While it’s not clear how much the new format was responsible for the NBA’s best and most competitive All-Star Game in years, commissioner Adam Silver was happy with the result, telling ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne that he was appreciative of the players and thought the game was “incredible.” Silver also suggested that fans’ biggest complaint about this year’s All-Star draft format will likely be addressed for next year’s event.
“When we sat with the union and we came up with this format, we all agreed, let’s not turn something that’s 100% positive into a potential negative to any player,” Silver said. “But then … maybe we’re overly conservative, because then we came out of there, and the players were, ‘We can take it. We’re All-Stars. Let’s have a draft.’ So it sounds like we’re going to have a televised draft next year.”
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- With another World Cup qualifying event set to begin this week in California, Team USA has officially announced its roster for games against Cuba and Puerto Rico. Jeff Van Gundy‘s squad will feature foremr NBA players such as Alonzo Gee, Aaron Harrison, and Larry Drew II.
- In an interesting and in-depth piece, Keith Smith of RealGM takes a closer look at the evolution of the NBA G League and explores the next steps for the NBAGL, which should only continue to grow.
- International basketball reporter David Pick passes along a pair of updates from overseas, tweeting that former NBA guard Donald Sloan has rejoined China’s Guangdong Tigers for the CBA playoffs. Pick also tweets that Lokomotiv Kuban sharpshooter Ryan Broekhoff, who went undrafted out of Valparaiso in 2013, is being scouted by some NBA officials.
- The latest mock draft from ESPN’s Jonathan Givony (Insider link) doesn’t include any major changes at the top. Givony still projects Luka Doncic to go No. 1, followed by Deandre Ayton, Mohamed Bamba, Jaren Jackson, Marvin Bagley III, and Michael Porter Jr.
That roster isn’t going to win much.