there should definitely be a rule about how many tries. But again the nets can go up and down for the contest. Just not below 10.

Feb.13 at 1:21 pm

Jukai says:
Matt, if that rule is incorporated I’d be fine with moving the rim. Seeing idiots asking for an eleven foot rim than missing miserably would make me happy. However, since they have all the chances in the world, I am against moving the rim. You think moving it up would be easy, but what if someone asked for the rim to be moved up 11 and 1/5th feet? You gotta measure it to move it. If they could program it and do it in five seconds, I guess I’d be okay. But I bet if Rudy Gay screwed up his dunks, he’d demand they take a tape measurer and make DAMN SURE IT’s 11 and 1/5th FEET!!!!

Feb.13 at 1:23 pm

Jukai says:
Why not down, James? What if Moon could do a 540, behind the legs tomahawk dunk, if the rim was nine feet? wouldn’t that win the show easily, even if the rim was nine feet? Isn’t it better than Dwight Howard just stuffing a twelve foot rim?

Feb.13 at 1:23 pm

James the balla says:
yeah but thats when you implement a rule. Or rules.

Feb.13 at 1:23 pm

RV says:
jukai, next time read more than the headline, it clearly says at the end they can easily switch heights with the use of hydraulics

Feb.13 at 1:24 pm

Jukai says:
Don’t you guys see what fairness questions DON’T have to be asked if we standardized the rim?

Feb.13 at 1:24 pm

James the balla says:
no lol … im sure DH could put nuts above the rim on a 9 foot net and dunk with his ankle if he wanted to. Its suppose to make it more challenging.

Feb.13 at 1:25 pm

Jukai says:
Easily and swiftly are two different things RV.

Feb.13 at 1:25 pm

Jukai says:
James, I’d say doing THAT dunk is way more challenging than raising it to twelve.

Feb.13 at 1:27 pm

James the balla says:
ok well ive seen 12 done twice and it is impressive … like i said above. 13 feet, ridiculous. And if it isnt a normal dunk on 12 … if its like off the backboard or a windmill … all i have to say is go check out a song that goes by the name of Game Ober by Lil’ Flip.

Feb.13 at 1:27 pm

James the balla says:
over*

Feb.13 at 1:27 pm

ends says:
Grab the top of the Backboard, rip off his Blue Orlando 12 Jersey to reviel a Throwback Blue Pinstriped Shaq Jersey…In Homage. Slam make it happen. I really wish I had Dwight’s Number…

Feb.13 at 1:30 pm

James the balla says:
lol … that would be cool “ends”

Feb.13 at 1:31 pm

Jukai says:
No thanks James, I don’t really care enough to. You admit that an incredible dunk on a ten foot rim is better than an average dunk on a twelve foot rim… so wouldn’t one of the best dunks ever seen on a nine foot rim be better than an average dunk on a twelve foot rim? I’m not advocating lowering the hoop, I’m just saying if we leave the damn thing alone, no one will have an arguement.

Feb.13 at 1:34 pm

James the balla says:
Well than if DH ducks first why does’nt Rudy Gay complain about him dunking first and his 270 pound budy made the rim lose for his dunk. We can go into details like that all day! The fact is you put one rim at 12/13 feet, and one at reg height and see what happens. Its the least they can do after the “spin the wheel” dunk. Remember that, spin and see what dunk you have to do hahaha … can’t be any worse!!

Feb.13 at 1:37 pm

matt the jazz fan says:
1. set up four rims: 10′; 11′; 11′6″, 12′
2. two tries per dunk max
3. judges (and people watching at home) judge so contestants can complain till they’re blue in the face but the fact is they’re judged on a combination of difficulty of dunk and of height (and aesthetics, force, etc…)

Feb.13 at 1:39 pm

Jukai says:
James, your way is reallllllly incredibly unfair man. Matt’s way is INTERESTING. I actually like Matt’s way a lot. That way, the guy has four choices, two shots max…. I mean, that makes his decision on which basket to dunk it INCREDIBLY important. Let’s bring this to Stern, Matt!

Feb.13 at 1:43 pm

Gerard Himself says:
I can only agree with the first poster. Lame.

Feb.13 at 1:46 pm

Lz - Cphfinest3 says:
If Dwight is such a good dunker he should be able to make it look impressive no matter the hight of the rims (or his own height for that matter). Even though it would be interesting to see what he could do on 12 feet, man versus regulation rim is what it’s all about. Dwight complains that his height makes the dunks look easier, with his length he should just take off from 3 then it would be over.

Feb.13 at 2:00 pm

Lz - Cphfinest3 says:
The contest is about flair, that’s what’s exciting to see not hightowers doing simple dunks on 12 foot baskets, just because they can. Or is it just me. Come on Dwight kiss the square on the backboard or something, be creative!
Matt’s idea is not bad though..

Feb.13 at 2:26 pm

Bryant Reeves says:
Does that mean they’re going to call traveling violations too?

