And we're back. The first second-half edition of 10 things features the NBA's All-Star innovations, Donovan Mitchell rounding out his game and some pros and cons of Dwight Howard with the Philadelphia 76ers.
1. The NBA's open mind on All-Star
The NBA gets clowned for gimmicky innovations, even if some live only in the G League. The proposed midseason tournament and the now-dormant push to reseed the conference finals drew lots of eye-rolling.
But credit the league for reinventing All-Star weekend. Having captains pick teams has been a hit. It conjured a television event -- the draft -- that spits out classic NBA melodrama, with this season's snubbing of the Utah Jazz ("no slander"!) inspiring both good-natured humor and vitriolic small-market martyrdom.