This year’s NBA All-Star Game has been widely criticized, but perhaps some good ideas will come out of the weekend. Before the regular season resumes on Wednesday, let’s break down how the league can move forward.
1. What’s the best All-Star idea you’ve heard or seen coming out of the weekend?
Ben Rohrbach: USA vs. World. It was the only idea in San Francisco that jazzed the players.
“I would love to,” said San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama, one of the few players who tried throughout the All-Star Game. “It’s more purposeful. There’s more pride in it. More stakes.”
“I’d love that,” added Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo. “Oh, I’d love that. I think that would be the most interesting and most exciting format. I’d 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.”
This year’s international team could have featured Wembanyama, Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokić, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Pascal Siakam, Alperen Şengün, Karl-Anthony Towns and Kyrie Irving. Luka Dončić, Franz Wagner and Jamal Murray are waiting in the wings. Not bad.
Dan Titus: Replace the unserious Skills Challenge with a 1-on-1 King of the Hill tournament with a purse of $1 million. The event should span multiple days and feature whichever rising stars or All-Stars want to participate. Rachel Nichols has already run it by several All-Stars — all with resounding support for the idea. Whether that’s smoke remains to be seen, but that would definitely inject some much-needed competition into Saturday’s festivities.
Vincent Goodwill: Just going back to East vs. West. Perhaps I’m a rigid traditionalist, but all these other formats don’t do it as much. The USA-International game, I’m more open to than ever, but you’d have a real hard time finding 12 definitive international All-Stars. That’s the thing for me beyond the Jokić/Giannis/Luka/Wemby types. It’s not long before the pickings get slim.
Morten Stig Jensen: One idea that’s been floating around for a while is a return to team uniforms, which is something players themselves have an interest in. The aspect of team representation, at least in some capacity, might get players to feel more responsible to live up to the expectations of their respective fan bases, when wearing the actual night-to-night jersey they usually play in. It’s easy to hide away in a homogenous, and often plain and boring, uniform that has no shred of individuality.
(Oh, and I also like the idea of simply going back to East vs. West, with all the fluff of draft, tournaments and Kevin Hart nonsense off to the wayside.)
2. True or False: The 3-point contest is the best All-Star event
Goodwill: True, I guess. Only because the players participating are the names you actually know. Like Cade Cunningham isn’t the best 3-point shooter on his team, but Malik Beasley wasn’t invited (maybe he should’ve been). It’s never about the event itself, it’s about the stars participating (Craig Hodges’ 1991 showing aside). If more names were in the dunk contest, that would be the crown jewel of this, hands down.
Jensen: False? The event is … fine. But it’s routinely undermined by the fact that the best shooter literally in the history of the sport rarely participates, and thus whoever wins the event isn’t viewed as the best. In fact, not even close. I guess what I’m asking here is: What’s really the point of the competition, when we all are keenly aware that the winner isn’t even remotely close to being the best shooter in the NBA?
Rohrbach: True. It has drama built into it. Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry remains the game’s most electrifying player, and he was an incredible ambassador for the sport in the Bay Area. That influence is felt across the league, where we have seen an explosion of highly skilled shooters. Bring them all together, including Curry, add some WNBA talent to the mix, and run it back. You know you will be watching to see if those moneyballs find the net.
Titus: That’s facts. Although this year wasn’t particularly memorable, what event actually was? Each event had a main course with some unappealing sides. The commish needs to get on the horn with the W and get Caitlin Clark and Sabrina Ionescu back in the mix. Plus, bring back the OGs who’ve won it before with some name notoriety to make it more appealing to casuals and fans alike. Last thought — go back to the standard 30-point scoring system. Too many Starry shots.
3. Name the four dunk participants you’d like to see in next year’s contest
Titus: Shaedon Sharpe, Anthony Edwards, Zion Williamson and Ja Morant. I don’t think Ant or Zion will participate, but those four are the marquee dunkers in the game right now. No shade to Zach LaVine — he’s a two-time champ with nothing to prove. It’s these young guys who need to infuse some damn creativity and save the dunk contest — without the gimmicks.
Goodwill: Zion, if healthy. Anthony Edwards (if he doesn’t have a groin injury or illness). Zach LaVine, just to defend his name and honor to the event. And either Ja Morant or Amen Thompson — really intrigued by Thompson’s freakish athleticism. Not sure how creative a guy like Ja could be in that setting. He’s a better game dunker.
Jensen: Zach LaVine, Ja Morant, Zion Williamson and Shaedon Sharpe. No props. No timer. Just let these four guys do whatever they see fit….
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