Without LeBron, How Bad will the 2019 Eastern All-Stars Look?

LeBron James to the West. How will it impact the East?

With LeBron James’ departure, superstar talent between the conferences has reached new levels of disparity. It leaves one to wonder: how obvious will that look in February when the NBA publishes its new All-Star lineups?

NBA’s Compromise

The NBA is not an ignorant bystander to this.

For the 2018 All-Star Game, the league instituted a new format for the contest. The roster of 24 participants remained equal between the conferences, but they ditched the traditional East vs. West lineups. Instead, the highest vote-getting players were team captains. Publicly, the NBA reasoned this change was to provide an incentive for players to take the game…