Fans were not happy with the NBA All-Star Game, but is there actually a fix the league can make going forward?
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00:00 I don't think the NBA All-Star game can be fixed because the problem is effort.
00:04 You got guys like Anthony Edwards coming out and saying they're not going to be competitive.
00:07 Even the international guys like Luka you saw there aren't really giving it their full effort.
00:13 And to me, Dakota, it's beyond more than just this exhibition.
00:16 This is kind of exhibit A for a lot of problems the league has right now from an image standpoint
00:23 where you have to set minimum thresholds for games played.
00:26 There's load management out there. People think the regular season is meaningless.
00:29 You throw in this All-Star game. The league's as talented as it's ever been.
00:33 But the perception, partially rightfully so, is that there is a problem with the product
00:39 when it comes to the pride and effort.
00:42 I know how you fix the All-Star game. You cancel it.
00:46 Not even a game. It just feels like it's a relaxed, pick-up game as if guys are on vacation.
00:54 Everybody's being buddy-buddy. And again, I have no issue with that.
00:57 I'm not even necessarily mad at the players for not showing tremendous effort.
01:01 They just look at it as like a mini vacation.
01:03 And it's just like with having to go through a grueling regular season
01:08 and a lot of them that are competing in the game expected to be in the postseason.
01:12 It's like, look, it's a break for us. Like, we're doing it because it's kind of like we're obligated.
01:16 I don't know if there's necessarily a fix to the game.
01:19 I think the league would spend way-- would offer much better time trying to think of something outside of the box.
01:26 Like, the shoot-off between Sabrina and Steph was fantastic.
01:30 Maybe put more of your resources into figuring something close to that
01:34 as opposed to putting forth this effort consistently year after year.
01:38 Well, yeah, I thought that created a moment.
01:40 I'm not even joking. Could inspire little boys and girls.
01:43 And if that was the only thing All-Star weekend was, it would be a success.
01:48 It's everything else. People got a chance to compete.