The NBA All-Star Game is "switching formats" for the '18 event at Staples Center, as two captains "will select the teams without regard to which conferences the players play in," according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. The starters who "win the fan vote from each conference will be the captains." There will "still be 12 players selected from each conference." Five players from each conference will be "selected as starters," with the fan vote being worth 50%, player vote worth 25% and media vote worth 25%. Seven reserves for each team will be "picked by each conference's head coaches." Starters will be "picked first, so the 10 players voted in as starters will remain that way." The timing and details of the All-Star draft have "not yet been determined." The change was "part of a joint effort" from the league and the NBPA -- specifically President Chris Paul -- and had been "discussed over the course of the past few years." Hornets Owner Michael Jordan, as the owners' labor relations committee chair, was "heavily involved in making the change on the league side." There will also be a "new charity element added to this season's game." Each team will select a national or L.A.-area charity where "donations from the game will be directed" (ESPN.com, 10/3). Warriors G Stephen Curry said of the format change, "It’s the playground-type dynamics when you could pick your teams growing up, when you used to play open gyms or whatnot. In a lot of ways, it’ll be fun to see how that plays out. Just for the fans, to see how that plays out with different combinations" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 10/4).
ATTEMPT AT MORE COMPETITIVENESS: USA TODAY's Jeff Zillgitt writes the new format is an "attempt to bring back some competitiveness" to the game that has "devolved into a dunk contest, layup drill and three-point shootout." The winning team scored 192 points in the '17 game and 196 in the '16 game. The games were "absent of any competitiveness." Not that the All-Star Game "needs to be played with the same intensity as a Game 7, but both players and the league recognized changed was necessary." A source said that this was a "player-driven solution." Zillgitt notes the NHL "used a similar format" for its '11 and '12 All-Star Games (USA TODAY, 10/4). ESPN's Michael Wilbon said the NBA is "trying to make it better,” and while the he does not like the new changes, they do not make the game "any worse.” Wilbon: "When you start struggling like this to figure out ways to improve the All-Star Game, then you better do something dramatic. This is not dramatic.” ESPN's Tony Kornheiser: "The final score will be 184-182 no matter what they do" (“PTI,” ESPN, 10/3). The Boston Globe’s Bob Ryan said, “I don’t care what format they use. If it’s going to wind up 190-189 and four-on-one fast breaks and nothing but stupid dunks and all kinds of nonsense, then why bother with the whole thing" ("Around The Horn," ESPN, 10/3). NBA TV's Mike Fratello said, "The players have taken the ‘it's all about fun’ and taken it a little bit too far. You have the greatest players in the game, people are coming and sponsors are sponsoring and putting a lot of money into this to watch you on that weekend. It’s our biggest event of the year, next to the NBA Finals, and we haven't put on the show that people want” (“NBA Gametime,” NBA TV, 10/3).
MISSED OPPORTUNITY? ESPN.com's Kevin Pelton wrote the change "should help create more competitiveness." But the NBA "airballed an opportunity to also ensure the best 24 players will be on the court" during the ASG because the league "still plans to choose 12 players from the East and 12 from the West." With the West as "dominant as ever in terms of star talent, now was the right time -- past time, really -- to change that part of the selection process." The upside is it will "give budding young talent in the East a chance to shine." However, young players in the West "likely won't have the same opportunity," with 15 players who made the '17 ASG already "vying for just 12 spots" (ESPN.com, 10/4). SI.com's Ben Golliver wrote the process would be "far more fulfilling if the team captains were selecting from the 22 most deserving All-Star candidates regardless of their conference affiliation." The new pool setup "could be useful for evening out" the game, but it "still doesn’t represent the absolute best the NBA has to offer because it doesn’t reflect the vast, and growing, talent disparity between the two conferences" (SI.com, 10/3). THE RINGER's Paolo Uggetti asked, "How many players from the West will get picked before a player from the East?" Maybe this is the "precursor to abolishing the conference system, both at the All-Star Game and for the league at large" (THERINGER.com, 10/3).
FUELING THE FIRE: In DC, Tim Bontemps writes the change introduces a "different element to the production" and may "create some drama by seeing how the captains will choose their squads." Bontemps: "Will beefs between certain stars factor into decision-making? Who will be the last player chosen?" (WASHINGTON POST, 10/4) NBCSPORTSWASHINGTON.com's Chase Hughes wrote, "Surely, fans and media will read into the picks that are made." If a guy is the captain and "doesn't pick his own teammate, questions will be asked and rumors may start." The NBA "already has a lot of off-the-court drama that makes it the best soap opera in sports." This format will "only add to those storylines" (NBCSPORTSWASHINGTON.com, 10/3).
TWITTER REAX: FS1's Chris Broussard tweeted, "If 'choosing sides' leads to harder play, it'll be great. If it remains a 3-PT shooting contest, nothing can save it." N.Y. Times' Marc Stein: "They just made us care about the 2018 NBA All-Star Game." The Ringer's feed tweeted the publication's "staff is divided" on the format change. FanVice.com's Dave Loughran: "This is the first time in.. ever.. that I’ve been excited for the NBA All-Star game. Drama galore with the new format." Fox Sports Radio's Jason Smith: "Screw the new NBA All-Star format. Give me one team where LeBron, Kyrie, Durant & Westbrook HAVE to play together on. That's must-see."