Feb.13 at 2:48 pm

anotha dude from europe says:
NFL???

Feb.13 at 2:51 pm

G$ says:
Back in the (very) early 90s the Blazers had a pre-season dunk contest between Clyde, Jerome Kersey, and Billy Ray “Dunk” Bates in which the basket was raised after each dunk. It was spectacular. Clyde ended up dunking convinsingly at 12 and a half. Word.

Feb.13 at 2:58 pm

RV says:
jukai, DH is only trying to showcase his hops on a similar stage to the shorter guys, whats not fair is him losing another dunk contest because he makes it look easy due to his height. Just limit the number of dunk attempts and save any rim raising for the final and it’ll be ok

Feb.13 at 3:45 pm

Russ Bengtson says:
People still care about the dunk contest? Dwight should intentionally shatter the backboard with his first dunk and completely ruin the contest.

Feb.13 at 3:49 pm

ciolkstar says:
Jukai has officially stolen the most-annoying SLAM-poster crown. I literally hate/disagree with every argument/point this guy tries to make..

Feb.13 at 3:58 pm

HELMICK says:
HEY HOWARD SHOULD HAVE THE RIM RAISED TO 12′ JUST FOR HIM BECAUSE DID YOU SEE THE DUNK LAST YEAR

Feb.13 at 4:01 pm

TADOne says:
Stick around ciolkstar, you may change that opinion.

Feb.13 at 4:09 pm

Russ Bengtson says:
I agree with Jukai that raising/lowering the rim is stupid, IMO. It’s an NBA dunk contest. NBA rims are 10 feet high. If Dwight wants to set up some sort of dunk contest for charity in the summer and raise the rims to 47 feet, I’ll be all for it. The NBA dunk contest should be on NBA-regulation rims. Don’t like it, don’t enter.

Feb.13 at 4:15 pm

Tim says:
if dwight can easily dunk a 12 foot net he should be able to do something incredible in the 2 foot height difference on a 10 foot net. so he should worry more about creating an amazing dunk than bitching about raising the rims.

Feb.13 at 4:18 pm

Russ Bengtson says:
For comparison’s sake, this would be like Dirk Nowitzki saying he wants to shoot from 30′ in the three-point shootout and have his money balls count as four instead of three. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to see Dwight dunk on a 12′ rim, this just isn’t the time or the place.

Feb.13 at 4:36 pm

Dutch Rich says:
Call end of regulation on lil’ Nate.

Feb.13 at 4:40 pm

maio says:
I’d like to se Dwight pass the ball out of a double team, but the NBA today just isn’t the time and place for that.

Feb.13 at 4:41 pm

Boing Dynasty says:
The dunk contest isnt the place to see new creative dunks? uh?

Feb.13 at 5:55 pm

cracker says:
Another rule was that no player can exceed a certain height on there jump. NBA doesnt want its players to get high!!!!!

Feb.13 at 6:38 pm

jeremy says:
I am so sick of the political crap that goes on in the league today… why cant the rim be higher at the dunk contest?It all starts with control freaks running the show,you know who Im talking about.Stern is a peckerhead who has to always have it done his way.Never open to new ideas,unless it is his own.This all started with the dress code.Then came the the new basketball that most players hated.All were his big bright ideas.I hate to get into this,but even some teams seem to get favored calls.Now some of you may think this is dumb,but this is my opinion.All I know is,every time I watch the spurs,I get so mad that I just cant watch,because it just seems to me that every close call goes their way.When Horry knocked the piss out of Nash in the playoffs last year,Amare and Boris Diaw ran out there just to make sure things didnt get out of hand.What happened?Stern gave the benifit of the doubt to Horry and his favorite team.Yeah,I said that.Somebody needed to say it.Grow up Stern.Its about time you listened to somebody else instead of your giant ego.SLAM fans,feel free to leave your comments about this essay I just wrote.

Feb.13 at 7:39 pm

Simon Fuller says:
That is not a fair comparison, Russ. All that matters in the 3 point contest is if the ball goes in the basket, it doesn’t matter if you’re jump shot looks like Ray Allen’s or Brevin Knight’s…that’s it. Put the ball in the basket enough and you win. The dunk contest is more like gymnastics, figure skating or surfing. You are judged subjectively on the artistic qualities of your dunks. Does it really matter that Nate Robinson won the dunk contest where Iguodala blew our minds? Not really, because Iguodala’s are the dunks that I know I’ll remember. Just like it’ll be memorable if Dwight Howard dunks off a 12 foot rim, whether he wins the contest or not. Maybe Iguodala should have been whistled for being out of bounds? What do people think of the old Bill Simmons idea of a high dunk? Exactly like high jump, just keep raising the basket until the highest dunker is left. Who would go up against Dwight in the final?

Feb.13 at 7:41 pm

Simon Fuller says:
Jeremy: obviously the Suns got screwed by the leaving th bench rule. But if you think Amare and Diaw ran out onto the court “just to make sure things didnt get out of hand”, you are delusional.

