In any other season, the opening of All-Star voting would come with plenty of fun arguments. Who deserves to make their first appearance on the grand stage? Who are the snubs? Who should be starting and who should be coming off the bench?
Why did the fans come out in droves to vote Carmelo Anthony, Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook and Klay Thompson into the top 10s of their respective categories? Instead, there is a more negative overarching theme.
As the debate whether or not there should be an All-Star game rages, top players chime in and the top of the NBA Power Rankings continues to shuffle.
Many of the star players around the league have voiced their displeasure with the event occurring. De’Aaron Fox called the idea stupid. LeBron James went off on the idea of having the game as a “slap in the face” to the players who are on the quickest turnaround in league history. Giannis Antetokounmpo echoed a similar sentiment, saying he stands with LeBron James on the matter.
LeBron: “I have zero energy and zero excitement about an All-Star game this season.” He said he was looking to a five-day break in March after the shortened offseason and believes it is not a wise decision during the pandemic, either. “I’ll be there physically but not mentally”
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) February 5, 2021
Ultimately, the need for an All-Star is a pretty terrible look for a league dealing with a pandemic. Highlighted by the mess of a situation surrounding Kevin Durant (more on that later), it is more confusing by the day why the powers that be insist on forcing it through. As important as money is, it should not be the only driving factor. The optics of this decision are atrocious.
All of that said there was plenty of good basketball to talk about. Throughout this week’s rankings, we will discuss players making All-Star pushes and how the pandemic has impacted others.