FROM THE BASELINE WHO TO WATCH ON SATURDAY West team The runner-up for the dunk contest two years ago, Steve Francis has battled migraines and a foot injury this season, and he really wants to win the event this time. Sorry, Desmond. Francis WHO TO WATCH ON SATURDAY East team Ray Allen knows that one cold streak could end his run as defending 3-point champion. He also knows that everyone's trying to shoot him down. Allen Number on our mind The number of second-year players in the rookie game who are averaging more points than current rookie Pau Gasol. 0 They said it "I have no idea why I am here. I was chosen, and I accepted." -- Kings rookie Gerald Wallace on being in the dunk contest Wallace OTHER STUFF More ESPN.com NBA material There's so much NBA All-Star coverage on ESPN.com we don't know where to put it all. But you can get it all in one place. • Lawrence: MJ vs. AI for All-Star MVP • May: Didn't this weekend matter? • Fred's Points: Watch Francis • Dr. Jack: My Memories • Rosters: West | East | 3-Point Sat., Feb. 9 PHILADELPHIA -- Once upon a time, the slam dunk contest was the main reason people got excited about the NBA's annual All-Star weekend. The game itself was always an afterthought, with no defense ever played and no real incentive to be on the winning side. But the dunk contest, that made you a legend. Julius Erving and David Thompson started things in the old ABA, and over the years, memorable performances were common, whether it was Spud Webb, Ced Ceballos or, recently, Vince Carter or Kobe Bryant. And oh yeah, that Michael Jordan guy. However, the dunk contest is no longer the same event it once was. Last year's winner, Seattle's Desmond Mason, remains virtually unknown. His winning dunk didn't go on any historic list. He beat out another rookie in DeShawn Stevenson. Big deal, right? But while the contest appears to have lost some luster, with the league's renowned dunkers showing little interest in competing, don't tell this year's quartet of showmen that nobody cares about the dunk contest. “I think what happened was last year was a bunch of first- and second-year guys, guys who hadn't made it,” said Mason, who returns to defend the title. “The crowd was like, who is Desmond Mason? Crowds always go nuts for Kobe and Tracy (McGrady), young guys with a name. Well, we're trying to get a name. I have another opportunity to get people to know me.” Mason will be joined by Steve Francis, the 2000 runner-up and a first-time All-Star this year, and a pair of rookies in Golden State's Jason Richardson and Sacramento's Gerald Wallace. Maybe you haven't heard of the rookies, but did you know Mason last year? These guys don't look at the event as past its prime. They admit it could use a little more energy, and figure they can supply it. “I always thought of it as the highlight of All-Star weekend,” Richardson said. “But I do think things changed. I think people got tired of seeing guys do the same dunks over and over. The new rules should definitely help.” This year, instead of eight participants, there are four, and there will be a winner's and loser's bracket to advance to the final, rather than merely the highest score. Also, fans will get a chance to vote, and there will be fewer dunks, making the competition shorter and each dunk mean more. “Last year was a bad year because people were missing their dunks,” said Clippers forward Darius Miles, a renowned dunker who said he declined an invitation to compete. “This year, I think, will be better, with Stevie and everyone.” Says Francis, “I just want to carry on the legacy.” And that seems as good a reason as any to watch. MVP gets a start Most league observers think New Jersey point guard Jason Kidd was the first-half league MVP, after taking a moribund team and leading it to the East's top record. However, the fans voted Allen Iverson and Michael Jordan -- no surprise on either -- as the conference's starting backcourt. With Vince Carter suffering a strained left quadriceps in Thursday's game against the Spurs, East coach Byron Scott did the right thing and moved Kidd to the starting lineup. Jordan, who has played small forward almost exclusively this year, will now start there. "I think he's had the biggest impact that any one player has had on any team so far," Scott said of Kidd. In the West, Shaquille O'Neal's absence means that Chris Webber, who some considered a controversial selection to the All-Star team since he has missed half the season, will start after coach Don Nelson, who has a history with Webber, chose him. "That's an honor and I thank him for that honor," said Webber, who failed to coexist with Nelson on the Warriors in the early 90s. A little this and that With All-Star weekend in Philadelphia for the fourth time, some of the great former 76ers were in attendance for media day. Moses Malone, Billy Cunningham, and of course, Chocolate Thunder himself, Darryl Dawkins, were on display Friday. Dawkins, who was known mainly for his dunking prowess, his shattering of two backboards during games and his odd naming of his dunks, seemed to be having the most fun. When asked about the dunk contest, which he never got to participate in (probably because people were afraid he'd break another backboard), Dawkins said he would have done quite well. “I would love the chance to show my stuff,” Dawkins said. “These guys today are afraid of twisting their wrist or hurting their arms. I would do well. I like to think I was one of the best dunkers of my time.” Dawkins also described his favorite dunk, the (we're not making this up) “Turbo Sexophonic Double.” If you're wondering what that means, according to Dawkins you simply, “go up, swivel your hips, look at the crowd and then bam it.” Darius Miles didn't want to be in the dunk contest because he originally wanted to spend the weekend with family. He ended up changing his mind about attending when the league asked him to replace injured Stromile Swift in the rookie game. As for the dunking, Miles says he might not be the kind of dunker we want to see. “I'm just not a dunker like that,” Miles said. “I'm not into finesse dunks. I just dunk during games. But if the fans want me, I'll do it.” Shaquille O'Neal will not be playing Sunday, but he showed up at media day. Allen Iverson, in many ways the host of All-Star weekend, did not. Mavs point guard Steve Nash, who will appear Sunday in his first All-Star game and Saturday in the 3-point shootout, turned 28 on Thursday. On Friday he, teammate Dirk Nowitzki and a dozen friends and family celebrated at an Italian restaurant in Philly. Ever heard a violinist play Led Zeppelin and Neil Young? Ever hear the Canadian national anthem sung between bits of veal parm during dinner? It was an interesting night.