When you’re watching the Warriors play, you’re essentially watching an All-Star team. Last year, the Warriors had three players selected to the All-Star game and this year they could likely have four. Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green represented the Bay in Toronto last season. Kevin Durant was there too, but as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Could all four be selected to go this year? Maybe. Curry and Durant were both starters in Toronto, with Green and Thompson selected as reserves. Could the Warriors have three starters? Unlikely, but this year’s selection process will be very different than in year’s past.
According to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today Sports, the players and the media will join the fans in the All-Star voting process:
NBA fans aren’t the only ones who will be voting for the 2017 All-Star starters.
For the first time, NBA players and select basketball media members will vote for the Eastern and Western conference starters in the Feb. 19 game in New Orleans, the league said in a news release.
Fans will make up 50% of the vote, and NBA players and media each will comprise 25% of the vote.
The media and players will now have a voice in who gets to start for each conference in New Orleans. What an interesting twist. It was usually a popularity contest, but now players will be able to vote for their peers and voting for yourself is allowed. I wonder how many players don’t put their own name down.
The fans used to have 100 percent of the power, now it’s only half. Granted, they still have the majority of the shares, but now some of the close races for a starting spot, will come down to how the players and media vote.
It should be fun. Let’s see how it turns out.