NBA tweaks All- Star voting

Based on the new selection format, the starters for each conference will now be determined by a weighted average of the preferences of fans, players and members of the media. Since the All-Star Game remains a product for the people, it’s no surprise that

Don’t look now, but the National Basketball Association (NBA) has once again changed the way starters to the All- Star Game are selected. Last year, it made the vote universal, allowing fans in every corner of the world to cast their lot through online means, Web sites, social media, and apps included. The result was a 28% increase in the number of ballots even as the timeframe for submissions was contracted to 40 days from the previous 67. Heck, those who participated in the endeavor even got their choices right; for the most part, the players on the court for Valentine’s Day tipoff at the Air Canada Centre deserved to be there. (Okay, so maybe Kobe Bryant didn’t based on performance alone, but, hey, it was his last year in the pros, and hoops habitues no doubt rewarded him for two decades’ worth of work.) Nonetheless, not a few pundits figured there was still a need to tweak the system, hence the league’s decision to tinker with the rules anew.

Based on the new selection format, the starters for each conference will now be determined by a weighted average of the preferences of fans, players and members of the media. Since the All- Star Game remains a product for the people, it’s no surprise that their sentiments are worth half the total. That said, the Commissioner’s Office clearly listened to the pleadings of hopeful ballers and gave them a chance to contribute to the process and subsequently influence the outcome; their word carries a fourth of the aggregate. For good measure, scribes also get in on the action by way of counterbalance; their voice of reason and temperance is good for another 25%. Meanwhile, the duration for stuffing the boxes is limited to 23 days.

It remains to be seen whether the shortened period and relatively lower significance of the fan vote will depress turnout. Only time will tell if it won’t also skew the results enough to mess with the quality of the First Fives, a distinct possibility in light of the eligibility of all names on active rosters. On the other hand, the fact that league purveyors can chime in with ease, via a medium of their choosing, strengthens their investment in the affair.

No one, not even the most diehard of followers, will argue that the All- Star Game is anything more than the NBA’s way of saying thanks to its patrons. It’s competitive only in the dying minutes of the fourth quarter, and if the scores are still close by then. All the same, it’s a source of pride for players to be heralded as starters in the spectacle. And so they get the opportunity to vote, even for themselves, and in the process get treated to the notion that they have more control over the proceedings. Just don’t ask them to play defense or go all out; they want to pad their resume, not strain a vein.