2024 NBA All-Star Weekend
- Thread starter megapoxy
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Expand NBA All-Star roster to 15 from 12. Sabonis and Fox would have both likely been named to WC this year. Revamp now hard to watch, boring dunk contest allowing crowd a vote with total score same weight assigned panel of judges. I can think of a few other changes but not sure how to make Sunday game better but clearly it's become unwatchable, boring display.
Make the game E vs. W and let the winner have home court advantage in the Finals. If it doesn't have consequences nobody will care.
I haven't watched the AS weekend in years because they've turned it into a joke. They watered down the dunk contest so much nobody cares any more (multiple dunk attempts, minimum scores, etc.). The 3-point shootout has turned more gimmicky as well with some balls worth more than others, etc.
Yeah, I'm old, get off my lawn.
I haven't watched the AS weekend in years because they've turned it into a joke. They watered down the dunk contest so much nobody cares any more (multiple dunk attempts, minimum scores, etc.). The 3-point shootout has turned more gimmicky as well with some balls worth more than others, etc.
Yeah, I'm old, get off my lawn.
Realistically, I don't think there's anything that can be done to fix the All-Star Game itself. Players care more about not getting hurt than winning, so the quality of the game suffers. Ultimately, it's nothing but an exhibition game, which is fine for those who like to watch exhibition games. I think at some point many fans reach a stage where they don't care about exhibition games, and once they do I doubt many ever go back.
I think that the Pro Bowl was the earliest wide-scale victim of this phenomenon. The game didn't happen until after the season (minus the Super Bowl) was over. The players didn't care outside of the trip to Hawaii, nobody wanted to get hurt, the game lost its luster real hard. Like in the 1980s to my recollection. Last year they changed the format to flag football to try to bring some interest back in!
The MLB All-Star Game probably had a later useful run, but even then for about a decade they decided to make the winning league be the hosts of the World Series just to put some skin in the game. Didn't make a lot of sense, I don't think it worked (they eventually knocked it off) but it shows that MLB had the same concerns about fan engagement. People love the Home Run Derby, but the game...?
The NBA is facing the same issue. They've been playing around with skills competitions, and that's probably the right route to take, but I don't think the game itself is easily fixable.
That's great until a few years from now when the Kings go 62-20 but don't get HCA in the finals because the West All-Stars were an aging Curry and a geriatric LeBron and his not-NBA-quality sidekick Bronny. It didn't work for MLB, everybody hated it, I can't imagine that it would work for the NBA.
I think that the Pro Bowl was the earliest wide-scale victim of this phenomenon. The game didn't happen until after the season (minus the Super Bowl) was over. The players didn't care outside of the trip to Hawaii, nobody wanted to get hurt, the game lost its luster real hard. Like in the 1980s to my recollection. Last year they changed the format to flag football to try to bring some interest back in!
The MLB All-Star Game probably had a later useful run, but even then for about a decade they decided to make the winning league be the hosts of the World Series just to put some skin in the game. Didn't make a lot of sense, I don't think it worked (they eventually knocked it off) but it shows that MLB had the same concerns about fan engagement. People love the Home Run Derby, but the game...?
The NBA is facing the same issue. They've been playing around with skills competitions, and that's probably the right route to take, but I don't think the game itself is easily fixable.
That's great until a few years from now when the Kings go 62-20 but don't get HCA in the finals because the West All-Stars were an aging Curry and a geriatric LeBron and his not-NBA-quality sidekick Bronny. It didn't work for MLB, everybody hated it, I can't imagine that it would work for the NBA.
while the game itself isn't fixable until a set of players start wanting to have bragging rights and are made of a different cloth, I think the dunk contest and 3 point shootout can still be watchable. I already mentioned an idea such as allowing fans to vote for the dunk participants, maybe give them 10-15 players with the most dunks in the league and let them choose from that list. As far as the 3 point shootout, keep the money ball and the standard rules but add a 4 point shot at the half court line that has to be made in order to advance, if no player hits in the allotted time frame, go to sudden death until a winner is crowned.
Players represent the states were they are from. Maybe hard to do in the US and in a competition with a lot of international players. But in Aus rugby league the 'all star game' is a state of origin.
Or ... Just let them play the way they want to and I'll continue not to watch. It's not like we need more basketball.
Or ... Just let them play the way they want to and I'll continue not to watch. It's not like we need more basketball.
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Im old too, and I'm not the demographic the NBA cares about so it doesn't matter that i think the all star game is a joke and i don't watch. My 12 year old nephew however is the demographic this is all aimed at, as is my neighbors 15 year old basketball player son. And either boy didn't care that it was on. My nephew started watching the dunk contest but ended up playing video games halfway through. Both boys skipped the All-Star game itself, which would have been unheard of for 15 year old me.
