The biggest problem of all is that the weekend has become more about the hype and media flair than it is about the events themselves. The Slam Dunk contest has dried up of stars and big names; the three-point shooting contest isn’t enough to carry the Saturday events through an evening of boredom; and the other events, save the Rookie/Sophomore Game, are as bland as toast. The HORSE contest doesn’t even feature many unique shots. Instead, players stick to safe jump shots, which is not interesting to watch at all.

With all that in mind, this new structure for NBA All Star weekend should spice things up a bit.

1. The big name slam dunkers need to step up and partake in the Slam Dunk Contest. There’s no reason, other than ego, for them not to. Not participating when a player’s been invited could be viewed as cowardly and a slap in the face to the fans. Imagine a dunk contest with LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Dwight Howard.

2. Do away with the HORSE compeition, or better yet, involve the player from And-1. They would surely focus on trick shots, which is the whole fun of HORSE.

3. Bring back the Legends game, but with a twist. Rather than bringing back players in their 80s and 90s, bring back players from the ‘80s and ‘90s. While Charles Barkley probably won’t be able to run up and down the court more than twice, it would be a lot more interesting than watching players fly up the court on a fast break in a rascal.

4. If all else fails, take a note from the Super Bowl a few years back and have a Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction. If anything, the world will talk about. Just make sure it’s not Charles Barkley having the malfunction