Adam Silver admits All Star Game could disapear

[Waynearchetype]

Midseason tournament should change to division tournament. Bring back regional rivalries. Have all 6 division finals over a weekend in vegas with all the extra glam and dunk/3point contests.

Regional cups are big in soccer. It gets more fans from more teams invested. It gives 6 different teams something to be proud of each season, even if they don't do well in the playoffs.

[dj20001]

Those games are voluntary. The players who play in those games want to play in those games, for whatever reasons. I'm not in their heads, but clearly if someone is going harder in a pick-up game than they do in the ASG, the former means a lot more to them.

And to be clear, I'm not saying avoiding injury is the single driving factor of players not wanting to go hard, but it's one of them. It's mostly just about players having little incentive to try hard. What backlash have Jokic and Luka faced for treating the ASG like a complete joke? Zero. So why would they try hard next time?

These players are being paid what they are, in part bc they're popular enough for fans to have interest in seeing them at the ASG though. If they love playing basketball, this shouldn't even be a thing.

I think there's an element of "if I didn't try, it didn't count" going on with the ASG. Another poster also mentioned a current lack of player accountability which is true. If LBJ had tried harder since becoming the face of the league, most players would have followed suit. You can claim to the best in the league, but when everyone is on the same platform you don't try and actually prove it? Even just for one game?

Its interesting mental gymnastics for sure.

LBJ has won 3 ASG MVP's and has been key in the most competitive games in recent history; he's far from the biggest culprit here, but people blame him for everything lol. He somehow got flak for going hard on a block and hurting his hand on the rim a year ago.

And as for players wanting to prove they're the best...I present to you Jokic and Luka once again. Consensus best player in the league and a consensus top-5 player in the league. You prove you're the best player in the league in the regular season and in the playoffs. People whine about a non-competitive All-star game, but no one actually puts stock into it even when it is competitive. Giannis goes hard in every ASG, and no one cares.

Right. If Giannis is trying and no one else is, that ties back to my initial comment "if I'm not trying, then this really doesn't count". I do think some of the old school players took something away for having won their individual matchup in the ASG, even if just for a confidence boost playing that player again down the line.

The regular season is great and all, but its also flawed. Playing teams on back to backs, guys injured, etc. You can mask deficiencies easier compared to the playoffs. This is why I'm extremely intrigued by Halliburton this year. Seems like a real good regular season player to me, not so sure about a seven game series where teams can key on weaknesses. Just see how the Lakers played Indy in the tourney for ex.

LBJ got flak for not trying in the ASG when the west was clearly better and he knew he likely wouldn't get MVP.

Then he pushes for the "draft" which Giannis absolutely sucked at, and proceeds to start winning ASG MVP with stacked rosters. You can't really make this stuff up.

Remember when YT was just getting big and LBJ tried his hardest to get a video of him being dunked on by a kid at his camp removed? He's this same way in all things. Very calculated, always about perception.

[WiggOuts]

They also talked about NBA vs the World. Reading between the lines, sounds like they're gonna try that next year and if it doesn't work either then they might look at cancelling the game and maybe the event.

Also we're getting Sabrina vs Steph 2.

I think this is the smartest play. There's a good chance the US gets stomped(probably what they're hoping for) and the pride will come into play, that should make things competitive

Luka
Shai
Giannis
Jokic
Embiid
VS
Haliburton
Antman
Tatum
Lebron
AD

I think the world team wins this

[NyKnicks1714]

These players are being paid what they are, in part bc they're popular enough for fans to have interest in seeing them at the ASG though. If they love playing basketball, this shouldn't even be a thing.

I think there's an element of "if I didn't try, it didn't count" going on with the ASG. Another poster also mentioned a current lack of player accountability which is true. If LBJ had tried harder since becoming the face of the league, most players would have followed suit. You can claim to the best in the league, but when everyone is on the same platform you don't try and actually prove it? Even just for one game?

Its interesting mental gymnastics for sure.

LBJ has won 3 ASG MVP's and has been key in the most competitive games in recent history; he's far from the biggest culprit here, but people blame him for everything lol. He somehow got flak for going hard on a block and hurting his hand on the rim a year ago.

