Dunk contest in Chicago could push LaVine to new heights
Maybe Zach LaVine is letting the drama build. Maybe he needs new ideas. Maybe he's trying to leverage his way into the 3-point contest.
Without question, he needs to sign up for the dunk contest. NBA All-Star Weekend is in Chicago for the first time in 32 years. He plays for the host team. He needs to compete.
The Bulls haven't generated much excitement lately. They're on national TV about once per season. Getting the crowd behind LaVine for a few minutes would certainly be beneficial for the team.
But it's not about that. LaVine should do it for himself. He's a talented player who's been thrown into a tough situation with the Bulls.
He wants to be an all-star and his statistics are close, but he's not likely to get there this year because the Bulls aren't good enough. Some of that's his fault for not playing better, but he needs a mentor. You can't expect someone who has never played for a team that won more than 31 games to be the guiding light for teammates on how to be successful in the NBA.
Winning dunk contests, though, he knows how to do. He won his first two years in the league. Technically, LaVine has nothing to prove.
But neither did Michael Jordan in 1988. He won the dunk contest the previous year in Seattle, but he didn't rest his legs during All-Star Weekend at Chicago Stadium. Jordan went out there, took advantage of some questionable judging and edged Dominique Wilkins for a second-straight dunk title. Then he retired from dunk contests.
The Bulls weren't very good prior to 1988, but the dunk contest helped pull Jordan out from the shadow of the '85 Bears and become the city's greatest sports star.
LaVine will probably never reach that level, but he can bond with the city by giving a passionate performance Feb. 15 at the United Center. As an underpublicized NBA star, LaVine needs that and will benefit in the long run. Maybe he'll even revive the Chicago tradition of athlete-owned restaurants.
If LaVine needs help coming up with a plan for his third time around, here are some Chicago-themed dunk ideas that could get the ball rolling:
The Blue Brothers dunk
There are a couple of ideas here. One is to jump over the Blues Brothers police cruiser. That would be a spectacle, but the NBA likes to use corporate sponsor tie-ins for those things. Another approach would be a gospel choir flanking the lane, with LaVine doing some John Belushi-style back flips en route to the rim.
The Hot Dog dunk
Can LaVine hang in the air long enough to consume an all-beef Chicago-style hot dog before slamming the ball through the rim? It would be fun to find out.
Benny the Bull popcorn dunk
This might seem a bit old and overdone, but how about a spectacular LaVine dunk sets off a Rube Golberg chain reaction, eventually resulting in Benny spilling his giant bag of popcorn.
The Windy City dunk
Giant fans under the basket to both increase the degree of difficulty and create more airtime.
The Chicago politics dunk
There are a lot of ways to pull this one off. LaVine could place some unmarked bills in paper bags and distribute to judges. Or he could promise the dunk judges six-figure pension payments once they retire. Or maybe just collect perfect 10s from deceased dunk judges. It all works.
• Twitter: @McGrawDHBulls
Bulls game day
Bulls vs. Indiana Pacers, 7 p.m. Friday at the United Center
TV: NBCSCH; Radio: WSCR 670-AM
Outlook: Pacers all-star Victor Oladipo announced he'll return from a yearlong absence with a torn quad tendon Jan. 29 - against the Bulls, of course. In the meantime, Indiana is in great shape at 23-15. ... PG Malcolm Brogdon (17.7 points, 7.4 assists) has missed seven of the last eight games with a back injury and the Pacers have gone 2-5 without him. ... PF Domantas Sabonis should be a lock for this year's All-Star Game, averaging 18 points and 13.1 rebounds. SF T.J. Warren, coming off his run-in with Miami's Jimmy Butler Wednesday, is the team's second-leading scorer at 17.9 ppg. ... Indiana has two Holiday brothers - former Bulls SF Justin averages 7.9 the points off the bench, while younger Aaron has been filling in for Brogdon. Another ex-Bull, Doug McDermott, is averaging 9.3 points. ... The Bulls have dropped six straight in the series, including a 108-95 decision Nov. 3 at Indiana.
Next: Detroit Pistons, 6 p.m. Saturday at Little Caesars Arena
- Mike McGraw