The NBA is expanding the All-Star ballot to include all players, and pushing back the start of voting so fans can better consider their choices.
Voting for the Feb. 15 game in New York will open Dec. 11. It traditionally began this week, when teams aren’t even 10 games into their seasons.
The ballot on NBA.com will for the first time feature every player in the league. It formerly included only 60 players per conference who had been selected by a media panel.
— Associated Press
Quick reaction from InsideHoops.com editor Jeff Lenchiner: Both of these moves make sense. The league might as well include all players on the ballot. There’s no negative. But having a set number of players on the ballot, as has been the case, always meant that at least a few players who deserved to be listed weren’t included. And pushing back the start date also makes sense. Voting used to begin extremely early in the season. Yes, All-Star balloting will always be a popularity contest. There will always be many fans voting for players they like, instead of going strictly with players who actually deserve the vote. Still, pushing back the start date at least ensures that the world of basketball observers will have a better sense as to who deserves consideration, and it should only make the voting better.