And as for players wanting to prove they're the best...I present to you Jokic and Luka once again. Consensus best player in the league and a consensus top-5 player in the league. You prove you're the best player in the league in the regular season and in the playoffs. People whine about a non-competitive All-star game, but no one actually puts stock into it even when it is competitive. Giannis goes hard in every ASG, and no one cares.

Right. If Giannis is trying and no one else is, that ties back to my initial comment "if I'm not trying, then this really doesn't count". I do think some of the old school players took something away for having won their individual matchup in the ASG, even if just for a confidence boost playing that player again down the line.

The regular season is great and all, but its also flawed. Playing teams on back to backs, guys injured, etc. You can mask deficiencies easier compared to the playoffs. This is why I'm extremely intrigued by Halliburton this year. Seems like a real good regular season player to me, not so sure about a seven game series where teams can key on weaknesses. Just see how the Lakers played Indy in the tourney for ex.

LBJ got flak for not trying in the ASG when the west was clearly better and he knew he likely wouldn't get MVP.

Then he pushes for the "draft" which Giannis absolutely sucked at, and proceeds to start winning ASG MVP with stacked rosters. You can't really make this stuff up.

Remember when YT was just getting big and LBJ tried his hardest to get a video of him being dunked on by a kid at his camp removed? He's this same way in all things. Very calculated, always about perception.

No idea why this is all about LeBron all of a sudden. He's just nowhere near the worst offender when it comes to not trying in the All-star game. Not a single player today doesn't try in the ASG because of some example LeBron set. That's just not a thing. And now you're acting like the draft was his brainchild? People want to blame him for everything lol. He pushed for the draft to be televised (something every fan was calling for) after it was done behind closed doors the first year. Maybe that's what you're thinking of.

The consensus best player in the league treats the ASG like a massive joke, in truly unprecedented fashion. Luka's put up a total of 35 points in his 5 ASGs, and has never once hit double digits. Start with those guys if you're really intent on putting a sizable portion of the blame on a single player.

[Stannis]

Keep the All-Star game. East Vs. West

Winner gets Finals home-court advantage.

[NyKnicks1714]

They also talked about NBA vs the World. Reading between the lines, sounds like they're gonna try that next year and if it doesn't work either then they might look at cancelling the game and maybe the event.

Also we're getting Sabrina vs Steph 2.

I think this is the smartest play. There's a good chance the US gets stomped(probably what they're hoping for) and the pride will come into play, that should make things competitive

Luka
Shai
Giannis
Jokic
Embiid
VS
Haliburton
Antman
Tatum
Lebron
AD

I think the world team wins this

Now do the rest of the rosters. There were 5 International All-stars this year (the 5 you named), and 19 USA players. If it was USA vs World this season, you'd have to add:

Sabonis
Murray
Markkanen
Siakam
Sengun
Wemby

Last one is tough...Wagner maybe? Vucevic? Maybe there's a Canadian I'm forgetting is Canadian. These are all ASG-caliber guys, but a lot of them did not deserve to make it this season. Not factoring in Trae and Barnes who were injury replacements, you have to get rid of 7 USA players who made it.

[NyKnicks1714]

Keep the All-Star game. East Vs. West

Winner gets Finals home-court advantage.

No. Even if this happened, which it never will, it would take one season where the team with the worse record got HCA in the Finals before they reverted back in response to the inevitable outrage. The Finals are much more important than the ASG.

[Tacoma]

Once again every job has a vacation. The NBA gives you a week off.

You seem to be ignoring the point the allstars deserve a week off to have a legit vacation and recover. They are basically still working while on vacation. Doesn't seem fair imo.

You seem to be ignoring the allready get 5 months of vacation.

There's 0% chance you aren't trolling though so carry on

Sent from my SM-S918U using RealGM mobile app

Work Vacation!

My goodness dude do you comprehend the difference between a non-work vacation and a work vacation?

This all started on page 1 of this thread when you said:

"These guys use all-star for vacation and family time. Nobody wants to work a full season without vacation time. Imagine working a job and you can't go on vacation all year."

Posters disputed "can't go on vacation all year" is wrong because that ignores many months in the off-season that they may choose go on vacation. You then claim "Rich people get special privileges" and then go on about players having to work in the off-season to keep in shape, while ignoring that they could still workout and be with their family including taking vacation if they choose.

