By Tom Terzulli
In recent years, the NBA All-Star Game has been a pretty tough watch. There’s less defense than you see at your local YMCA and, with no incentive to play hard, the game has devolved into a low-energy scrimmage. However, the dullness may soon subside with the dawn of the All-Star draft.
The 2018 edition will not be “East vs. West” for the first time in the game’s history. The 24 All-Stars will be selected with the same revamped voting rules from last year. Fans will account for 50 percent of the starter vote, while all current players and the basketball media each get 25 percent. Reserves will be selected by the league coaches. Here’s what’s new: the top two vote-getters in each conference will choose their own teams, fantasy draft style.
This is an amazing idea for today’s NBA. Relationships matter in the league more than ever. Kyrie Irving’s spat with LeBron James caused him to request a trade to the Celtics. LeBron’s friendship with Dwayne Wade helped form the greatest “super team” in NBA history, bringing two championships to the Miami Heat. Even in last year’s game, about the only interesting storyline was how Kevin Durant would interact with Russell Westbrook after the former’s departure from Oklahoma City.
There’s no word yet on whether or not the draft will be televised, but it absolutely should be. All of the drama could play out in front of us in real time. We could see if LeBron would dare pick Irving for his team or if Westbrook is denied a spot by Durant or Stephen Curry. Even though Westbrook is an extremely talented player, Curry wouldn’t want to annoy his Warrior teammate.
Players like Curry and Draymond Green have praised the changes for “spicing things up.” Yet, it remains to be seen if they’ll care when they get picked or what team they end up on. Some could say they don’t care and would be telling the truth. There will be others that’ll carry a chip on their shoulder for getting snubbed. It happens every year when a deserving player is inevitably left off the squad. Teams passing on players like Green and Isaiah Thomas in the real draft impacted them. The very same could happen in the All-Star draft.
Adam Silver has created a potential “must-see” TV event for NBA fans while giving the players incentive in the process. The All-Stars will be galvanized by playing alongside their friends or doing their best to show up their enemies. That player who was the last pick will try his best to prove he shouldn’t have been overlooked.
NBA fans for years have been starving for a renewed interest in the mid-season spectacular. In a league more relationship-driven than ever, a fantasy draft will do the trick.
