There’s a saying, “to the victor goes the spoils” and for Stephen Curry, if he were to be voted as an All-Star Captain, he’d be spoiling his teammates with the rewards. If we’re honest, that’s what makes the new format so interesting, the ability to be petty and further certain rivalries.
For those unaware, gone are the days of the East vs. West matchup in the NBA All Star Game and the new format is similar to what the NFL does with it’s Pro Bowl. The two players receiving the most votes would be captains of their squads. Those two captains would select from a pool of 22 players — from votes or coaches selections — who would be on their squads for the highlight show that is the NBA All Star Game.
In theory, this is where all of the pettiness from the NBA offseason could spill over. It could create a situation where the captains are able to go after their guys and also teach us where the true star alliances are in the NBA. The pettiness and possibly some latent competitiveness would be off the charts, especially for a glorified exhibition game.
For Steph Curry, who could very well find himself as a captain, his early decisions will be pretty easy, as he says he’ll happily take whatever Warriors are on the board. From there, though, it’ll get much trickier.
I asked Stephen Curry if he’s voted a captain of an All-Star team, who does he draft first? “Probably one of my teammates…” pic.twitter.com/jCczMbFWjs
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) October 11, 2017
“Probably one of my teammates,” Curry said when asked who he’d pick first. “Until you run out of those options, then you have to figure it out.”
“I don’t know,” he said when asked who he’d take after the Warriors were all gone. “You don’t go into a draft knowing who pick 9, 10, 11’s going to be, you’ve got to see how it unfolds.”
“If I’m the one picking, no, it’s fun. It’s a different type of set up and a different look, especially on the court when you mix up the conference and the different lineups you can get out there,” Curry responded when asked if it adds pressure. “There’s been All-Stars for years and the past six years probably certain lineups and notable guys that have been playing together on the Western Conference and the Eastern Conference and now you can switch it up a little bit. From a fan’s standpoint, I know that should be a huge storyline. Just to see who’s playing with who and even what they name the teams and jerseys and the whole setup’s going to be a different look. So, it should be fun.”
Curry’s comments on the matter aren’t surprising, and it’s very possible that he could get all the way to his fourth pick before he has to make a serious decision as to who to take. What will be far more fun is when LeBron James (and, it’s going to be LeBron from the East as a captain) picks at least one of the Warriors early to force them to split up, and then seeing how they proceed from there.
At the end of the day, we have first ballot petty hall of famers Michael Jordan and Chris Paul to thank for this new format change. In which, the All Star game has become a brand new petri dish for new strains of petty to deepen rivalries and possibly create new ones that’ll entertain fans with multiple headlines in the days forth. If you’re an NBA fan, whether casual or diehard, the fireworks will be sure to entertain when it comes time for the first All-Star Draft.
