The All-Star game abandoned the East-West format last season and had captains pick teams regardless of conference. Isn’t it time to do the same thing on the All-Star ballot? Have fans vote for the 10 best players, period?
Steve Aschburner: No, see, we need to maintain the conference setup on the ballot to exert pressure on the players and their agents to stem the “westward ho!” flow of talent … nah, kidding. The fuzzy concept of missing out on an All-Star berth obviously hasn’t deterred anyone from crowding into the West. So yes, it’s appropriate for the ballot to sync up with how the All-Star squads are deployed and treat the talent pool of the entire NBA as one big playground. (BTW, we’re overdue for the all-NBA selection process to sync up with the All-Star ballot and allow voters to choose “frontcourt” and “backcourt” honorees, or just go position-less entirely with top five, top 10, top 15).
Shaun Powell: Love the idea, just wish it wasn’t a reaction from the imbalance of stars in the West. That said, the All-Star Game is all about entertainment and the fans, as it should be, so you give them what they want. The All-NBA teams are for the players.
John Schuhmann: My plan: The fans vote for five players from the East and five players from the West. The coaches then select another five from the East and five from the West, and then six more players from any conference. You would have two 13-man rosters (I have no idea why they haven’t been expanded yet) with at least 10 players from each conference, but you could have as many as 16 from either.
Sekou Smith: It’s time for change. The conference designations for All-Star weekend don’t change the fact that the bulk of the league’s biggest stars now call the Western Conference home. As long we have the player-draft format, it simply doesn’t matter. Might as well let the fans vote for the top 10 and then let the coaches select the reserves, regardless of conference affiliation, and make sure we get the best of the very best on the big stage for the league’s mid-season showcase.
