Hoops Lab: All-Star Weekend Circle of Life

I remember the slam dunk contest in 1985. I was pretty excited because I was going to get to watch it live, and this was the first year I really knew what it was. My dad had told me about the dunk contest before, mainly about how my favorite player, Dr. J Julius Erving, had won the first one back in the day. I was a bit confused about that, because I vaguely remembered that the first dunk contest was the year before and won by this tall guy who dunked two basketballs (Larry Nance), but dad said it, so I was sure it was true. Either way, I was extremely hyped to get to see one for myself. I was seven years old.

In the contest, this guy I'd never really heard of before named Dominique Wilkins just put on an absolute show. I had never really seen anything like it before. He was doing 360s. He was doing windmills. He was jumping off two feet, but it seemed like he was getting his whole head above the rim. I had been taught for as long as I could remember that Dr. J was the greatest dunker ever, but that day I had the scandalous thought that just maybe this Dominique guy might be better. Dr. J was actually in that contest, but he'd started getting old and he didn't make the finals.

My mom got into the contest as much as I did. She didn't have any more idea who Dominique Wilkins was going into that day than me. Dad did. He remembered him from college, so after every dunk he would imitate an old college announcer he'd heard say "Dominique Wilkins of Georgia!" But mom didn't know, so when she finally got his name by his third or fourth dunk she started yelling "Dom-i-nique-i-nique-i-niquy" every time it was his turn to go. The finals was a 1-on-1 battle between Dominique and this rookie out of Chicago named Michael Jordan. Wilkins drubbed Jordan in the finals to take home the title of greatest dunker in the NBA.

Needless to say, this changed my life. I had a little Nerf basketball hoop, and for the next weeks I PUNISHED that rim. I dunked every way I could think of. I jumped from the steps. I jumped off my mom's exercise bike. I moved the rim into the laundry room and jumped off of the dryer. In hindsight, I'm pretty lucky I didn't break a bone. But the point is, from that day forward the dunk contest was a highlight of my family's year.

I thought a lot about that first dunk contest this weekend, because for the first time my kids were old enough and interested enough to want to watch it themselves. Actually, that part happened by surprise. Since Saturday was Valentine's Day, my wife actually wanted to chill and watch a movie for the night. I'm all about being a good husband, especially on Valentine's day, but I was kind of scheming because I wanted to see both the dunk contest as well as a three-point Shootout that looked ready to be monumental.

My reprieve came in the form of a phone call from my mom. Like I said, the dunk contest became a huge part of our lives, so mom was calling to make sure that I was going to be watching. She didn't know any of the players in the contest, so she was asking me who I thought would win (and also asking me how to pronounce "Antetokounmpo" ... I told her "Greek Freak"). I told her that I wasn't sure, but that I kept hearing that this kid Zach LaVine was a ridiculous dunker, so he was the favorite. She called at dinner, so when we hung up my kids wanted to know what we were talking about. I told them about the dunk contest, they said "Can we watch!?!?" It was going to be past bedtime so I looked at wife, she consented, and it was on. Here was some of our night, as shared on Twitter (@ProfessorDrz).

All 3 of my kids are up late watching the 3-point shootout and dunk contest with me. This is one of the great moments of fatherhood

— Andre Snellings (@ProfessorDrz) February 15, 2015

Although I've talked a lot about the Dunk Contest here, I'd be remiss not to spend some time on the outstanding three-point shootout this year:

This 3-point contest has the feel of an elimination UFC tournament. Can't remember ever being this excited to see one

— Andre Snellings (@ProfessorDrz) February 15, 2015

So we've got 2 Splash Brothers and an Uncle Drew. Should be a crazy final!

— Andre Snellings (@ProfessorDrz) February 15, 2015

It's OVER, ladies and gentlemen! Steph is the Splashiest brother in the NBA!

— Andre Snellings (@ProfessorDrz) February 15, 2015

The three-point shoot-out lived up to the billing, with Stephen Curry claiming his spot as the best shooter in the league. But for the dunk contest? Only one tweet is needed:

4 dunks, 6 seconds. LaVine's #SpriteSlam performance all in one Vine. https://t.co/AyMxZSER2E

— MN Timberwolves (@MNTimberwolves) February 15, 2015

It was a great night. But what really brought back the memories of 1985 for me was my son's reaction to his first Dunk Contest experience. It sounded somehow familiar ...

My 6-year old son watched dunk contest w/ me last night. Now he's got a sock ball, going b/w legs/behind back & throwing it down. LOVE it!

