All-Star changes not enough for Silver: 'We put an earring on a pig'
Adam Silver still thinks the NBA All-Star Game needs a dramatic overhaul, and this year's exhibition in Charlotte didn't change his mind.
"The All-Star Game didn't work," the commissioner said at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference on Friday, adding that the game was "an afterthought" of the weekend, according to the Associated Press.
"I get it. We put an earring on a pig."
Silver brought up the possibility of a midseason tournament replacing the All-Star Game if the league cuts the regular-season schedule down to roughly 70 games.
The 2019 event marked the second straight year that leading vote-getters in each conference selected rosters, with Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James named captains. The draft was also televised for the first time, although that did little to garner interest for the game itself.
The combined 3.8 television rating across TNT and TBS tied the 2008 and 2010 games for the lowest mark since 1990. The roughly 6.8-million viewers were also the second-fewest during that span.
The 2020 festivities will be held at the United Center in Chicago.