Feb.13 at 7:46 pm

Dacre says:
When you look at the “product” of the dunk comp. It’s set up to offer the best dunkers on show, an opportunity to present something creative. A drawcard. The REGULATIONS are set to do this in the context of NBA RULING. Sure, it’s a lame excuse to get from management that they want to have everything inline with NBA rules (because they therefore SHOULD call travelling violations etc…) BUT maybe a compromise might be needed. My ONLY BEEF is that Dwight Howard wants to essentially turn the DUNK COMP into a “who has the highest vertical leap” comp…. It’s not enough. It’s not necessary - That kind of thing is for half time shows (perhaps GILBERT could do his trampoline jam at 12″?) and youtube/prac sessions.

Feb.13 at 7:47 pm

john says:
that suck ” umm we need a replacement dunker for dwight howard thank you “

Feb.13 at 7:55 pm

Horsey says:
can’t we all just sign some online petition thing? mail the address to our friends and have everyone we know demand that dwight explode every one of our minds at the same time? make a link and i’ll follow. so will everyone else who misses the dunk contest…

Feb.13 at 7:56 pm

Jukai says:
I don’t get this whole “it puts Dwight on an equal level playing field” thing. Actually, putting the rim 13/14 feet would put it him on an equal playing field, IF YOU WANNA BE TECHNICAL, but then why can’t all players demand that the rim be raised at random levels for random dunks? Too long, too aggrivating, too many questions to answer, ciolkstar has downs syndrome.

Feb.13 at 8:01 pm

Russ Bengtson says:
In the summer of ‘89, Clyde Drexler dunked on an 11″1′ basket to set an unofficial Blazer record. I think he beat out Jerome Kersey. The NBA Slam Dunk contest is gimmicky and slow enough as it is. Go back to six dunkers, three rounds, no props. Bring ‘88 back.

Feb.13 at 8:02 pm

Dacre says:
a 7 foot tall guy completing a regulation two handed dunk on a 12 foot hoop aint that spectacular….

Feb.13 at 8:23 pm

Jukai says:
Seconded, Russ.

Feb.13 at 8:25 pm

10ftrims says:
James the balla, 13 feet is the top of the backboard, there has only been 1 or 2 people who has touched it. Dwight Howard touched 12′6″ when he was fully extended in last year’s dunk contest. You think someone can dunk at 13′? Please just let people who actually know something about the game speak about it.

Feb.13 at 9:09 pm

dwight4prez says:
Well, raised rim or not, it’ll come down to creativity and stuntsmanship. And Dwight’s got both — just look at what he’s prepping for Saturday: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIz7sYjp1Sc The one stunt he does, the mid-air, bounce-off-the-backboard, left-hand-right-hand dunk, that’s sick.

Feb.13 at 10:13 pm

jeremy says:
Simon Fuller must be a spurs fan.HAHA

Feb.13 at 10:38 pm

BigHurt45 says:
thats gay they should jus raise

Feb.13 at 11:13 pm

RV says:
russ, personally i dont like all the props and gimmicks, i prefer artistic dunks like MJ and ‘nique use to do, but why ban a 12 foot rim when you let guys jump over tables, spin wheels, use stickers, and wear blindfolds?

Feb.13 at 11:14 pm

Dacre says:
Call me delusional.
Delusional Dacre T.

Feb.13 at 11:39 pm

Reno says:
You cant lower the rim, that’ll be lame, anyone can dunk it…but if you wanna raise it, I dont see the problem..all star weekends are for the fans and a chance for the Players to have fun, forget about the pressure of trades, playoffs, standings and all that jazz and just play fun basketball..its like having to do school chores on a Christmas holiday

Feb.13 at 11:44 pm

Reno says:
Forcing the stiff rules on an Allstar weekend, its like having to do school chores on a Christmas holiday..thats what I mean

Feb.14 at 12:41 am

Simon Fuller says:
Incorrect, Jeremy. In fact nothing would have made me happier than seeing the Suns win that series. But those are the rules. The first thing I thought when I saw the footage was that there was NO WAY Amare was playing the next game. And as an aside: Why would the NBA be trying to get the Spurs to win the championship?? Small market, “boring” team, already won a handful of rings…Don’t you think they’d prefer to see Nash and Amare in the Finals, from a marketing/viewer interest standpoint?

Feb.14 at 2:16 am

tealish says:
This makes sense. Changing the height of the hoop is ridiculous. Dwight needs to stop trying to show us how high he can reach. We got it from the sticker dunk… you’re tall and you’ve got hops. Now, from that practice vid, that last dunk was sick. Do that one and think of a couple other creative dunks as well. Let the 12-foot net idea go, it wasn’t great anyways.

Feb.14 at 7:28 am

Michael Tillery says:
Reno said it best. Let ‘em do what they want to do. If they can agree on the height raised, then get it on. Tired of the same ish.