When your commissioner compares All-Star Game changes to putting “an earring on a pig,” it’s probably time to try something different.
That’s how Adam Silver characterized the new All-Star format in a speech Friday at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, relays Jimmy Golen of The Associated Press. The NBA is in its second season of having the highest vote-getter from each conference make selections from a pool of players chosen by fans and coaches. Even though this year’s game was shown on both TNT and TBS, it tied for the worst rating in its history with a 3.8.
“The All-Star Game didn’t work,” Silver admitted, calling it “an afterthought” of an event-filled weekend.
Silver would like to shorten the regular season to about 70 games and make up for the lost revenue by replacing the All-Star contest with a midseason or pre-season tournament that would amount to a separate championship. It’s similar to the format in European soccer. He also suggested that teams could stage a mini-tournament in Europe or Asia.
One problem the league would face is how to make the competitions matter when the ultimate goal is to win an NBA title. Another is that cutting the schedule to 70 games means every team would have to give up the money from six home dates. And although players and coaches would prefer a shorter season, none would welcome an accompanying pay cut to make it possible.
We want to get your opinion on Silver’s musings. Is the All-Star Game beyond salvaging? Would you be interested in seeing a tournament take its place, and is there any way to make it meaningful? Does the NBA need a shorter season, and how can the revenue be replaced? Please leave your comments in the space below.
Winner of mid season tourney gets a first round bye in the playoffs
And the second half of the season would work like a seeding system
The best case scenario would be an all-star tournament. Where the top four popular vote getters would be named captains, and select from a large pool of players who were voted into by the fans, players, and coaches. To make it interesting there has to be a $24 million, winner take all.
Prizes like that have generated some serious interest from the basketball tournament in the summer, so it might work during the all star break.
The only thing about the All Star game that matters to players and fans is the notoriety of a player being an All Star. I don’t know the answer, but I know the All Star game is boring and meaningless as it’s currently constructed. If there were a real prize for the winning team, something truly meaningful to fan and players you would see a much improved product and viewership.
Put some paper in their hands. Like suggested above the winning all-star team gets $23.4 Mil (1.95mm each for the 12 players) while losing team gets the remaining $600k (50k each for the 12 players). Rising Stars game is similar but with much less money. Also maybe condense it into 2 nights. 1st night is Skills challenge, 3pt contest, dunk contest and then on NBATV g-league All-star game. 2nd night is Rising Stars game and all-star game. If someone in rising Stars is an all-star they only play in all-star game.
To also raise viewership maybe allow fans watching at home win cash prizes by texting in the predicted final score and MVP. Texts must be received by end of 3rd quarter.
Paper gotta be put in all hands on deck
How about just do away with it altogether?
They rest of the all star weekend is pretty popular, it does make money, players want to be all stars and fans like voting for their favorite players.
at this point really only the three point contest is worth watching
Go back to east vs west and give the winning conference home court in the finals.a majority of all stars in basketball have a legit chance of making it to the finals or at least think they do so it would make the game meaningful and give the players a reason to take the game seriously.
This used to be the all star game prize in MLB and was changed because it’s completely not fair to the championship teams to have their fate determined by players not on their team.
How about we just leave the regular season alone and cancel the AS game. You can still have the break, the skills challenge, the shootout, the dunks, the rookie game. There is no reason for the actual ASG though. And completely changing the regular season in order to make an exhibition game relevant is a lot worse than putting an earring on a pig.
A different change I would like to see is the trade deadline moved to after the ASG. It seems silly to have the All Star Break after teams are basically set for the playoffs.
It might help getting more risky-type competitiveness out of the players too, since if they got injured, their teams could adjust to it.
Get rid of the game and slam dunk contest. Instead have a one on one tourney with each team supplying their champ. This was done in the 60s and was great.
I have fond memories of the one-on-one tournaments held in the 70s. They went to 20, win by 4, and were exhausting and competitive, and taken seriously by the players. We saw about half the games, shown during halftimes of the Saturday game if I recall exactly. Go for it
Finally, the thought about the tournaments is just stupid. What is the point? You might as well stop the regular season altogether and just have tournaments all season long. The only tournament that should matter for the NBA is the playoffs. Anything more just waters down the whole concept.
