Stiles Points: It Is Important For Markets Like Indianapolis to Host All-Star Events Despite Weather

The NBA All-Star Weekend received a lot of negative feedback, some for good reason. The defense was atrocious; half the dunk contest field did not have NBA contracts and it snowed.

Yes, believe it or not, the weather was a big story out of Indianapolis this weekend. While the national media — who got to watch free basketball and had access to the best players in the world — it was all for not because ... it snowed.

This led to pundits on a varying scale of seriousness, hoping the NBA would only put these events in markets like L.A., Miami and less "boring and cold" cities.

Not only does that directly spit in the face of Indianapolis, a league made up of mostly comparable markets and the fans that the media is supposed to serve, but it also makes no sense.

What the All-Star Weekend represents for communities is massive foot traffic, giving them the ability to boost the local economy and put their beloved city on display for the world. Yes, it snowed, yes, it was cold, and no, it did not matter.

At the end of the day, those of us in the media received fantastic perks for going to All-Star Weekend, and crying about the cold is just extremely silly in the grand scheme of things. You are in town to watch basketball — I am so sorry it snowed outside.

Stiles Points:

Jalen Williams has shot up the NBA Most Improved Player betting lists, now owning 16/1 odds, ranking him fifth in the NBA according to FanDuel. While Tyrese Maxey is the award favorite, if Williams hits another post-all-star break leap as he did during his rookie campaign, this would be an excellent time to jump in on him taking home some hardware.
Is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander already the best Canadian basketball player? He does not think so yet but is trying to catch Steve Nash. The OKC Thunder star is right on his way to catching the Hall of Famer, but the edge right now has to go to the two-time MVP.
Darius Bazley is back in the NBA on a ten-day pact with the 76ers, and his first game will be against the New York Knicks on Thursday. Bazley has dominated in the NBA G League and the former first-round pick hopes to catch back on with the league.

Song Of The Day: Weatherman by Hank Williams Jr.

EXCLUSIVE: Keyontae Johnson Beats the Odds, with an NBA All-Star Weekend Appearance As Next Career Milestone

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