Perhaps taking a page from the very similar NFL Pro Bowl draft (which lasted all of three years, and wasn't very well received by some ex-players or coaches), as well as the NHL, the NBA is switching All-Star Game formats, and will have a pair of captains select their own teams from a pool of players without worrying about which conference they play in.
The captains will be one player each from the East and West who come in first in a fan vote.
Additionally, there will still be 12 players per conference selected to become a part of the pool. There will also still be five players per conference picked as starters via a combination of the fan vote (50 percent), the player vote (25 percent) and the media vote (25 percent). The final seven reserves will be chosen by the head coaches of each conference.
When it comes to the actual selecting of teams, the pool of 10 starters will be chosen first to ensure that they'll begin the game on the floor.
As reported by ESPN, the actual date of the All-Star draft hasn't yet been determined, but it will come some time before All-Star Weekend.
This tweak of the traditional rules came about as part of a joint effort by the players' union, especially president Chris Paul, and the league, and had been in discussion for the past few years. ESPN also reports that Michael Jordan, who doubles as the chairman of the owners' labor relations committee, was a big part of making the change from the NBA's side.
Despite those modifications, coaches will still be determined the same way they have for previous contests. The coach with the best record in each respective conference two weeks prior to the game, (excluding last year's coaches Steve Kerr and Brad Stevens) will get to direct whatever freakin' roster is chosen for him by LeBron and Stephen Curry the yet-to-be-voted-on captains.
