Silver: Changes to NBA All-Star Game 'an earring on a pig.' MORE:
Speaking at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference on Friday, Silver raised the idea of replacing the All-Star Game with a midseason or preseason tournament in which teams would compete for a separate championship, like they do in European soccer. Or groups of teams could compete in mini-tournaments in Asia or Europe.
The league is unlikely to make any changes — at least not any time soon — if only because a 70-game schedule like the one Silver discussed would require each team to give up six home games. Although players and coaches would love to see a shorter season, none is excited about taking a 20 per cent pay cut.
But the analytics conference in Boston's Bay Bay convention centre gives Silver the opportunity to think aloud about ways to make the NBA better. In past years he has addressed possible changes to the draft to discourage teams from tanking, but this year's hot topic was New Orleans Pelicans star Anthony Davis.
Silver said Davis' public trade request was a problem for the league, but not all that different than other players who made the request behind the scenes. The more frequent shuffling of stars among teams was an unintended consequence of a collective bargaining agreement that was designed to shorten contracts so players wouldn't be earning huge salaries long after they were productive.
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