NBA Awards: 4 Ways To Fix The System
Eliminate Conferences For The All-Star Game
For years, the NBA has existed with imbalance between its two conferences. The bulk of the star talent has been in the Western Conference since Jordan’s Chicago Bulls hung up their crowns.
Twelve of the last 16 MVP awards have come from the Western Conference and likewise 12 of the last 16 NBA champions have come from the West.
The same sort of imbalance holds true for the league’s most popular players as well. Last season seven of the nine players with the most All-Star votes were from the Western Conference, including leading vote-getter Kobe Bryant.
If the All-Star Game exists to truly reward and showcase the league’s best talent and biggest stars, then forcing the two teams to draw from separate conferences will ensure deserving players are left out, while players such as Kyle Korver and Jrue Holiday make the team on the other side.
Joe Johnson logged seven All-Star appearances in the East, while deserving Western Conference players sat at home.
The league has already moved towards a system where the All-Star rosters aren’t split evenly between the two conferences. All-Star voting on Google, Twitter or via text messaging allows fans to vote regardless of conference.
It would be a tradition-busting move, but a fair one, to take that a step forward and eliminate conferences from the equation altogether.
This would allow the best players across the league to participate, and to play on the court with stars no matter what team they suit up for. Teams could be selected on-air by TNT personnel at the All-Star reveal, or in any of a number of different ways.
Perhaps the players arrive at All-Star Weekend and shoot for teams or do playground-style with captains picking teams.
There are a few downsides, from losing the easy-branding of East vs West to the question of who coaches the teams. The league also has incentive to keep the Eastern players in their biggest markets on center stage to drum up as much interest as possible.
But these are not major issues with a change that should be made.
Who is ready to see the Banana Boat crew start against the Warriors Death Lineup in the All-Star Game?