Then you move the goalposts from all year to differentiating "non-work vacation" from "work vacation" implying they need time off during the 7-month work season in addition to 5 months non-work season. That's quite a story line with so many twists and turns!

Bottom line: I'd say that no NBA players would trade a 7-month work-year to play a game they love + 5 months of free time to do what they choose, for a 9-5 job with (usually) 2 weeks of vacation. In other word,, not buying what you're selling.

[dj20001]

LBJ has won 3 ASG MVP's and has been key in the most competitive games in recent history; he's far from the biggest culprit here, but people blame him for everything lol. He somehow got flak for going hard on a block and hurting his hand on the rim a year ago.

And as for players wanting to prove they're the best...I present to you Jokic and Luka once again. Consensus best player in the league and a consensus top-5 player in the league. You prove you're the best player in the league in the regular season and in the playoffs. People whine about a non-competitive All-star game, but no one actually puts stock into it even when it is competitive. Giannis goes hard in every ASG, and no one cares.

Right. If Giannis is trying and no one else is, that ties back to my initial comment "if I'm not trying, then this really doesn't count". I do think some of the old school players took something away for having won their individual matchup in the ASG, even if just for a confidence boost playing that player again down the line.

The regular season is great and all, but its also flawed. Playing teams on back to backs, guys injured, etc. You can mask deficiencies easier compared to the playoffs. This is why I'm extremely intrigued by Halliburton this year. Seems like a real good regular season player to me, not so sure about a seven game series where teams can key on weaknesses. Just see how the Lakers played Indy in the tourney for ex.

LBJ got flak for not trying in the ASG when the west was clearly better and he knew he likely wouldn't get MVP.

Then he pushes for the "draft" which Giannis absolutely sucked at, and proceeds to start winning ASG MVP with stacked rosters. You can't really make this stuff up.

Remember when YT was just getting big and LBJ tried his hardest to get a video of him being dunked on by a kid at his camp removed? He's this same way in all things. Very calculated, always about perception.

No idea why this is all about LeBron all of a sudden. He's just nowhere near the worst offender when it comes to not trying in the All-star game. Not a single player today doesn't try in the ASG because of some example LeBron set. That's just not a thing. And now you're acting like the draft was his brainchild? People want to blame him for everything lol. He pushed for the draft to be televised (something every fan was calling for) after it was done behind closed doors the first year. Maybe that's what you're thinking of.

The consensus best player in the league treats the ASG like a massive joke, in truly unprecedented fashion. Luka's put up a total of 35 points in his 5 ASGs, and has never once hit double digits. Start with those guys if you're really intent on putting a sizable portion of the blame on a single player.

You really think they would change the entire format of the ASG without saying anything to LBJ? Luka is younger than LBJ, he's just continuing with the example that's been set. Put Luka in the early to mid 2000s and he's not able to get away with it - to the same extent at least.

And yes, LBJ was completely checked out with the OG format bc the East always lost and he was never in the running for MVP. There's literal video evidence of this if you've followed but it doesn't sound like the ASG is your cup of tea.

[JustBuzzin]

You seem to be ignoring the allready get 5 months of vacation.

There's 0% chance you aren't trolling though so carry on

Sent from my SM-S918U using RealGM mobile app

Work Vacation!

My goodness dude do you comprehend the difference between a non-work vacation and a work vacation?

This all started on page 1 of this thread when you said:

"These guys use all-star for vacation and family time. Nobody wants to work a full season without vacation time. Imagine working a job and you can't go on vacation all year."

Posters disputed "can't go on vacation all year" is wrong because that ignores many months in the off-season that they may choose go on vacation. You then claim "Rich people get special privileges" and then go on about players having to work in the off-season to keep in shape, while ignoring that they could still workout and be with their family including taking vacation if they choose.

Then you move the goalposts from all year to differentiating "non-work vacation" from "work vacation" implying they need time off during the 7-month work season in addition to 5 months non-work season. That's quite a story line with so many twists and turns!

Bottom line: I'd say that no NBA players would trade a 7-month work-year to play a game they love + 5 months of free time to do what they choose, for a 9-5 job with (usually) 2 weeks of vacation. In other word,, not buying what you're selling.

I'm not talking about their off-season.

I'm talking about in season. They get a break during the season. I'm talking about the all-stars deserving a full week off without having to travel to all-star weekend and work.

