NBA should bow to fans’ demands
All-Star draft likely to be televised
LOS ANGELES – Toronto Raptors AllStar shooting guard DeMar DeRozan made the most vocal plea for televising the player draft immediately after Sunday’s All-Star Game.
“Give the people what they want,” he said. “I think everybody wants to see it. At the end of the day, every single person that gets picked, you are an All-Star, so it doesn’t matter where you really go, so I think televise it.”
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver appeared to be listening to players, fans and media when he acknowledged after the game the likelihood of revealing the All-Star draft order next year on TV.
“When we sat with the union and came up with this format, we all agreed, let’s not turn something that’s 100% positive into a potential negative to any player,” he told ESPN. “But then ... maybe we’re overly conservative because then we came out of there, and the players were, ‘We can take it. We’re AllStars. Let’s have a draft.’ So it sounds like we’re going to have a televised draft next year.”
Silver didn’t have exact details on what would be the latest iteration of the NBA’s revamped All-Star format, but he was confident it would be sorted out.
In the wake of Sunday’s competitive All-Star Game, which saw Team LeBron storm back on Team Stephen 148-145 thanks to crunchtime defense, fans got a few more answers from James on what had previously been an unknown draft order.
“I took Kevin (Durant) first, then I took Anthony Davis, and I followed that with Kyrie (Irving) and DeMarcus (Cousins),” James said, ending speculation of where he selected his former Cleveland teammate.
In fact, after connecting on one of the game’s decisive buckets with Irving, James reminisced about their time together.
“It was phenomenal, it was phenomenal,” he said. “Anytime you’re able to get back and play with one of your old teammates, and as great as he is, we all know that. The flashiness, the ballhandling, the ability to shoot, it was just great to get back on the floor with him. It was a great moment, for sure.”
James was also enthusiastic about the weekend’s host, Los Angeles, which many wonder whether it will be his new home when the Cavs star becomes a free agent this summer.
“I think L.A. is a perfect place to host All-Star Weekend,” James said after being named MVP with his 29-point, 10rebound, eight-assist outing. “You’ve got so many people from all over the world coming to watch our game and just be a part of All-Star Weekend. And we know the traffic. We understand that. But traffic is traffic and — but L.A. can accommodate that.
“It’s built for stars. It’s built for entertainment. It’s built for cameras and bright lights, and it’s a great place for it. I hope everybody had a great weekend. I know I did. I know my family did. So it was a great weekend.”