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The NBA has made a major alteration to the All-Star Game format by making it a draft to determine the rosters of both teams.
At this juncture, the actual selection process of the players eligible to play in the contest will not be televised. It's something that Oklahoma City Thunder forward Carmelo Anthony believes should remain off TV because of the various factors at play, according to Fred Katz of The Norman Transcript.
Melo doesn’t think the All-Star draft should be televised but seemed excited about the potential rivalries that could stem from it: “Friendships can come into play”
Captains will select teams at the upcoming All-Star Game: pic.twitter.com/MPdDRy74Ad
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) December 28, 2017
“If that's what's going on I don't think you should televise that. I think that's something you should keep in-house. I don't think everyone in the outside world needs to be on the inside of that. The flipside of that is that you will have a lot of players made at whoever the captains are. Guys are going to be mad. Guys are going to be upset. Friendships come into play. I think it's a fun thing to do and time to switch it up. It's time you got to figure it out for the All-Star (Game). Bring back that excitement not just for the week but the game itself. They are going to try it, and if it works then they came up with a hell of a idea.”
In the last few years, there has been much criticism toward the lack of true competition on both sides in the contest. It has become more of a scoring show than an actual game where the best players in the league are fiercely competing against each other.
The hope is that this draft will bring back that competitive fire that had made it a must-watch contest during All-Star Weekend. The drafting of each team by selected captains could also bring some drama that may factor into there being a more personal edge on each side.
This could also lead to the NBA deciding to televise the drafting process to both garner more financial gains from the event itself while also pulling a larger national draw to the All-Star Game. This is a new approach the league is taking and it will be interesting to see how it will work out.