If you can't comprehend what I'm saying then we can just agree to disagree.

[NyKnicks1714]

Right. If Giannis is trying and no one else is, that ties back to my initial comment "if I'm not trying, then this really doesn't count". I do think some of the old school players took something away for having won their individual matchup in the ASG, even if just for a confidence boost playing that player again down the line.

The regular season is great and all, but its also flawed. Playing teams on back to backs, guys injured, etc. You can mask deficiencies easier compared to the playoffs. This is why I'm extremely intrigued by Halliburton this year. Seems like a real good regular season player to me, not so sure about a seven game series where teams can key on weaknesses. Just see how the Lakers played Indy in the tourney for ex.

LBJ got flak for not trying in the ASG when the west was clearly better and he knew he likely wouldn't get MVP.

Then he pushes for the "draft" which Giannis absolutely sucked at, and proceeds to start winning ASG MVP with stacked rosters. You can't really make this stuff up.

Remember when YT was just getting big and LBJ tried his hardest to get a video of him being dunked on by a kid at his camp removed? He's this same way in all things. Very calculated, always about perception.

No idea why this is all about LeBron all of a sudden. He's just nowhere near the worst offender when it comes to not trying in the All-star game. Not a single player today doesn't try in the ASG because of some example LeBron set. That's just not a thing. And now you're acting like the draft was his brainchild? People want to blame him for everything lol. He pushed for the draft to be televised (something every fan was calling for) after it was done behind closed doors the first year. Maybe that's what you're thinking of.

The consensus best player in the league treats the ASG like a massive joke, in truly unprecedented fashion. Luka's put up a total of 35 points in his 5 ASGs, and has never once hit double digits. Start with those guys if you're really intent on putting a sizable portion of the blame on a single player.

You really think they would change the entire format of the ASG without saying anything to LBJ? Luka is younger than LBJ, he's just continuing with the example that's been set. Put Luka in the early to mid 2000s and he's not able to get away with it - to the same extent at least.

And yes, LBJ was completely checked out with the OG format bc the East always lost and he was never in the running for MVP. There's literal video evidence of this if you've followed but it doesn't sound like the ASG is your cup of tea.

Backtracking now. First he was "pushing for it", now you're just speculating that they ran it by him. Which even if they did and he said yes, so what? There's literally nothing here for you to make anything out of, but it's not stopping you.

And again, you're just singling him out when you can say that about loads of other players. He hasn't "checked out" in any way that anyone else hasn't over that time period save a couple of guys.

I know some of you guys like to blame LBJ for anything you think is wrong with the game today, but we have an example of the consensus best player in the league treating the game as a complete joke. If you think lack of effort in the ASG is a problem, criticize Jokic for being by far and away the worst offender, followed by Luka. No one else is in their class, and I'm talking all-time. Blaming LeBron for Jokic never taking the ASG game seriously is one of the biggest stretches I've seen on this forum.

[SparksAC]

Work Vacation!

My goodness dude do you comprehend the difference between a non-work vacation and a work vacation?

This all started on page 1 of this thread when you said:

"These guys use all-star for vacation and family time. Nobody wants to work a full season without vacation time. Imagine working a job and you can't go on vacation all year."

Posters disputed "can't go on vacation all year" is wrong because that ignores many months in the off-season that they may choose go on vacation. You then claim "Rich people get special privileges" and then go on about players having to work in the off-season to keep in shape, while ignoring that they could still workout and be with their family including taking vacation if they choose.

Then you move the goalposts from all year to differentiating "non-work vacation" from "work vacation" implying they need time off during the 7-month work season in addition to 5 months non-work season. That's quite a story line with so many twists and turns!

Bottom line: I'd say that no NBA players would trade a 7-month work-year to play a game they love + 5 months of free time to do what they choose, for a 9-5 job with (usually) 2 weeks of vacation. In other word,, not buying what you're selling.

I'm not talking about their off-season.

I'm talking about in season. They get a break during the season. I'm talking about the all-stars deserving a full week off without having to travel to all-star weekend and work.

If you can't comprehend what I'm saying then we can just agree to disagree.

They only have to play 65 out of 82 games in 7 months. If they want time off, they are already allowed to be off 25% of their working days. Do you see any other jobs having to show up to 3/4 of their workdays?