The Big3 league has been fairly successful. The NBA should try to incorporate this league into the all star events. Maybe the championship gets played during the weekend and then have a 3v3 tourney for current NBA players voted as all stars and just get rid of the actual all star game.
Drop the All Star game as it’s just a bit of fluff, leave the season at 82 games and make the players play for the massive money they get
I agree, if it is not popular then eliminate it, not compound the problem the way baseball did by penalizing teams who play well for the whole season. Eliminating the break could allow more time between games and reduce injuries.
Do the season like the minors in baseball. The winner in each division moves on automatically to the post season ( or make the top 3 or 4 teams move on), make the results of the all star game or tournament state which conference gets home field advantage, then play the rest of the season normally, but teams play for the remaining spots in the postseason.
They shouldn’t reduce the season, as a fan I rather they increase the RS games than cut them, come on we wanna watch a lot of good Bball!
We don’t need to see a non game of defense. Like the Pro Bowl who cares anymore. It is such an ego fest it has become sad. Want to make the season better? Take the teams with the best records. East team has 40 wins and is in while a West team with 50 is out. Who cares. Also can we start talking about the teams on top or more improved like the Thunder and Bucks instead of all NBA is about BRON, BRON
In soccer the in-season tourneys have declined in fan popularity, and teams field reserves to preserve their top players. The big clubs with their superior depth usually win them, like everything else.
No mid season tourney. Create tournament at end of year for draft pick seeding. Teams ranked 17 through 26 (first 10 teams not to make playoffs) play in the tournament for number pick/draft seeding. Bottom 4 teams of the league don’t participate and will be assigned draft picks 11-14. Punishment for tanking. Better spend some money in free agency to make your team better.
+1 This is super interesting. Something for the players to actually compete for, creates a market, more games than just one, offers a possibility for dealing with tanking.
The game itself is beyond salvaging. The competitiveness of the players is not what it once was. It would have to be a culture/mentality change.
Competing in a runway fashion show would get their competitive juices going more than a game of basketball.
3 on 3 tourney amongst all 30 teams based off of overall seeding. Fans get to vote for the players representing each team.
32 total All-Stars, 16 each conference.
2 on 2 tournament, pairings of one from each conference. Games to 21, NCAA bracket style until there’s a winner.
Could just shorten the ASG to 8 minute quarters or something, may make it a little more watchable
the nba all star game is always a joke… the best players on the planet and no defence. its just a show….
Problem with the NBA is the playoffs last for months. Play on consecutive nights speed it up. To many days off.
How about playing the all star game without the 3 point shot? It would be like the old days where passing all over the court was important.
Not a bad idea. Maybe make a 4 point line back at like 35 feet and no 3 point line. I hated seeing all these threes getting jacked up. Except for the Dirk 30+ footer he made.
I strongly believe that the season should be split up into two halves. This way teams will have an incentive to push to win the first half and push to win the second half. Teams then should be awarded with higher draft choices by “just missing” the playoffs and tanking teams get worse picks. Having the top 5 teams that miss the playoffs get higher picks than the bottom 5, would create a better competitive environment. The bottom 5 should NOT be awarded for tanking but they do deserve picks 6-10, still in the lottery but not the top 5. They should do this in all sports which would force owners to field a better team and teams that “just miss” will more than likely make the playoffs the following year if they get better with higher draft picks.
Who cares about the all star game? Why not pick two fans and let them draft their teams?
As for the season/lottery – simple at the end give each team one ping pong ball – pick all draft slots and give each team a shot at number one. A true lottery.
the kick backs from banks to adam silver is paid in gold and stolen art work/relics
here’s a ideal get players who wanna actually play in the game, people who like to play defense, people who care about winning the game & not scoring 200pts, it’s the same each year players just let people walk in for wife open layups & dunks or they just let someone shoot wide open 3s the game haven’t been exciting since A.I. won M.V.P smh
Keep the ASG – just make it shorter. Either 4 (10min) or 2 halves like college (20min ea). Shorter game… in and out.
*4 10min qtrs