Evidently sick of all the speculation about his worthiness of an All-Star roster spot, Kevin Durant presented a challenge in an interview with NewsOk.com. “Whoever want my spot can play me 1-on-1 for it,” Durant dared with a wry grin.
We have come to expect this type of comment from KD. He is always genuine with the media and self-assured enough to crack a joke now and then. While no one is likely to accept Durant’s invitation, I imagine that he would willingly engage in the competition if prompted to do so.
Even though the NBA would not adjust the All-Stars to honor Durant’s offer if he was bested in such a contest, that 1-on-1 battle would still make for quite a spectacle. In fact, just about any fan of the NBA would love to watch KD square off against a disrespected and retribution-seeking Damian Lillard. Of course, Lillard has since been named as an injury replacement for Blake Griffin, but the point remains intact: a 1-on-1 game between NBA stars would be a captivating watch, one that could be included during All-Star weekend.
As it currently stands, the format of the NBA All-Star weekend events is in need of renovation. Luckily, Commissioner Adam Silver appears to be open to any and all changes to improve the league, so an upgraded All-Star weekend may soon be on its way. If I was selected by Silver as the head and sole member of the Committee to Revamp All-Star weekend, my new format for the weekend would look something like this:
Friday:
NBA All-Star Celebrity Game – This event typically features little to no quality basketball, and the term “celebrity” is liberally applied to most of these competitors. Somehow it manages to be reasonably enjoyable, mostly thanks to mainstay Kevin Hart. Plus watching a 50-year-old white guy with silver hair (Arne Duncan) completely dominate the game is pretty entertaining. Other than pushing for greater star power, I would not change anything about this event, mostly because it’s just not that important.
Rising Stars Challenge – The 2015 version of this event features a weirdly creative and somehow acceptably jingoistic twist: a roster of U.S. players vs. a roster of foreign players. The Rising Stars Challenge has been searching for a new identity since it changed from its original setup of rookies vs. sophomores. I rather enjoyed the Charles Barkley vs. Shaq dynamic that the challenge used a couple year ago. Even if the challenge does not pit Chuck and Shaq against each other every year, it should retain the concept of two celebrities drafting their own teams from the pool of chosen Rising Stars and battling for braggin’ rights on the courts. The two celebrities who are drafting the teams should be noteworthy names/rivals of the moment, such as Chris Evans (Captain America/Patriots fan) vs. Chris Pratt (Star-Lord/Seahawks fan) or Kanye West vs. whoever topped Beyoncé for the best album Grammy that year.
Many people probably think that All-Star weekend begins on Saturday, so this event is far from the main attraction, and therefore is not the focus of my revamping. It’s just a chance to showcase some of the league’s future stars. Let’s move on.
Saturday:
Shooting Stars Challenge – King of the half-court shot Chris Bosh may object to this, but this competition needs a total overhaul. The purpose is to reveal the best team of shooters in terms of relevant shots, not half-court heaves. At least that’s the purpose when I’m running the show.
The setup does not need to be particularly elegant; something simple will suffice. The event should stick with its four teams of three competing in a first round followed by championship format. That element is acceptable. The changes made will revolve around the shots that these players attempt.
A basic outline: Each player is given his or her own ball. The team must make a total of eight shots from pre-selected floor locations. The first six shots—in order—must be low block, free throw elbow, free throw, mid base line, opposite free throw elbow, top of the key. The teams will divide up the shots so that each player is making two. After making the first six shots, the group will gather at the three-point line directly behind the top of the key. From this location, the team must make a total of two shots. Whichever team finishes in the least amount of time is the winner.
Skills Challenge – N/A. It’s lame. I’m scrapping it from my event list.
2-on-2 Tournament – While I really like the notion of a 1-on-1 contest, I absolutely love the 2-on-2 idea. So if this 2-on-2 idea goes well, maybe I’ll add the 1-on-1 next year. For now, the tournament would consist of four teams of two, each of which is comprised of teammates from their own NBA squad, playing games to seven scoring the baskets by ones and twos.
Imagine this setup with teams of LeBron & Kyrie, Durant & Westbrook, Steph Curry & Klay Thompson, and Chris Paul & Blake Griffin. This would instantly become the most exciting event of the night.
3-Point Contest - I have nothing to change here. This year’s challenge even boasts what is perhaps the best cast of contestants in the event’s history. As long as the star power is high, the 3-point contest is a lot of fun.
Slam Dunk – The current dunk contest has three problems: no stars are involved, there are too many missed dunk attempts, and no freaking stars are involved. Resolving the dreadful number of missed dunk attempts is easy: allow less misses. The current rules allow three attempts per round. My contest would allow two. One less–big deal, right? In isolation, this probably would not have a huge impact, which is why I would also make one other critical change: if the dunker misses his first attempt of the round, his second attempt must use a different dunk. This would avoid the painful tedium of watching the same dunk missed twice and then finally completed successfully on the third try. At that point it’s hardly even exciting.
Of course, even these upgrades cannot single-handedly save the dunk contest. The key is who is doing the dunking. I just cannot imagine anyone springing from their seats while viewing a Mason Plumlee jam. Even if he pulls off something special, I’m still going to be wishing that I was watching LeBron throw down.
The only way to restore the Dunk Contest to its former glory is to bring back the stars. I would search for the proper incentive to attract the household names. Be it money, a car, or a marketing opportunity, I would find the bait and reel in the big fish. The most likely incentive to actually draw stars to the event is probably the marketing opportunity. Most of these stars are looking to gain more acclaim and grow their brands, so the prize for winning the contest should be an endorsement deal with the event’s sponsor.
Let’s say that this year Victor Oladipo wins the Dunk Contest. He would be rewarded with an endorsement and commercial deal with Sprite, the event’s sponsor. Oladipo and Sprite collaborate to create an epic commercial that plays over and over again on ESPN. Oladipo is lauded as the dunk king of the NBA. The stars of league watch this commercial and it hits a competitive nerve. Someone (maybe LeBron) sees Oladipo receiving all this attention and he decides that he wants to compete in next season’s contest. He wants to be the king.
This may be a bit of a long shot, but I’m willing to consider any idea that may bring LeBron James to the Dunk Contest.
Sunday:
NBA All-Star Game – At long last, we reach the main event. Brace yourself, these changes are going to be radical. I would begin my revamping of the game by overhauling the entire selection process. I would eliminate the East vs. West dynamic. The West is the better conference; everyone already knows that. As such, the West should rightfully boast more All-Star representation.
In my selection process, the pool of 24 players throughout the entire league (i.e. not necessarily 12 from each conference) would be decided by a combination vote from fans, coaches, and the players. This way, ideally, the 24 best players in the NBA will make the All-Star roster. Of the best players in the league today, how many reside in the Western Conference? I estimate around 15 or 16. With that being the case, it just makes more sense to allow the superior conference to send more players to the All-Star game.
Since the roster is not evenly comprised of Eastern and Western Conference players, a new way to divvy up the two teams must be arranged. In this new system, the top two vote getters become the captains of the two teams. These captains and their head coaches then draft their teams from the pool of the remaining 22 All-Stars. This would create so many potential salivation-worthy matchups. Depending on how the draft played out, at some point during the game Kevin Durant could be guarding Russell Westbrook. Or perhaps an opportunity would present itself for Kyrie Irving to showcase his filthy handle while defended by Cavs teammate, but All-Star foe LeBron James. These are the dream matchups between friends and teammates that we never have a chance to witness during regular game action. That’s what the All-Star weekend is all about: dream matchups and fun. And there is nothing more fun than burying a sweet J in the face of a friend.
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