Sports Commentary: All-Star lineup disappoints

Saturday night at the NBA All-Star Game was disappointing. And that's putting it mildly. Usually a fun night, with lots of excitement, Saturday was a dud.\nThe crowd was about as a excited as if it was going to the dentist's office. The players and participants of the events were better, but not much.\nThe evening started with the American Online 2-Ball competition that pairs an NBA player with a WNBA player -- each from the same city -- who team up against other city's duo. The duos shoot from various spots on the court -- each with different point-values -- and whichever team racks up the most points, wins. The Sacramento team of Ruthie Bolton-Holifield and Peja Stojakovic won. \nThen the evening moves onto the AT&T three-point Shoot-Out. Ray Allen took home that award.\nThen came the Real.com Slam Dunk contest. I should have gone home then. I had to sit through six players performing recycled dunks, including the Pacers' Jonathan Bender, who looked so scared to be there, I thought someone should have put a diaper on him. Desmond Mason of Seattle won, but there were really no better choices.\nAfter suffering through two hours of mediocre entertainment, I came up with a few ideas I am sure will turn the events around:\n1. All the events should include blindfolds. During the Slam Dunk, Charlotte's Baron Davis put his headband over his eyes and attempted a dunk. He missed the rim by three feet. It was the funniest part of the evening.\n2. The participants in the three-point contest should be able to make 50 percent of the three-point shots. If not, you can't participate. Nothing's more painful that watching an NBA player go around the three-point arc and miss shot after shot. Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki made only 10 of his 25 attempts, and that was in the final round. It's excruciating and defeats the purpose of a fun evening.\n 3. Give away more gifts. The crowd was excited for the 2-Ball competition, but only because the promotion was giving away a new Spalding basketball to the seating section that corresponded with the winning team. That was the only time the crowd even made a smidgen of noise.\n4. Screen the crowd before it comes into the arena, give them some caffeine, check their vocal cords, and then set them loose. Otherwise you get Saturday's crowd -- a whole bunch of stoned fans who left their excitement at the door.\n5. All dunks that have been used in previous years are not allowed. I felt like I was watching the Vince Carter Dunk Re-run Show. I saw the between-the-leg dunk last year. I don't need to see it again.\n6. Forget even showing the dunks. Just broadcast the players watching on the sidelines. Their reactions are classic and so much more fun to watch. It's sad when crowds want to see highlights of their reactions over replays he dunks. The best was when Davis missed his dunk. The players were falling over laughing. It was hilarious. And much more entertaining than the dunks.\n7. Don't even think of having a dunk contest without a player who gets the crowd going. Bring back Kobe Bryant, Carter. Get Michael Jordan out of retirement, or get someone as exciting. But never, ever, ever have a contest without them again. Ever. Because if I have to watch Bender's scare-like-a-rabbit act one more time, someone's going to get hurt.\nMaybe Saturday's festivities were following the NBA attendance trend and having a down year, but it was tough to watch. The NBA should implement my new rules, because I guarantee, you'll have a Saturday competition worth watching. Well, maybe.