I want you read Chris Paul's comment on these changes... "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. We're looking forward to putting on an entertaining show in L.A." ...and take it with the grain of salt, because this has absolutely nothing to do with the actual game of basketball that couldn't be further from a priority to him or anyone else participating in it. I'm all for the NBA playing up to their status as professional sports' best soap opera, as long as we can all agree that these "improvements to the All Star Game" will begin and end prior to the tip-off. Personally, I appreciate the fact that the most intriguing moments of the weekend will be shortened into a succinct draft format where it will be easy to tell which of the world's best basketball players still harbor clear and present resentment for their current rivals or former teammates. After all, LeBron is all but guaranteed to do something that could potentially be laughed off as harmless, but will absolutely be a pointed insult at the "kid" sitting stoically across the room that goes by the name Kyrie. It will nothing short of hilarious to watch Russell Westbrook appear to smell the shit on his upper lip as Kevin Durant live tweets all the reasons he's not going to pick him from 15 anonymous, non-verified accounts. The rest of the Golden State Warriors' starting lineup is sure to say they don't care where they were drafted, only to have Draymond Green whine about it being an unforgivable slight mere hours later. There's nothing not to love about that type of good, old fashioned hostility. I just don't expect any of those grudges to truly translate on the court, or for this fun little gimmick to leave me feeling any more satisfied when it ultimately results in another defenseless, non-competitive game. Whether selected by conference or peers, professional basketball players are always going to be more worried about staying healthy than putting on a entertaining show in a completely meaningless game, and rightfully so. Admittedly, there's nothing Adam Silver could have done to get players to put forth an actual effort. In that sense, creating a platform that allows the pettiness and passive aggressiveness that makes the NBA so damn entertaining all year round to thrive was a smooth move. It just wasn't slick enough to convince me that the actual All Star Game itself will be 'must-watch' at best, or any different at worst.
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