All-Star Weakened

After last year's NBA All-Star weekend there was a lot to look forward to in 2010. LeBron's promise to re-energize the dunk competition and bring high-profile names back to it. The ever tightening gap in talent between the Eastern and Western Conference all-stars. And most importantly the second annual "H.O.R.S.E. presented by Geico", which I raved about last year. Now, on the Friday night of All-Star weekend, I quasi-care that this event is even happening. Quasi. LeBron quickly reneged on his offer to revolutionize and participate. Now King James will only be a judge in this year's dunk competition alongside the usual cast of characters (Dr. J, Charles Barkley, Dominique Wilkins, etc..) and Drake. Drake? Yes, his character on Degrassi did play basketball. Wheelchair basketball, where dunking....I'm not going to go there. The judging spot was given to him by Sprite, the sponsor of the dunk competition, to maximize synergy while unveiling his new ad campaign. As for the All-Star teams, each one took a blow this week with the East losing Allen Iverson and the West losing Kobe Bryant. They have five All-Star game MVP awards between them and provide an exciting tempo during the game. Their replacements? Jason Kidd and David Lee (White? and Whiter). Most likely I will tune into the dunk competition and catch the highlights of the rest of the festivities on SportsCentre. I suggest you do the same.