It's rare that the NBA slam dunk contest would ever have a villain, but Tyrus Thomas' big mouth has placed the Chicago Bulls rookie in that role.

Irked by a harmless question from the Chicago Tribune seeking comment about his involvement, Thomas said he wasn't really enthused to be a part of the contest.

Tyrus Thomas receives a $10K fine after his comments. (Getty Images)

"I'm just going to go out there, get my check and call it a day," Thomas said. "I'm just into the free money. That's it. I'll just do whatever when I get out there."

The Bulls and the league understandably flipped when they saw the comment. GM John Paxson levied a $10,000 fine that Thomas has the right to appeal through the players union. The NBA explored the subject of removing Thomas from the competition, but all indications are that he'll be out there on Feb. 18, throwing down dunks.

With a party atmosphere expected to reign in the All-Star weekend's first Las Vegas appearance, Thomas might be the only player booed the entire time. This was an opportunity for him to make a good impression, but his words have already sullied his name.

If Thomas was so uninterested in the whole event, why accept? There were only three spots available once defending champ Nate Robinson was chosen. Even though the league generally limits the event to players with less than three years of experience, plenty of potential candidates would've been ecstatic to be a part of the showcase. Instead, we get a guy who everyone now knows would rather be elsewhere.

Following all the backlash, Thomas backed away from his comments.

"Everybody who knows me knows I'm just a chill guy, so maybe I should've been enthused about it," said Thomas, who is 20 years old. "Who wouldn't want to be in the dunk contest? More people watch that than the game itself.

"This is a learning experience for me. I have to tell you exactly what I feel and make sure I say what I mean. I can't fault (reporters) for doing (their) jobs. A lot of people are going to look down on what I said. There's nothing I can do now. It was totally misinterpreted. I'm going to go out and try to win the dunk contest and have fun and represent the Bulls well."

A nice sentiment, Tyrus, but your words weren't "totally misinterpreted." How can you possibly twist "I'm just into the free money" into anything other than you being a spoiled, self-interested brat?

Or is that just the "chill guy" in you, just making comments in jest? Perhaps the Tribune reporter should've known you were kidding. Is that it? Maybe you're such a well-known superstar that everyone should know your personality and the fact you're just out there, tongue firmly planted in cheek.

What you should realize is that you're only a rookie who has accomplished exactly nothing in the NBA -- other than being acquired for LaMarcus Aldridge, who would have been the better fit for Chicago. Perhaps you should keep in mind that no one knows your personality because you haven't supplied any reason why we should all care.

Until the other day, that is.

"I'm hoping they weren't honest answers but a defense mechanism because he did not know what to say," head coach Scott Skiles told the Chicago Tribune. "Pretty much every day things are going on in the gym he never has seen before, every game there's stuff going on he never encountered before. He was asked a very valid question. You hope those weren't his real feelings."

The slam dunk contest isn't what it once was, but the NBA is trying to make it matter again. That's why they've invited Michael Jordan, Julius Erving, Dominique Wilkins, Kobe Bryant and Vince Carter as judges.

That's why they invited you, Tyrus Thomas, hoping you'll break out something special for the time capsule. That's why you should've been humbled by the selection, even if deep down, you weren't.

Instead, you broke out a big, fat, verbal bitch slap, making all involved look bad. You've made your peers look bad, fanning the flames for those who don't follow the NBA because they claim the league is filled with immature multi-millionaires who don't really care. Even players around the league are having fun with your mistake. Warriors forward Al Harrington told the Contra-Costa Times that he's not upset about not being selected for the 3-point shootout and knows nothing about what bonuses are involved because, "I ain't Tyrus Thomas."

Nice rep you've carved out for yourself, kid.

"I didn't want by any means to make it seem that I'm going out there for the money," Thomas told the Chicago Tribune. "I'm not keeping the money anyway. I was going to give that to my high school."

Thomas will make at least $16,125 by competing in the slam dunk contest. Hopefully, Baton Rouge's McKinley High receives the full amount of his winnings. Thomas could always use the funds to offset his recent fine. Free money is free money, right?

