Hoops Habit
Fansided

NBA Awards: 4 Ways To Fix The System

By Josh Cornelissen

Feb 14, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Carmelo Anthony, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, Chris Paul, and LeBron James pose for a picture after the NBA All Star Game at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 14, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Carmelo Anthony, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, Chris Paul, and LeBron James pose for a picture after the NBA All Star Game at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 5
Next
Nov 6, 2016; Memphis, TN, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Mike Conley (11) brings the ball up court against Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) during the second half at FedExForum. Portland Trail Blazers defeats Memphis Grizzlies 100-94. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 6, 2016; Memphis, TN, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Mike Conley (11) brings the ball up court against Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) during the second half at FedExForum. Portland Trail Blazers defeats Memphis Grizzlies 100-94. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports /

Increase The All-Star Rosters

There is another problem with the All-Star rosters and that is their size. The number of All-Star positions does not reflect the number of players or stars in the league.

The NBA expanded the All-Star rosters to 12 players for the 1967-68 season, when the league had 14 teams and 151 players logged at least one minute on the court.

The league now has 30 teams and with the addition of two-way contracts next season will have more than 500 players in the league.

With the amount of fans watching the game and the ability for a number of stars to rise alongside each other, the league needs to find a way to showcase all of their best talent. This includes the players whose play deserves an All-Star berth, and those whose popularity does as well.

Expanding the rosters to 14 or 15 players would allow last year’s Kobe Bryant to make the team while not squeezing out a deserving player such as Damian Lillard.

With the league being an exhibition game anyway, giving a handful of extra minutes to the next few players added in would not damage the game.

The league could simply expand the number and keep the same system, or even institute a legacy spot for a superstar veteran who would get voted in but doesn’t deserve the position based on play.

Dwyane Wade may again be voted in this year, despite a number of deserving guards who should be in over him. A mechanism that allows him to be celebrated despite a decline in play could be in order.

Regardless of the system, the rosters need to be larger and more players showcased on the league’s All-Star stage. This is a change that is a long-time coming and the league should take action before the 2018 game.