How to fix the NBA All-Star Game? The players have an idea

The NBA is still trying to figure out how to get their All-Star Weekend right. They made some minor tweaks, and depending who you ask there were some improvements but it’s not fixed by any means.

Is it the only way?

Ever since the foreign invasion started to take shape in the NBA, there have been whispers about a USA vs. the World All-Star Game, but nothing more than some ambitious thoughts that never were even in consideration.

There have been countless attempts to try and bring the competitiveness and the intensity back to a game that has grown increasingly flat over the last decade or two. In an era where guys aren’t playing back to backs, and players are on minutes restrictions, the All-Star Weekend is a chance for those who have been voted to the game to take a foot off the gas and enjoy a few days off before the final stretch of the season.

That has resulted in some utterly unwatchable All-Star Games. Take last year’s for example, when almost 400 total points were scored and not a lick of defense was to be seen. A lot of players think that a President’s Cup style All-Star Game in which the USA takes on the World’s best players might just raise the level of play.

Team World seems to like the idea

One of the players you could see was playing with the pedal to the metal was second year Frechman Victor Wembanyama. He was putting it down on both ends of the court, throwing down dunks and blocking shots on defense. The San Antonio Spurs’ star talked about the potential of a USA vs. World game upping the ante. “I would love to. My opinion is that it’s more purposeful,” Wembanyama said. “There’s more pride in it. More stakes.”

His teammate on Team Chuck, which was mostly comprised of international players, Giannis Antetokounmpo was on board with the idea too. Giannis didn’t play in the game because of a calf strain, but he said that a USA vs. everyone else game would bring out the pride and the passion.

“I would love that. Oh, I would love that,” said the Greek Freak. “I think that would be the most interesting and most exciting format. I would love that. For sure, I’d take pride in that. I always compete, but I think that will give me a little bit more extra juice to compete.”

The 70/30 split

Logistically there could be some problems that present themselves. First of all, the sheer numbers American players with foreign players in the NBA would make it hard to ensure that there would be a fair balance and no one would get snubbed. When NBA commissioner Adam Silver was asked about this possibility, he broke down the stats.

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“Not to say we couldn’t figure out a way around this, but to the extent we want to have a fair process for picking All-Stars, if you’re picking half the players from a 30% pool and the other half from a 70% pool, it might not be fair to the players,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said last month. “So, that’s one thing we’re looking at.”

Everyone may not be on board. Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant is more of a mindset that this is a communal event, that allows players to step away from competing like they do all season and enjoy the festivities and the company of the world’s best players. “I think that when you get events like this, All-Star Weekend, we don’t worry about the competition,” said 15-time All-Star. “It’s just more about celebrating the basketball family and the community around this time. It shows how united we are as a group, as a basketball community, and how we can unite the rest of the world with what we do, as well. It’s a cool time.”