Benn Hodapp — Letter to the NBA

Here is my open letter to NBA’s all-star weekend:

Dear NBA,

I don’t care. I don’t care that last year’s rookie class of Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Andrew Bogut, Raymond Felton and David Lee can beat this year’s crop of rookies led by umm, err, uhh, that guy from Italy by approximately 824 points.

In other news, I am sick of that talentless short stack (Nate Robinson) getting preferential treatment because he’s three-foot-eight- inches. If he enters again next year and misses more than two consecutive dunks at any time, they should have an NBA mascot run onto the floor and punch him in the face.

Jason Kapono won one of the main events, need I say anything more? Jason Kapono!? Craig Hodges thinks he’s a useless player. And that shooting stars competition with one current player, one lady and one has-been makes about as much sense as Tim Hardaway being the grand marshal of a gay pride parade.

The only event that had any star power was the skills challenge, which I enjoyed if for no other reason than to watch the soulless Kobe Bryant fail to make a pass. Strange, Kobe is so unselfish, he should be used to making passes.

Then there was the game itself. I have seen slaughterhouse footage more interesting than the game this year. If I wanted to see Kobe take every shot and totally disregard his teammates, I’d watch a Lakers game. Only that clown would go out of his way to try to get MVP of the All-Star game.

And why was he a judge of the dunk contest? Jordan, ‘Nique, Dr. J, Vince and Kobe? One of these things is not like the other. Was Spud Webb too busy? There are names synonymous with the dunk contest and Kobe isn’t one of them. If the NBA panders to his attempts to rebuild his broken image any more, I will spew. I’m surprised he didn’t come out and sing Danke Schoen before the game.

Give it a rest. Let the real games begin. Love, Benn.

Armando Botello II — What happens in Vegas…

Sitting inside the Thomas & Mack Center on Sunday for the All-Star game was funny for me as Sacramento State student. For those who don’t know, the Thomas & Mack Center is for UNLV what the Hornets Nest is for Sac State. It’s impossible to imagine ever having an event as big as the All-Star game anywhere near this university’s high school-sized gym. Not only that but would the stars come out to Sacramento for it? Not even the governor wants to be here.

Talk about all stars though, there were plenty in Vegas this weekend. I know firsthand because I was there amongst them and at one point was even asked if I was a one. Not even close, but it was amazing to be around so many celebrities. Seeing Eva Longoria sitting in between Prince and Dave Chappelle during the game on Sunday made my heart tingle and after watching Christina Aguilera perform during halftime, I knew that Sin City is destined to be the permanent home of the All-Star game.

The NBA All-Star weekend was made for fun and that’s what went down in the city of entertainment. From Shaq breakdancing to Paul Pierce’s desperate pleas to the dunk contest judges, entertainment was being served. The race between Dick Bavetta and Charles Barkley was comedy, but even more entertaining than that was when the two kissed on the lips. The kiss was even the top play on NBA TV that day. The Rookie-Sophomore game was incredibly entertaining, especially with David Lee shooting 100 percent from the field and Chris Paul dishing out more assists than points (17-16).

And even though I’m not a Kobe fan, how can you not enjoy watching the man play the game. He makes it look so easy. I just don’t think he should’ve been trying so hard to win the MVP because Amare Stoudamire was my pick and he wasn’t even trying.

The best part of watching NBA basketball is the competition and even though the actual All-Star game itself lacks it in every category, that’s not what the game is about. It’s about getting all of the fans’ favorite players out on one court. It’s about allowing the players to get a taste of the best coaches’ techniques and it’s about the love of the game. But really it’s all for the kids. Who do think fills out all those ballots anyways? On that note, whatever happened to the Mascot Slam Dunk competition?

Lamont Weaver — Fun in Sin City

The past few years, professional All-Star games have gotten the rep of being unnecessary and unwatchable. People say that the games serve no purpose and the players don’t take it seriously, so why watch it? That’s foolish, how can you not enjoy NBA All-Star Week? Every year I watch the All-Star events and I love them. You get to see all of today’s celebrities, such as Jay-Z, Beyonce, P. Diddy, Adam Sandler and Chris Tucker and you get the players smiling and having fun. It’s refreshing to see an NBA player having fun, not getting suspended, arrested or shot. The event was in Las Vegas this year for the first time and you can tell that everyone was having a blast.

The events were great. On Friday, they had the celebrity game where stars from different genres of entertainment play each other. This is the only weekend where you can see Lil Bow Wow block a shot from Nelly. It really happened. The dunk contest was kind of mediocre this year, especially when you had Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Julius Erving, Vince Carter and Dominique Wilkins judging it.

Boston Celtic Gerald Green won it, but it definitely lacked the fun of the past couple of years. The three-point contest was good as always with Miami sharpshooter Jason Kapono winning it. The game was fun too, with the West winning and my favorite player Kobe Bryant winning the MVP.

The game itself gets a lot of criticism because it doesn’t mean anything, but the game is just supposed to be fun. That’s why the all-stars are chosen and invited, you are a great player so you get to go and relax in Las Vegas for a weekend, watch your peers do fun events and play a little pick-up game with your fellow all-stars.

Now, while I think the NFL’s Pro Bowl is boring, come on! It’s in the off-season and players don’t want to get hurt before the season starts. It’s a more physical game and the players there really don’t want to play, they just want the free trip to Hawaii. The NBA All-Star weekend is more than just a game; it’s a weekend of pure entertainment.