Silver says Paul approached him about All-Star Game changes
While some complain about the competitiveness of the NBA Finals through two games, commissioner Adam Silver is working on angles to make the league's midseason classic a little less ridiculous.
"I promise this time that next year's will be different," Silver told ESPN's Rachel Nichols on a Periscope chat before Sunday's Game 2. "We've gotten to the point where everyone seemed to agree it needed to be more competitive. And by everyone, I mean including the players. Chris Paul, who's president of the union, he was the first to say to me the day after the game - and he wasn't playing in that game - let's get together and do something about this."
February's All-Star Game in New Orleans was a playground ball snoozefest that ended in a 192-182 West win. For a few years now, ideas have circulated about changing what appears to be a tired format, and Silver said he's still open to suggestions from fans.
"We're tossing around all kinds of ideas," he said. "Having players play for particular charities, picking team captains, picking teams, maybe not making it just East vs. West, there's a lot of great ideas out there ... for our fans on Twitter and Facebook, send them in. We're open to new ideas."
The NFL's Pro Bowl and the NHL All-Star Game used player draft formats over the last decade, although both have since returned to more traditional conference setups.
Next season's NBA All-Star weekend is scheduled for Feb. 16-18, 2018 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.