LeBron James criticizes current NBA: "Too many damn three-pointers are being taken"

LeBron James is on the verge of becoming the all-time leader in minutes played in the NBA regular season this Thursday, in the same city where he played his first minutes, when the Los Angeles Lakers face the Sacramento Kings.

This will be another achievement in a career full of successes for the four-time MVP, four-time champion, and 20-time All-Star, who is also the league's all-time leading scorer. However, 39-year-old James was not in a celebratory mood after the Lakers' morning practice this Thursday. When asked about the changes announced in the All-Star Game format for February, James lamented the current state of the league.

“It's not just about the All-Star Game. It's about our game in general,” James stated. “Too many damn threes are being launched. So it's a broader conversation than just about the All-Star Game.”

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver addressed the criticism of the increase in three-point attempts before the NBA Cup championship on Tuesday. “The answer is yes, [we are having] many discussions about the style of basketball being played,” Silver affirmed. “I wouldn't reduce it to a so-called three-point shooting problem. I think we're looking at it more comprehensively, considering the skill level on the court, offensive diversity, fan reception to the game, all together.”

To put into perspective how much the three-pointer has become a cornerstone of NBA offenses, the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors averaged 31.6 three-point attempts per game, ranking first in the league, on their way to a record of 73-9. This year, that average would place them in 29th, just above the Denver Nuggets (30.4). The defending champions, Boston Celtics, lead with an average of 51.1 three-point attempts per game, which would break previous records for three-point attempts in a season.

Regarding the All-Star Game, the league announced this week that instead of the traditional East vs. West format or teams selected by the players with the most votes in each conference, there will be a format of everyone against everyone. The 24 players selected as All-Stars will be divided into teams of eight, and a fourth team of eight will be formed with players from the Rising Stars Game on Friday night. Two teams will face off in a semifinal and the other two in another, with a third championship game between the winners. Each game will be untimed and will end when the first team reaches or exceeds 40 points.

While James' teammate, Anthony Davis, a nine-time All-Star, commented, “I don't like it much” about the format change, James was more open to the idea. “Something had to change,” James said, referring to last year's game that had a combined total of 397 meaningless points between the two teams. “We'll see, we'll see when we get there. It's different. Obviously, whenever you make any kind of change, there's resistance. I don't know. I have my ideas on what might work. You have to do something. Obviously, the last few years haven't been a great All-Star Game on Sunday night.”

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, LeBron James raja de la NBA actual: "Se están lanzando demasiados malditos triples"