— Andre Snellings (@ProfessorDrz) February 15, 2015

It all continues in the Great NBA Dunk Contest Circle of Life!

Around the League:

• Melo's end is almost official: As has been long-speculated in the Lab, Carmelo Anthony is "very likely" done for the season. As of this writing it hasn't yet become official, but all signs point to Sunday's All-Star appearance being the last that you'll see of Anthony this season. Hopefully you were able to get him off your team and didn't get stuck with him.

• Karl coaching the Kings: George Karl will be introduced as the new coach of the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday. Karl seems like a great fit for the Kings organization, as he is a disciplinarian that runs almost a college-style approach on a team full of young players who could use the discipline. I am curious about what his effect will be on the fantasy prospects of the main Kings players because Karl does seem to run a deep bench, which could cut a bit into the minutes of the Kings starters. Plus, DeMarcus Cousins plays, to my eyes, a pretty undisciplined style that doesn't always appear to be maximum effort. Hopefully Karl has a positive effect on this, and Cousins is receptive to the discipline.

•Dragic on move?: Rumors always swirl at this time of season, but one rumor that has gained a lot of traction is that Goran Dragic could be on his way out of Phoenix. It makes some sense that the Suns might move him, with Eric Bledsoe and (currently) Isaiah Thomas already in the fold. If Dragic is moved without another point guard coming back it could be nothing but a positive for Bledsoe's and Thomas' potential to produce. In a season that has already had a lot of trade activity, this deadline shapes up to be fun.

•Bosh's ribs:Chris Bosh says that his ribs/side are ailing but that he plans to play through the discomfort. The Heat are hanging on to the last playoff spot in the East, but four teams are within two games of overtaking them. Dwyane Wade has also sat some games while battling injury, but presumably if the Heat are serious about making the postseason Wade and Bosh will be in uniform as often as their bodies will allow down the stretch.

•Amare out of N.Y., headed to Dallas:Amar'e Stoudemire was officially bought out by the Knicks and agreed to sign with the Mavericks. Stoudemire had a brief renaissance period in terms of fantasy value in the fall when he was able to play more minutes, but health has since caused him to lose minutes and now he is on a Mavericks team where he is only depth. His presence in Dallas may spell the end of the brief fantasy relevance of Al-Farouq Aminu.

New Additions

Tony Snell (13% owned in Yahoo leagues) probably entered the All-Star break as the hottest free agent available in most leagues. He's not listed here because he was mainly getting extra time while Jimmy Butler sat with a few bumps and bruises, but Butler is back. Nevertheless, even though he's likely to go back to a smaller role, I still wanted to acknowledge Snell's 23 points and 4.0 made treys per game over his last two games.

•John Henson (40% owned in Yahoo leagues): Henson may lose some opportunity with Zaza Pachulia back, but he's still getting in the low 20s of minutes a night, and his shot-blocking ability keeps him relevant. He has 11 blocks over his last four games while averaging 23.5 mpg.

•Patrick Patterson (31% owned): Patterson is a low-upside/high-floor garbageman type. He brings a few things to the table (over his last six games he has 41 rebounds, nine treys, eight steels, four blocks) and doesn't take much off (over same stretch he has one turnover, 5-for-6 from line, 21-of-46 from field). He's not a hurry-out-and-get, but more of a if-have-hole-you-could-do-worse.

•Jusuf Nurkic (30% owned): Nurkic has the talent to be a starting roto center, and I've been waiting for him to break out since the trade that moved Timofey Mozgov out of town but he's gone the other way. Last week he had back-to-back games where he totaled 27 rebounds, including his first double-double in more than a month, so perhaps he is getting closer to finding his level.

•Ben McLemore (24% owned): McLemore entered the break playing some of his best ball, scoring in double-digits in five of his last six games with 17 total treys made over that stretch. He's been an inconsistent scorer all season, but he's still young and could possibly fit in well as a shooter in George Karl's system.

•Lance Thomas (2% owned), Cleanthony Early (0% owned): These are both speculation picks, probably more of a watch-list than a go-out-and-get. But with Carmelo Anthony expected to be shut down and Amare Stoudemire bought out, there are forward minutes to be had on a team that is pushing hard for the top of the lottery.

Keeping up with the Professor

If you're interested in my takes throughout the week, follow @ProfessorDrz on Twitter. Also, don't forget you can catch me on the radio on Rotowire Fantasy Sports Today with Chris Liss and Jeff Erickson on XM 87, Sirius 210. I also co-host the Rotowire fantasy basketball podcast with Kyle McKeown once a week and co-host the Celtics Beat podcast on www.clnsradio.com about once a month.