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The NBA All-Star Game is fundamentally broken.
The game, which has always been played at a level well below that of a typical NBA game, has reached a new low in recent years and many star players believe it can’t be fixed.
Draymond Green is not one of those players. Green, the oft-outspoken four-time All-Star from the Golden State Warriors, has a unique view of how the game could rekindle some semblance of competitive fire.
“It’s called game day for a reason because everything you do that day is to prepare for the game,” Green said on a recent episode of his podcast. “The All-Star Game, you do a million other things before the game. And then, you’re asking the highest level of athletes to then go exert an extreme amount of energy.
“So, if you want the game to be a game, you need to make sure that guys can prepare for what? A game,” he continued.
Draymond Green Suggests NBA Should Hire Personal Trainers For All-Star Game
How does he propose that the league do that? Well, for one, it should hire personal trainers.
“That’s when you’re going to get guys hurt,” Green said. “Because if it’s the same obligations where you can’t focus on getting your body ready for a game, and then you’re going to say, ‘Hey, here’s a bright shiny object that is a million dollars.’ That’s when you’re going to get guys hurt. Why? Because they are exerting energy to get a million dollars and not properly preparing to exert that energy.”
The idea makes sense. But it’s hard to imagine players would change their attitudes toward the game.
Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards recently explained why he believes the game will never be competitive again.
“For me, it’s an All-Star Game, so I will never look at it as being super competitive,” he said. “It’s always fun. I don’t know what they can do to make it more competitive. I don’t know…It’s a break, so I don’t think everyone wants to come here and compete.”
Players still want the prestige of being an All-Star. So they’re unlikely to turn down a selection. But if they don’t want to play in the game, the logical answer would seem to be that they should opt-out.
Unfortunately, that’s not likely to happen. So it appears, for now, the game is beyond repair.