Blake Griffin will apparently not be defending his Slam Dunk Contest title. According to ESPN's Marc Stein and Tim MacMahon, the four contestants at the 2012 Slam Dunk Contest will be New York's Iman Shumpert, Houston's Chase Budinger, Indiana's Paul George and Minnesota's Derrick Williams.
Per the report, overnight sensation Jeremy Lin will also be involved, likely assisting his Knicks teammate Shumpert just as Baron Davis helped out Griffin last year (or Allen Iverson helping Andre Iguodala and Steve Nash helping Amar'e Stoudemire).
Aside from revealing that Griffin will not be participating in the dunk contest, this report also makes plain that LeBron James won't either, again. The two-time MVP and one of the most powerful in-game dunkers in the NBA said earlier in February that he was considering entering the contest this year. But he also said he would "be on the fence every year about it."
So with the lineup not including the defending champion or any of the most popular dunking phenoms in the league, will you watch this year's dunk contest? Here are some highlights from each contestant to help you make your decision.
UPDATE: Due to injury, Utah's Jeremy Evans will replace New York's Iman Shumpert in the slam dunk contest.