The new NBA All-Star Game format possibly could create an awkward moment for several players around the league.
Under the new revisions, the teams for the All-Star Game will be picked by captains, as opposed to the traditional Eastern Conference vs. Western Conference matchup.
The two captains will be the top vote-getters from each conference. If this format was in place last season, LeBron James and Stephen Curry would have been voted captains. And considering how popular the two stars are, there’s a good chance that one, if not both of them could pace the field in votes this season.
So, if King James ultimately is bestowed the honor of captain, is there any chance he would draft Kyrie Irving for his team? Kevin Love believes there multiple factors that would go into the decision.
“Ooh. It depends on how far, I guess, how far he’s picked,” Love told Cleveland.com. “You know he’s going to pick … we talked about peanut butter and jelly this week and maybe the banana boat guys, so, we’ll see what happens. I know that he’ll have some fun with it. If he wants to, he has a future in this league of being on that side of basketball operations and I’d imagine he would put together a hell of a team. So, it just depends. If we need shooting, both (Curry and Irving) are there. If we need ball handling, distributing, both guys are there. That’s tough. That’s a tossup.”
It’s anyone’s guess as to where James and Irving currently stand in their relationship. The two were a formidable duo during Irving’s time with the Cleveland Cavaliers, but the star point guard might have burned bridges after requesting a trade and joining the Boston Celtics.
The All-Star Game is all about fun, but there’s a chance there could be some tension during the mid-season festivities in Los Angeles.
Thumbnail photo via Ken Blaze/USA TODAY Sports Images
