Don’t underestimate the extent of the back and forth that went on between the National Basketball Association and the players union on the proposal to televise the All-Star draft proceedings. Even as the notion supports the very purpose of the annual festivities, its implementation induces second-guessing. From the choices of captains to the order in which picks are made, those looking in will not help but wonder about the What Ifs and Could Have Beens.
Granted, making the draft public will fuel speculation, not to mention result in hurt feelings among those at or near the bottom of the rankings. LeBron James is right; speaking from his experience as 2018 skipper and armed with no small measure of logic, he argues that every player participating in the spectacle is an All-Star. Whether chosen first or 24th, he’s part of an elite group that does not include the other 426 plying their trade in the league.
Frankly, the reasons for televising the All-Star draft far outnumber those against. To begin with, fans will have a field day with the knowledge, certain to bombard social media with their opinions on how it progressed. Did personal relationships have a factor in the order? Were choices made based on rational thought? Collectively, will they lead to a more competitive match? As the contest last February proved, he new format at the very least got the two sides heavily invested in the outcome.
If nothing else, the decision to grant all and sundry access to the draft from beginning to end speaks to the progressive nature of the NBA. It continues to be the most fan-friendly league in the world, what with its heads all too aware of the need to perpetually engage even casual observers in the face of countless other products competing for their time. Most importantly, its stars are, too — which, in the final analysis, makes all the difference.
POSTSCRIPT: The NBA 2K Asia Tournament is back. Qualifiers will be held in Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea, and the Philippines until February 2019. The top two players from each country will then participate in the NBA 2K19 Asia Tournament Grand Finals in March 2019. Played exclusively on the PlayStation 4, the tournament features a prize pool of US$10,000.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994.
