LeBron on new ASG: 'Something had to change'

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- LeBron James is group to go the NBA's all-time leader successful regular play minutes played Thursday backmost successful the aforesaid metropolis wherever he logged his first, erstwhile the Los Angeles Lakers play the Sacramento Kings.

It will beryllium different accomplishment successful a profession teeming pinch them for the four-time MVP, four-time champion and 20-time All-Star who besides happens to beryllium the league's all-time starring scorer.

But the 39-year-old James was not successful a celebratory temper aft Lakers shootaround Thursday morning. Rather, erstwhile asked astir the announced changes for the All-Star crippled format successful February, James lamented the authorities of the league.

"It's not conscionable the All-Star Game. It's our crippled successful general," James said. "There's a batch of f---ing 3s being shot. So it's a bigger speech than conscionable the All-Star Game."

NBA commissioner Adam Silver addressed disapproval aimed astatine the summation successful 3-point measurement this week up of the NBA Cup title connected Tuesday.

"The reply is yes, [we are having] galore discussions astir the style of hoops [being played]," Silver said. "I would not trim it to a alleged 3-point shooting issue. I deliberation we look much holistically astatine the accomplishment level connected the floor, the diverseness of the offense, the instrumentality reception to the game, each of the above."

To connection immoderate position arsenic to conscionable really overmuch the 3-point changeable has go a staple for NBA offenses, the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors averaged 31.6 3-point attempts per crippled - No. 1 successful the convention - en way to a 73-9 record. They would rank 29th this season, pinch only the Denver Nuggets attempting less per crippled (30.4). The defending champion Boston Celtics are first, averaging 51.1 3-point attempts per game, which would shatter the erstwhile squad records for 3-point attempts successful a season.

As for the All-Star game, the convention announced this week that alternatively than person the accepted East vs. West game, aliases moreover person the team's drafted by the apical ballot getters successful each conference, location will beryllium a information robin played instead.

The 24 All-Stars selected will beryllium divided up into teams of 8 and a 4th squad of 8 will beryllium comprised of players from the Rising Stars crippled connected Friday night. Two teams will play successful 1 semifinal and the different 2 teams will play successful different semifinal, mounting up a 3rd title crippled betwixt the winners. Each of the games will untimed and will extremity erstwhile the first squad reaches aliases surpasses 40 points to win.

While James' teammate, nine-time All-Star Anthony Davis said, "I don't really for illustration it," erstwhile asked astir the format change, James sounded much unfastened to it.

"Something had to change," James said, alluding to past year's crippled that featured 397 combined, meaningless points by the 2 teams.

"We'll see, we'll spot erstwhile we get there," he continued. "It's different. Obviously anytime you make immoderate type of alteration it's going to beryllium immoderate subordinate back. I don't know. I mean, I person my ideas of what could perchance work. ... You sewage to do something. Obviously, the past mates of years person not been a awesome All-Star Game that Sunday night."

James comes into Thursday pinch 57,437 profession regular play minutes played - 9 down Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time people of 57,446. However, if you count the 23 minutes James played successful the NBA Cup title successful Las Vegas past year, he has already passed Abdul-Jabbar's mark. The convention does not count the NBA Cup title statistic towards regular play aliases playoff records.