On Tuesday, Shoals of The Sporting Blog pointed out the lack of imagination used in selecting this year's corps of NBA Dunk Contest competitors. Three of the four contestants have competed before, two of them (Dwight Howard, Nate Robinson) previous winners and the third (Rudy Gay) so boring in his 2007-08 effort that his overall rep has suffered. The fourth candidate will be one of three rookies, none of which carry much hope for awe.So I asked some fellow bloggers and friends who they'd put in the dunk contest. Answers after the jump.
Brett Pollakoff, FanHouse: Me going with a Laker? I know, not exactly a surprise. But Trevor Ariza's Christmas Day dunks have been spectacular the last two seasons, and with the game in Phoenix, he might even be able to get Grant Hill to recreate this posterization from the 2007 game.
CRLS, Hipster Runoff: We Must Give Chris Andersen a second life. His wings are mended. He is no longer a Bird Man. He is a phoenix, ready to fly again.
Matt Watson, FanHouse: Andre Iguodala, simply because he should have beat Nate Robinson in 2006 when Nate Robinson needed 14 tries to land his "winning" dunk.
Shoals, FreeDarko/The Sporting Blog: Gerald Green, Andre Iguodala, Derrick Rose, Bill Walker.
Nate Jones, FanHouse: The dunk contest should be a three-on-three full-court game. Best in-game dunk wins. We give props to the dunkers that do in-game dunks, right?
Trey Kirby, The Blowtorch: Please put in Julian Wright. If only for the windmill nondunk.
J.E. Skeets, Ball Don't Lie: Wise LeBron, Business LeBron, Kid LeBron and LeBron LeBron. I'm not kidding.
Jamie Mottram, Mr. Irrelevant: Steve Blake!
JakeTheSnake, Bullets Forever: If I could put one person in the dunk contest, it would be Nick Young. The highlights speak for themselves and the fact that the Washington has never had a participant in the 25-year history of the contest should send him to the top of the list of potential candidates.
Unsilent Majority, Kissing Suzy Kolber: Nick Young, Nick Young, Nick Young and Nick Young. Although I'm sure Dwight Howard would still win somehow.
David Warner, World Soccer Daily: J.J. Redick. The fact that he's even able to dunk would impress anyone
looking at his scrawny white arse.
Adam Jacobi, Black Heart Gold Pants: One word: Godzilla.
Phoenix Stan, Bright Side of the Sun: Jason Richardson for his winning dunk will chug three beers, hop on one foot, touch his nose and then do a 360 spin slam with his head half in a bag. After completing the dunk (and not puking) he will become the first ever three time dunk contest champion. Then he will go on to make more history by becoming the first ever slam dunk champ to also win the three point contest proving once again that men perform better when inebriated (something he picked up from Charles Barkley).
