Clippers discuss how to make All-Star game more competitive

Even Clippers All-Star guard Chris Paul is concerned about the lack of competitiveness in the All-Star games.

So after much complaining about the All-Star game in New Orleans last month and how it wasn’t fun to watch, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver reached out to Paul to discuss how the game can be improved.

Silver, who was speaking Friday at the Sloan Sports Analytics Conference in Boston, said “some change” could be coming.

“We collectively want to try to make All-Star weekend better for the fans all the way around,” said Paul, who is the president of the players’ association. “Even in CBA [collective bargaining agreement] talks, that was one of the things that the players, the owners and everybody are trying to fix up, spice up a little bit, keep it interesting.”

The winner of the Major League Baseball All-Star game gives the home-field advantage to the winner from the National League or the American League.

“You look at what baseball has done to the winner of that,” Milwaukee Coach Jason Kidd, a 10-time NBA All-Star, said. “It becomes competitive. It means something. Adam’s a very smart man and they’ll figure it out.”

Paul Pierce, a 10-time All-Star, said the games were competitive when he played for the Eastern Conference because of players like Kobe Bryant in the West.

Pierce didn’t hold back on what’s needed to improve the All-Star games.

“Go to Costco. If they sell competitiveness, buy that, give it to the players and maybe it’ll change,” Pierce said. “If you don’t buy that or they don’t sell that, nothing is going to change… I mean, we had more competitive players. Kobe. We had way more competitive.”

Clippers Coach Doc Rivers thinks more money would be enticing for the players.

“I’ve advocated winner takes all,” Rivers said. “The winners get a check and it goes by who wins.”

Would that encourage them?

“No,” Rivers said, laughing. “It’s a thought.”

So what does Pierce think about a cash incentive.

“Don’t nobody care about that $25-$30,000, when everybody role players are making $70 million and then you got All-Stars making $100 [million],” Pierce said. “Don’t nobody care about that. They care about not getting hurt. Make the incentive bigger. Give out Mercedes.”

Said Rivers: “At the end of the day, no matter what the changes are, it’s going to come down to the player. They’re going to want to have to do it, and it comes down to winning and losing.”

UP NEXT

AT CHICAGO

When: 5:30 p.m. PST, Saturday.

Where: United Center.

On the air: TV: Channel 7; Radio: 570, 1330.

Records: Clippers 36-25; Bulls 31-30.

Records vs. Bulls: 1-0.

Update: The Clippers are 10-5 against the Bulls in their last 15 games. Jimmy Butler leads the Bulls in scoring (23.9 points per game) and steals (1.9). Rajon Rondo leads the team in assists (6.4).

broderick.turner@latimes.com

Twitter: @BA_Turner