Proposed 1-on-1 Tournament Field for NBA All-Star Weekend

As discussed in Tuesday's edition of the Blazer's Edge Podcast, the premier way to spice up the NBA's All-Star Weekend would be adding a 1-on-1 Tournament. Aside from H-O-R-S-E, nothing else can come close to generating the type of excitement that an old-fashioned, playground showdown between the best players in the world would create.

Spinning the idea around a little more, we've come up with a list of participants for our mythical tournament this year. The format is a 64-player bracket. The finalists would end up having to win 6 times but the games would be short: to 13 by 2's and 3's with a 5:00 time limit. Nobody would be playing more than 20 minutes of basketball total.

To make it interesting, we've chosen 2 players from each franchise to make 60, plus 4 at-large bids to round out the bracket. We didn't choose on talent alone, but whether a player could make a decent showing in a 1-on-1 environment. For this reason you'll occasionally see a bench player in the tournament while his legit All-Star teammate is left off. This showcase will favor ball-handlers over bigs and the selections reflect that.

Finally, we've ignored all injuries but the most chronic (see also: Paul George) in order to make the list more interesting. Because, you know, we had to include Kobe.

So take a look. Would you be excited to see these 64 players match up against each other in a single-elimination bracket? Do you agree with me that winning this tournament in Year 1 would bring more prestige than any other All-Star weekend accolade except being named M.V.P. of the big game? Who would people be talking about on Monday, the guy who scored 30 against no defense or the guy who vanquished 63 other players mano-a-mano to be named the best 1-on-1 player in the league?

Here's the list:

Atlanta Hawks Jeff Teague, Paul Millsap

Boston Celtics Marcus Smart, Evan Turner

Brooklyn Nets Jarrett Jack, Joe Johnson

Charlotte Hornets Kemba Walker, Lance Stephenson

Chicago Bulls Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler

Cleveland Cavaliers LeBron James, J.R. Smith

Dallas Mavericks Rajon Rondo, Monta Ellis

Denver Nuggets Ty Lawson, Nate Robinson

Detroit Pistons Brandon Jennings, DJ Augustin

Golden State Warriors Steph Curry, Klay Thompson

Houston Rockets James Harden, Josh Smith

Indiana Pacers Rodney Stuckey, David West

Los Angeles Clippers Chis Paul, Austin Rivers Jamal Crawford

Los Angeles Lakers Kobe Bryant, Nick Young

Memphis Grizzlies Mike Conley, Zach Randolph

Miami Heat Dwyane Wade, Luol Deng

Milwaukee Bucks Giannis Anteokounmpo, O.J. Mayo

Minnesota Timberwolves Andrew Wiggins, Shabazz Muhammad

New Orleans Pelicans Tyreke Evans, Jrue Holiday

New York Knicks Carmelo Anthony, Tim Hardaway Jr.

Oklahoma City Thunder Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook

Orlando Magic Victor Oladipo, Ben Gordon

Philadelphia 76'ers Michael Carter-Williams, KJ McDaniels

Phoenix Suns Eric Bledsoe, Isaiah Thomas

Portland Trail Blazers Damian Lillard, Will Barton

Sacramento Kings Rudy Gay, DeMarcus Cousins

San Antonio Spurs Tony Parker, Kawhi Leonard

Toronto Raptors Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan

Utah Jazz Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors

Washington Wizards John Wall, Paul Pierce

At-Large Bids Kyrie Irving, Dirk Nowitzki, Anthony Davis, Gerald Green

Honorable Mention (but didn't make it): Vince Carter, Dion Waiters, Manu Ginobili, Jerryd Bayless

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Feel free to suggest additions or changes to the lineup in the comments.

--Dave blazersub@gmail.com / @DaveDeckard / @Blazersedge