Jaylen Brown Is Reportedly Strongly Considering Saving The NBA's Dunk Contest
Boston Globe. Getty Images.I have to be honest, I don't know how to feel after watching that video. On one hand, everyone knows the dunk contest isn't what it once was, and adding a big name player like Jaylen Brown is certainly one way to gain eyeballs. Granted, when I think of Jaylen Brown as a dunker, I mostly think of him as someone who has one of the most impressive poster lists in the entire league
and it's also hard to ignore history. Growing up in the 90s, it is not lost on me what type of opportunity Jaylen has by participating in this dunk contest. He has the opportunity to recreate one of the most influential dunks of my entire childhood
That's the part of me that is excited about this possibility. That would be incredible to see.
On the other hand, absolutely not. Please don't do it. Not now. Not in a title year. The All Star break is for jogging up and down during the game and then doing nothing but relaxing the rest of the time off. I need every Celtic healthy and rested for a playoff push, not potentially experiencing disaster all because of a dunk contest.
Here's the thing. I lived through Tony Allen's ACL tear. Him going for a big dunk after the whistle and blowing his knee out, it happened literal feet from where I was sitting in the Garden. That shit is imprinted on my brain, so there's a part of me that sees the same thing happening here. I know that makes no sense, but given how much pressure is on the Celts to actually win the title this season and how important a healthy Jaylen will be in order to pull that off, I'd almost rather he sit. Cool idea, but a bit too late.
I do wonder what the team says about something like this. Does Wyc step in and shut it all down given how important of a year this is? Or, does he see it as another way to market his team and his best players? Does Brad shut it down? It's one thing if we're talking about the 3pt shooting contest, the dunk contest is a different story. There techinically is way more potential for something to go wrong, and I just don't know if it's even worth it. Let Mac McClung do some cool shit and call it a day.
