Many NBA fanatics have probably heard the news that Chicago Bulls rookie Tyrus Thomas said he was only appearing in the All-Star Weekend dunk contest on February 17th for the money. Not only is this comment embarrassing to the NBA and its fans, but it doesn't even make sense since the dunk contest awards a paltry bonus of cash compared to the million-dollar contracts players get. Equally puzzling is he was fined only $10,000 for his inane comments - the least amount of cash a participant in the dunk contest can receive is $16,125, so Thomas will make some money regardless of how he performs.
For those who overlook Thomas' remarks and focus on his dunking ability, I have some bad news: he's not as great a dunker as many people seem to think. Before his comments reached the media, I checked out his "highlight" dunk video from NBA.com and noticed a tremendous lack of enthusiasm in his dunks. If you watch and compare his dunk highlights to current contest champion Nate Robinson, there is a conspicuous difference in body action and enthusiasm. No one wants to see an athletic player dunk with the emotion of a corpse. Thankfully, the superstar panel of judges - which includes the likes of Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant - will be making the decisions on the quality of dunks in the contest.
Ultimately, though, Thomas' attitude raises a question among fans who want to see excitement: should he even appear in the dunk contest at all? After I posted Tyrus' comments on a basketball forum, several people responded with a desire to see him replaced by another dunker. The NBA certainly isn't short on slam dunk talent, so the question has merit. However, the NBA will probably think the fine is enough punishment for Thomas and won't look for any replacements. If that is the case, let's hope Thomas has actually learned something from the media backlash and decides to put actual effort into the dunk contest.
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