[JustBuzzin]

This all started on page 1 of this thread when you said:

"These guys use all-star for vacation and family time. Nobody wants to work a full season without vacation time. Imagine working a job and you can't go on vacation all year."

Posters disputed "can't go on vacation all year" is wrong because that ignores many months in the off-season that they may choose go on vacation. You then claim "Rich people get special privileges" and then go on about players having to work in the off-season to keep in shape, while ignoring that they could still workout and be with their family including taking vacation if they choose.

Then you move the goalposts from all year to differentiating "non-work vacation" from "work vacation" implying they need time off during the 7-month work season in addition to 5 months non-work season. That's quite a story line with so many twists and turns!

Bottom line: I'd say that no NBA players would trade a 7-month work-year to play a game they love + 5 months of free time to do what they choose, for a 9-5 job with (usually) 2 weeks of vacation. In other word,, not buying what you're selling.

I'm not talking about their off-season.

I'm talking about in season. They get a break during the season. I'm talking about the all-stars deserving a full week off without having to travel to all-star weekend and work.

If you can't comprehend what I'm saying then we can just agree to disagree.

They only have to play 65 out of 82 games in 7 months. If they want time off, they are already allowed to be off 25% of their working days. Do you see any other jobs having to show up to 3/4 of their workdays?

End the conversation bro.

[Lalouie]

yeah,,,he'll accept the responsibility on a silly all star game

[NyKnicks1714]

This all started on page 1 of this thread when you said:

"These guys use all-star for vacation and family time. Nobody wants to work a full season without vacation time. Imagine working a job and you can't go on vacation all year."

Posters disputed "can't go on vacation all year" is wrong because that ignores many months in the off-season that they may choose go on vacation. You then claim "Rich people get special privileges" and then go on about players having to work in the off-season to keep in shape, while ignoring that they could still workout and be with their family including taking vacation if they choose.

Then you move the goalposts from all year to differentiating "non-work vacation" from "work vacation" implying they need time off during the 7-month work season in addition to 5 months non-work season. That's quite a story line with so many twists and turns!

Bottom line: I'd say that no NBA players would trade a 7-month work-year to play a game they love + 5 months of free time to do what they choose, for a 9-5 job with (usually) 2 weeks of vacation. In other word,, not buying what you're selling.

I'm not talking about their off-season.

I'm talking about in season. They get a break during the season. I'm talking about the all-stars deserving a full week off without having to travel to all-star weekend and work.

If you can't comprehend what I'm saying then we can just agree to disagree.

They only have to play 65 out of 82 games in 7 months. If they want time off, they are already allowed to be off 25% of their working days. Do you see any other jobs having to show up to 3/4 of their workdays?

Just because they can miss 17 games, doesn't mean they can take a vacation somewhere. Their working days include practice, watching film, other team activities, working out, physical therapy. And why are we comparing NBA players to the average person. Yes, they have it better in a ton of ways, their work and vacation schedule being one of them. Explaining this to them isn't going to suddenly make them try harder in the All-star game. To them it's a job. They get 3-5 months off (depending on playoff success) and as of a few years ago, a one-week mid-season vacation. I don't care how rich you are, if you have a vacation you're going to want to use it as a vacation.

[ReasonablySober]

It's not just an NBA issue the All Star games in the MLB and NFL should be gone too. They were a fun idea back in the day but today's players make too much money to play hard or potentially risk getting injured in a meaningless exhibition game.

Hey, don't bring MLB into this. That game is awesome.

[Johnny Bball]

He talks about "the fans" the entire time, but everything he delivers is not what fans have been asking for, he's fixing what is not broken, while avoiding the real issues that need attention.

[jazzfan1971]

Maybe put them in brackets.. Have a random contest for each pairing. Winner moves on, loser is out.

High jump (who can touch the highest point)
Air time
Longest dunk
Sprint
Agility drill
Superman drill
3pt contest
Fastest to complete 10 laps
1 on 1 to 21
PIG

[jbk1234]

Replace it with a Game of Shame. The 30 worst players in the NBA have to compete on national TV.

[Shock Defeat]

I'm kind of done with the all star game as well. Peak ASG to me was 2003 when MJ played. Since then it's gotten less and less competitive and the 200 point debacle that happened this Feb was the worst one of them all.

I miss those days when the dunk contest and ASG were big time spectacles.