NBA's Adam Silver: 'I'll Take Responsibility' for All-Star Game Lacking Intensity

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver wants the buck to stop with him for the All-Star Game typically lacking much in the way of competition.

Silver told Andscape's Marc J. Spears he'll "take responsibility" because the league has been "sending mixed signals" to players regarding the annual showcase.

"And if we want guys to treat this like a real game, and again, this is not about Finals intensity, it's just a fun game. But if we want players to treat it that way, we have to treat it that way," he said. "And so, it means that the introduction is going to have to be a little bit shorter and halftime's going to have to be a little bit more typical, starting in Indianapolis."

The NBA announced in October that it's reverting to the traditional format for the 2024 All-Star Game, with the Eastern Conference pitted against the Western Conference.

Some fans were disappointed with the news. The All-Star draft offered a change of pace and provided plenty of entertaining moments when the respective captains selected their squads.

However, Silver explained to Spears that a conversation with Chris Paul spurred the league to alter some features of the All-Star Game.

Paul told the commissioner that "you change all our pregame protocols so that we don't go through our typical routines as we would before a game because you have these elaborate introductions." The star point guard made a similar complaint about halftime, which is extended for the All-Star Game to accommodate the headline entertainment act.

Silver didn't say in his interview with Spears whether Paul took issue with the All-Star draft or the final target score. Considering both are atypical of a traditional game, the implication seems clear, though.

"When it comes to the [All-Star] Game, we just got to make it clear to everybody involved, coaches included, that we're looking for a basketball game," Silver said to Spears.

That's a sensible position to take, but the NBA instituted the player draft and final target score for a reason. The All-Star Game had begun to feel a bit stale, and perhaps it had outlived its usefulness as a standalone event.

By going back to the old East vs. West structure, the league risks running into that problem once again.