NBA commissioner Adam Silver wants to expand the amount of players who make the All-Star Game. In a wide-ranging conversation with ESPN Radio Sunday night, Silver said that adding more players to each conference’s All-Star team is “something that will get very strong consideration.” He plans on discussing the subject soon with NBA Player Association executive director Michele Roberts.
Adam Silver in favor of expanding NBA All-Star rosters
After being forced to choose between DeMarcus Cousins and Damian Lillard, the Commissioner is now in favor of getting more players into the All-Star Game.
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“It has a direct impact on many of the player’s bonuses,” Silver said to ESPN. “There’s preset bonuses in their contracts for making the All-Star team.”
Silver said that being forced to choose an All-Star Game replacement for the injured Kobe Bryant -- an honor which eventually went to DeMarcus Cousins -- crystallized for him just how many players in the league are deserving of playing in the game.
“I didn’t like having to make that choice,” he told ESPN. “I wish I had another slot for Damian [Lillard] because I think he’s deserving of being an All-Star as well.”
Here’s what Silver said his reasoning was for choosing Cousins.
“I rely heavily on our basketball folks in terms of where the coaches’ [voting] came out. Of course there’s a fan vote for the starters and the coaches choose the reserves. DeMarcus was very high up on the coaches’ vote, so that had a strong influence on me. Ultimately I deferred to them. DeMarcus, based on his numbers, absolutely deserves to be an All-Star. Damian ... his numbers are great, too. When I look at his team’s record, I want to take that into account as well. Damian is someone who has literally been a model citizen in terms of what he’s done in the community, he’s done in Portland [and] activities he’s engaged in with the league. It was essentially a tie in my mind, so I ultimately deferred to the coaches.”
Silver said his only potential concern with adding more players to the All-Star Game rosters is that a number of them will spend most of the game sitting on the bench.
“I think counter-balancing that is the issue of playing time. [NBA executive vice president] Rod Thorn and I were having this discussion yesterday. We said we should move to [Kentucky coach John] Calipari’s platoon system for All-Star to make sure that everyone gets [enough] playing time.”
“In all seriousness, that’s one of the concerns with a larger team. We want to make sure guys get minutes as well if they’re All-Stars. I’m in favor of expanding it. I’m not sure if it’s by one or two [roster spots], but it is something Michele Roberts and I will discuss.”
Silver also said that over the next year he’d like to take a look at the league’s playoff and lottery formats.
“This is going to be the year where we have to make those decisions,” he said.
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