Watching last night's All-Star weekend festivities, I felt like a kid who didn't get what he wanted Christmas morning. As long as I can remember, I've always looked forward to the Dunk Contest more so than any other event. Basically since about 2nd grade, I have always made a point to watch the Contest, and have never been let down as much as I was last night.

I guess I shouldn't have really expected anything special. Presenting your Dunk Contest participants.. Gerald Wallace, Demar Derozan, Shannon Brown, and Nate Robinson. Before I bash my favorite part of All-Star Weekend, I'll start with the positives. Shannon Brown is a pretty special dunker, Demar Derozan has potential, and Nate Robinson reminds me of Spud Webb the way he can elevate.

Now, time to be blatently honest. This was the most pathetic excuse for a dunk contest the NBA has provided us fans in quite some time. Let's start with Gerald Wallace. Gerald, your 1st round dunks were by far the most disappointing. You basically showed up with no plan, and did the most un-original dunks imaginable. Thanks for coming out, and please don't come back next year. Ex-Cavalier Shannon Brown was the other partcipant knocked out in the 1st round. In my opinion, Shannon Brown had all the potential in the world to win the contest this year. While he received low scores for his two not-so creative dunks, and didn't make it out of the first round, I thought his 1st dunk where he switched hands last second was pretty cool. Apparently the judges didn't think so.

Demar Derozan almost stole the show, and his dunk off the side of the backboard was pretty much the highlight of the contest. It was the only dunk the crowd really got up for, and his hangtime and ability to throw down a ferocious windmill was pretty spectacular. Demar made it to the finals, but his two final dunks were pretty weak. Better luck next time.

Nate Robinson more or less won the Dunk Contest by default. A 2-time Contest Champion, the vertically-challenged Robinson yet again wowed the crowd with his ability to jump out of the building. His last dunk off the backboard which he double-pumped and reverse-jammed was moderately impressive, if only for the fact that he jumps so high, being so short. Nate, you're a pretty good dunker. Congratulations on being the first 3-time Dunk Contest Champion, and winning the most un-exciting Dunk Contest in recent memory.

Dear LeBron, with all due respect, please just Man-Up already. You got everybody's hopes up last year when you announced you would participate this year, and then when push came to shove you backed out. You are clearly the most exciting dunker in the league, and this would be the perfect event to showcase that. Not only do the fans want to see you crush the competition, the NBA needs you to at least do one Dunk Contest. What used to be the most exciting part of All-Star weekend has been reduced to the most pathetic excuse for entertainment the NBA could imagine. LeBron James' athletic ability could single-handedly revive the contest, and if he agreed to dunk there would be other stars who would come out as well. Imagine a Dunk Contest with LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, and Dwayne Wade. LeBron, now more than ever, the NBA dunk contest needs you. LeBron James is underrated