Through the years, the NBA has received criticism in managing the annual All-Star game. Fan votes are the main factor, a ploy that most believe is far from perfect. Now the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) have changed all that, revamping the format.
The task of forming the teams will fall at the hands of two NBA players, the top vote-getters for the Eastern and Western conference. According to the NBA, the two players will automatically be the team captains and will draft from the pool of players voted in as starters and reserves regardless of conference affiliation.
The captains are automatically starters for their respective squads.
NBA washes its hands
The change in the NBA All-Star selection should be interesting though it technically delegates the sensitive job of selection to the top vote-getters. In a way, the assignment adds a bit of a monkey wrench into the equation though it adds pressure on the team captains who would eventually be tasked to handle it.
Would this not add more hate and unwanted stress to the team captains? Ideally, the ones who end up being at the top are stars who have weathered adversity. LeBron James, Russell Westbrook or James Harden know how to deal with the heat. But what if the top vote-getter ends up being someone not among the established stars in the NBA?
What if it is a rookie?
Will it address the NBA All-Star snubbing?
The past years have seen names like Damian Lillard, Mike Conley, Joel Embiid, Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert end up snubbed according to the Undefeated. These are players who have performed masterfully and yet fail to draw in votes from fans.
With the new format, such players are expected to get the same votes from fans though not at the upper level.
Team captains will know better who can blend in better with their team, giving the deserving players the right to strut their wares at the All-Star festivities.
With social media uncontrollable, the backlash is expected. But if the numbers and performance of low vote-getting players are to be considered, such could easily justify the preference of the team captains.
The changes are unlikely to be perfect though a step in the right direction. The NBA All-Star game has lost its flair in recent years, shrouded with fans who have called for change. It remains to be seen if the upcoming changes will leave most content.
The 2018 NBA All-Star Game is set to be held in Los Angeles with the changes in effect. Aside from the added duties to the top two vote-getters, the process of selecting the 24 All-Stars remain the same. According to NBA.com, The 10 starters – two guards and three frontcourt players per conference – will continue to be chosen by a combination of fans (50-percent of the vote), current players (25-percent) and basketball media (25-percent).