Ill bet Fox and Sabonis were counting their lucky stars that they didn't have to attend such a scrutinized game.
Im old too, and I'm not the demographic the NBA cares about so it doesn't matter that i think the all star game is a joke and i don't watch. My 12 year old nephew however is the demographic this is all aimed at, as is my neighbors 15 year old basketball player son. And either boy didn't care that it was on. My nephew started watching the dunk contest but ended up playing video games halfway through. Both boys skipped the All-Star game itself, which would have been unheard of for 15 year old me.
Ill bet Fox and Sabonis were counting their lucky stars that they didn't have to attend such a scrutinized game.
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Maybe they can make it to where you can only request a trade within the next year if your team wins the All Star game...
Honestly though, have the game played on the first day of events and go from there... And then give everyone a week off after All Star events are over. I can't imagine hanging around for 3-4 days, doing a bunch of media crap, and then being told to suit up and try hard for a game that doesn't matter,and then only getting to take advantage of 2 or 3 more actually days off after that. I'm surprised most of these guys even show up.
Honestly though, have the game played on the first day of events and go from there... And then give everyone a week off after All Star events are over. I can't imagine hanging around for 3-4 days, doing a bunch of media crap, and then being told to suit up and try hard for a game that doesn't matter,and then only getting to take advantage of 2 or 3 more actually days off after that. I'm surprised most of these guys even show up.
The fans and coaches picked the teams so they collectively share some of the responsibility for the type of game we got. Putting in guys like Lebron, Kawhi, Paul George, and Anthony Edwards who were clearly just going through the motions and had no interest in actually playing basketball was the first mistake. But if you look at any era, the All-Star game is a reflection of the state of the NBA in general. When the NBA was primarily a half-court iso game without zone defenses in the 90s and early 2000s we saw grindier versions of the All-Star game. The Eastern All-Stars this year shot 97 threes and 43.3% of them went in. This is exactly how teams have been playing all season. How can anyone complain about the lack of defense and the preponderance of three point shooting in the All-Star game without admitting that the regular season has become equally skewed?
Okay- I will bite with a suggestion. Increase roster sizes to 14 East and 14 West. Then split them up in to 4 teams, 7 players each. Then combine those 4 teams with the 4 teams already in the Rising Stars tourney (3 teams of NBA players and 1 G League team), for an 8 team tournament. 4 of them are All Star teams, 3 are young star teams, and 1 is a G League team. The tourney is seeded so that an All star team plays either a rising stars or G League team in round 1.
Saturday Night
Skills Challenge
Quarterfinal #1- play to 40
Quarterfinal #2- play to 40
Three point shootout
Quarterfinal #3- play to 40
Quarterfinal #4- play to 40
Sunday
Semifinal #1- play to 50
Semifinal #2- play to 50
Dunk Contest
Final- play to 60
Incentive- cash prizes, but also, don't lose to the young guys or G-Leaguers. We already see this when the Olympic team gets up to scrimmage against the select squad because they don't want to lose to the young guys. I bet you get more serious effort. You also inject a bit of "David vs. Goliath" element, and set up more drama with a tournament setting. Plus, you have bigger overall rosters, allowing for 4 more All Stars and giving guys a chance to play a bit more on 7 person teams.
I fully acknowledge that the All Stars would probably hate this and refuse to play, for fear of losing to lesser players and having to put in actual effort. But that is generally the problem with this entire exercise. The players don't want to put in a lot of effort and don't want to do anything with the downside of potential embarrassment to their brands.
Saturday Night
Skills Challenge
Quarterfinal #1- play to 40
Quarterfinal #2- play to 40
Three point shootout
Quarterfinal #3- play to 40
Quarterfinal #4- play to 40
Sunday
Semifinal #1- play to 50
Semifinal #2- play to 50
Dunk Contest
Final- play to 60
Incentive- cash prizes, but also, don't lose to the young guys or G-Leaguers. We already see this when the Olympic team gets up to scrimmage against the select squad because they don't want to lose to the young guys. I bet you get more serious effort. You also inject a bit of "David vs. Goliath" element, and set up more drama with a tournament setting. Plus, you have bigger overall rosters, allowing for 4 more All Stars and giving guys a chance to play a bit more on 7 person teams.
I fully acknowledge that the All Stars would probably hate this and refuse to play, for fear of losing to lesser players and having to put in actual effort. But that is generally the problem with this entire exercise. The players don't want to put in a lot of effort and don't want to do anything with the downside of potential embarrassment to their brands.