Change of pace last thing Cavs need

LeBron James caused a stir earlier in the week by questioning whether second-year head coach Mike Brown's defensive philosophy is the best fit for his Cavaliers, leading many to speculate whether Brown's future in Cleveland might be tenuous.

In what has been a relatively mediocre season for James, the most troubled of his short career, his public comments provided a new low. He's no doubt frustrated by his toe injury and the fact his teammates haven't really stepped up and played to their potential, but suggesting a deviation in style was not the way to go. If anything, it speaks of a team that's panicking more than anything else.

James backed off on Tuesday and must now deal with damage control. Expect him to be asked about his feelings about Brown and the direction of the Cavaliers when the media gathers in Vegas next week for All-Star festivities.

"Right now, we're not trying to switch anything, just trying to get better at what we're doing and what we've been doing most of the year," James told the Akron Beacon-Journal. "You can always make a little change, but you don't want to scratch everything away. You have to pick and choose what you want to change."

Brown, renowned for his expertise on the defensive end of the floor, won 50 games as a rookie coach and got Cleveland one win from the Eastern Conference Finals in part because of his attention to detail on defense.

This season has been rockier, with Zydrunas Ilgauskas unhappy with his role in the offense, and guys like Larry Hughes and James questioning whether things would be different if the Cavs went more up-tempo.

"It's no secret I like to play that way," Hughes told the Chronicle-Telegram. "I like to get up and run. I feel like I prepare myself in the summer to run for 48 minutes, so whenever we can get out and attack a team from start to finish, I think it works in our favor. We have the athletes to do it."

Yeah, I see Ilgauskas rushing down the floor and flourishing in a run-and-gun style. Sounds realistic.

Clearly, Brown is at crossroads with his Cavs and faces a critical couple of months. If the Cavs don't fare well this postseason, don't be surprised if he's asked to open things up a little prior to next season, when the heat will most certainly be on him.

Maggette, Clips need divorce

Despite trying to move Corey Maggette most of the season, Clippers owner Donald Sterling said last week the swingman is likely to remain a member of the team for the rest of the season because no one has made a worthy offer.

Although Mike Dunleavy has said all the right things, lauding the veteran's contributions off the bench, the coach clearly isn't as fond of Maggette as Sterling is. Dunleavy played recent 10-day pickup Doug Christie ahead of Maggette for stretches during Tuesday's loss in New York, drawing the ire of his disgruntled high-profile reserve.

"It's just more of Mike Dunleavy's (expletive) again," Maggette told the Orange County Register. "It's totally unbelievable that I couldn't help this team tonight. Tell me something. He isn't listening to (Donald) Sterling. If he listened to him, I'd be playing. It's crazy. I really felt we were (beyond) this. I guess not because here we go, again. I'm a yo-yo man. Give me an excuse. Give me something. Just tell me something. I'm a grown man. I can take it. It's crazy."

If the Clippers are Dunleavy's team -- and as he made perfectly clear on Wednesday, he decides who plays -- keeping Maggette on board seems like a distraction. It's time to get something for him and move on with trying to make the playoffs. Maggette being unable to stay on the court has been an issue since November.

"If a player has a question about his playing time, he's more than welcome to come and talk to me about it," Dunleavy told L.A. reporters. "My door is always open, but I make those decisions. That's just the way it is."

The best thing for both parties is a change. Although no offers have knocked the team's socks off, surely there are some reasonable deals worth considering. Pick one and get it done.

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"(The Nuggets) are more important than the All-Star Game," Allen Iverson told Denver reporters after reaggravating an ankle injury in Wednesday night's loss to the Hornets. "This is way more important than the All-Star Game. I've been there and done that in my career. If (skipping) that is the right thing for me to do, then that's exactly what I'll do. That's something that I haven't thought about because I don't care about that right now. I care about this team right here."

An MRI taken Thursday revealed no structural damage, but Iverson -- who had returned to the lineup after missing four games -- will not travel with the team on its upcoming two-game road trip.

If Iverson opts to sit out the All-Star festivities, he needs to speak up soon. David Stern's decision on the two injury replacements for Yao Ming and Carlos Boozer is imminent, and having another spot opening up would make it easier for Carmelo Anthony to slip in and represent Denver, despite missing 15 games to suspension.