NEW ALL STAR FORMAT

[112288]

Captains to pick teams for NBA All-Star Game after format tweak play

ESPN > Brian Windhorst ESPN Senior Writer

The NBA All-Star Game is switching formats this season, as two captains will select the teams without regard to which conferences the players play in, the league announced Tuesday.

The players who win the fan vote from each conference will be the captains.

There will still be 12 players selected from each conference for the game in Los Angeles on Feb. 18. Five players from each conference will be selected as starters, with the fan vote being worth 50 percent, player vote worth 25 percent and media vote worth 25 percent. Seven reserves for each team will be picked by each conference's head coaches.

The new system will enable players from each conference to play against each other and will allow current teammates to face off. Starters will be picked first, so the 10 players voted in as starters will remain that way.

Last season, LeBron James led fan voting in the Eastern Conference and Stephen Curry had the honor in the West. All-Star voting will begin on Christmas Day.

Under the new format, LeBron James and Stephen Curry -- the top vote-getters in each conference -- would have picked the All-Star teams last season, regardless of conference affiliation.

The timing and details of the All-Star draft have not yet been determined, but it will be before All-Star Weekend. The starters will be announced Jan. 18, the reserves Jan. 23.

The format will add a layer of intrigue to the event, as the captains will have to consider an array of factors when making the playground-style selections. Past, current and future relationships between players might be considered when making the selections.

The change was part of a joint effort from the league and the players' union -- specifically union president Chris Paul. It was discussed over the course of the past few years. The league had revamped the voting system last season.

Hornets owner Michael Jordan, as the chairman of the owners' labor relations committee, was heavily involved in making the change on the league side.

"I'm thrilled with what the players and the league have done to improve the All-Star Game, which has been a priority for all of us," Paul said. "We're looking forward to putting on an entertaining show in L.A."

It is a part of a package of changes the NBA has made this season with fan interest in mind. Other changes include making scheduling and rule changes to reduce players missing games to rest and the reduction of timeouts to speed up end-of-game situations.

"We're excited about the new All-Star format and appreciate the players' willingness to try something new," said Byron Spruell, the league's president of league operations.

There will also be a new charity element added to this season's game. Each team will select a national or Los Angeles-area charity where donations from the game will be directed.

The coaches will be determined the same way as in the past. The coach with the best record two weeks before the game in each conference will get the honor of leading the team selected by the captain of his conference.

Steve Kerr of the Warriors and Brad Stevens of the Celtics are ineligible because they coached last year.

112288

[bobheckler]

Probably a good idea considering how much of the talent is in the Western Conference.

Not to mention the game has all the discipline and defense of a schoolyard pickup game anyway.


bob


.

[beat]

I'll be sure not to watch again this year 

beat

[steve3344]

I'll be sure not to watch again this year 

beat

I guess you don't like games that are 198-192.

[beat]

I'll be sure not to watch again this year 

beat

I guess you don't like games that are 198-192.

None of the Pro all star games are worth my time.

Sam use to floss his teeth those days.


I like some of the skill stuff and the 3 point competition but that's it


beat

[NYCelt]

Except the MLB All-Star game, these are matches are great sleep aids (IMO).

Agree with beat on skills and 3-point. Slam-dunk contest is always a big one here.

The one value of all-star games and skills contests that is hard to argue with, is that they attract new young fans to a given sport.

[Matty]

id love to see the all star game under this format, sadly whatever the date/time is it seems that's my scheduled time and day to wash my grandmothers delicates and unmentionables. mebbe next year.

[kdp59]

I'm not sure why they even play an all-star game anymore.

I understand that back in the day, it was a way to promote a sport with little national support. But why do they need it now?

Name the teams..OK.

have a couple days off to party....got it

do some skills things for TV....fine

play a game.....what for?

[swedeinestonia]

They should change it up so it is at least somewhat competitive. Make it into a 3v3 streetball tournament or something that is both competitive and somewhat casual.

[112288]

swedeinestonia

You may be on to something.  Perhaps 1/2 court and a new group of 3 players come in every 8-10 points.

112288

[mulcogiseng]

Can't find this article on my laptop so will summarize it instead of providing a link

From NBA.com

Last year's NBA all star game drew an average audience of 7.8 million viewers making it the most watched All Star broadcast since 2013. Peak viewing came in at 8.3 million total up 3% from last year.

So the reason seems to be that Fans want to watch the game and thus sponsors want to pay to get their name mentioned. It's all about business.

[112288]

Prime time and they only draw 7-8 million. That sucks! 12-14 would qualify as a success.

Further, I guarantee the majority of viewers they are drawing are moderate to low end consumers who spend low dollar amounts on NBA related merchandise.

112288

[mulcogiseng]

By comparison the Super Bowl attracts over 100 million viewers (111million this last time)

The NBA Finals attract over 30 million

The last Pro Bowl 8-9 million

Reports indicate that overall viewership for All Star type games is much lower and in general decline. So that explains why they are trying to change things up.

[beat]

Now if they line up the players. And the captains stand out in front. Is there anyway this can be done live?


I think it would be worth it to see Bron pick his little bro.....or not?


beat

[mrkleen09]

The amount of money they make every year selling all star gear alone justifies the weekend from the NBA standpoint.

[Sponsored content]