I tend to agree with Sactown’s Styles take- it’s already an 82 game season filled with ultra competitive ball, we don’t really need one more. The players don’t even want to be there, they want to be on vacation with their family. It’s a grind of a season, my vote is to eliminate the game and find a fun substitution for it. I’d keep the 3 point contest and the celebrity game. I’d turn the dunk contest into an exibition of some kind, possibly with professional dunkers. Honor the players, fun activities and give everyone a break. Even fans need a break from banging their heads against the wall.
I'm pretty sure that does not include participating in the slam dunk contest; they can't even make the players participate in the All-Star Game itself.
Uh, what? **** you mean, "don't give them an option"? What makes you think that it's even within the league's purview to take away? The first time the league tried to force a player to participate in the dunk contest that didn't want to, the NBPA would probably stage a full-on walkout. I don't believe that there's any verbiage in the CBA that provides the league the authority to compel any player to do any such thing. That would likely have to be negotiated in the next contract, and I can't imagine what the Player's Association would demand that the BOG give up in order to agree to it.
Uh, what? **** you mean, "don't give them an option"? What makes you think that it's even within the league's purview to take away? The first time the league tried to force a player to participate in the dunk contest that didn't want to, the NBPA would probably stage a full-on walkout. I don't believe that there's any verbiage in the CBA that provides the league the authority to compel any player to do any such thing. That would likely have to be negotiated in the next contract, and I can't imagine what the Player's Association would demand that the BOG give up in order to agree to it.
They're not going to eliminate the game. The sponsors pay the league too much money, and the league ain't giving none of that money back. Why do you think that Silver looked so annoyed at the trophy presentation? He basically asked them to be 1% more competitive, and that's what they gave him. You can't make players be more competitive in an exhibition: you can't even make them be more competitive in the games that count.
Correct. I don't "know," because I haven't familiarized myself with the CBA, and I don't intend to just to "win" a stupid argument on the internet. But common sense suggests that you can't make somebody participate in an optional exhibition. They technically can't even make the players play in the games that count, so why would any reasonable person think that you can make them play in the All-Star Game?
So, Bat-Signal received, obviously.
It turns out that the CBA and the Uniform Player Contract both explicitly require players who are selected for All-Star events (including the All-Star game and the Rising Stars game) to attend and participate in the event, with the exception of the Dunk Contest, which requires a player's agreement to participate. The only exception is for injury (the commissioner may require a medical exam), or with explicit permission of the commissioner.
The thing is, outside of the stripping of an official All-Star designation (if a player blows off the All-Star game without excuse, they lose "All-Star" status) there is no explicit penalty listed that I can see. I suspect that such conduct probably falls under the things that the commissioner has broad latitude to issue fines over. In general, the rules in the CBA regarding everything (including participation in both regular and exhibition games) are pretty strict, but they don't seem to have much "teeth" in terms of enforcement.
It turns out that the CBA and the Uniform Player Contract both explicitly require players who are selected for All-Star events (including the All-Star game and the Rising Stars game) to attend and participate in the event, with the exception of the Dunk Contest, which requires a player's agreement to participate. The only exception is for injury (the commissioner may require a medical exam), or with explicit permission of the commissioner.
The thing is, outside of the stripping of an official All-Star designation (if a player blows off the All-Star game without excuse, they lose "All-Star" status) there is no explicit penalty listed that I can see. I suspect that such conduct probably falls under the things that the commissioner has broad latitude to issue fines over. In general, the rules in the CBA regarding everything (including participation in both regular and exhibition games) are pretty strict, but they don't seem to have much "teeth" in terms of enforcement.
You ever hear the saying, "A law in which the only penalty is a fine is a law that only applies to poor people"? Seems to me that there's no practical difference between, "You play in the All-Star Game, or we'll strip you of your All-Star status" and, "You can't make me play in this ****." That's only a real threat to the players who haven't already been multiple-time All-Stars. And furthermore, if you think fans are annoyed because the players aren't playing defense, wait until they see people dogging it on both ends of the court, because they resent being compelled to go out there and play in an exhibition.
It would also be a threat to players who have kickers in their contract (or who are hoping for extension-eligibility kickers) based on being an All-Star.
That's as may be, what I was reporting is that the NBA considers All-Star participation, if selected, to be a mandatory part of a player's employment contract. As such, a player skipping out on the All-Star game unexcused is considered to be a similar breach of contract to a player skipping out on a regular season game unexcused, or, as it turns out, a player not being "neatly and fully attired in public". I think we all know that the NBA is a "players' league", and that its enforcement of its own rules is spotty as best, but from a legal standpoint, the NBA contract does require a player to participate in the All-Star game if selected.