Nate doesn't seem too excited about going back for a fourth Slam Dunk contest.

"I know people are probably getting sick of seeing me dunk," he said. "But they said the champion's got to go back. If I don't win it, it would be good because I don't want to go back anymore. But if I do and they want me to go back again, I guess so. Keep going until I lose."

He said he already has a few dunks in mind, but don't expect to see another appearance by KryptoNate.

"No," he said. "That ship has sailed."

LeBron James, at last year's all-star showcase, had "preliminarily" put his name in the mix for the 2010 contest because he said the event needed to get back to the cache it had in the 1980s, when Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins were part of the show. In December, LeBron said he was 50-50, but when it came time to commit, he declined.

Robinson, who enjoyed a friendly rivalry with 2008 dunk champ Dwight Howard, was hoping one of the league's biggest stars would be on the ticket this year.

"That would be good for the fans and the NBA," he said, "but those guys are all-stars, they don't need to be wasting their time doing dunks and stuff like that. They're right where they need to be, all-stars playing Sunday."

The Knicks might have their own participant in the Sunday game for the first time in nine years if David Lee gets the nod as a reserve on the Eastern Conference squad. Reserves will be named in 10 days.

In fact, the Knicks might be well-represented throughout the weekend for the first time in ages, with Robinson, Lee and perhaps even Danilo Gallinari there for the Rookie Challenge and Three-Point Shootout.

Robinson says Gallinari is already in the plans to assist him on one of his dunks.

"Gallo?" he shouted across the locker room. "You gonna be my teammate?"

Gallinari looked up from an interview with Italian media, grinned and shook his head no.

Robinson burst into laughter.

"He don't want to go!" he said. "He want to go on vacation and relax with his family. I don't blame him, though. But I'm going to make him go."

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