NBA fans made their minds up long ago that the league were going to televise the All Star draft.

“This is the best idea they’ve had since scrapping the microfiber balls over 10 years ago!” Surely they wouldn’t mess this up. Surely they couldn’t miss such an opportunity.

Uh, about that. The All Star draft will not be televised.

The game itself was getting so uncompetitive that after last year’s event, Houston Rockets guard and NBA Player's Association President Chris Paul called Adam Silver to discuss how they could improve it. Having the fans (mostly) vote for the starters, the coaches voting for the reserves, and having the two top vote-getters pick teams, was thought to be the way, adding a element of pride to proceedings.

Ultimately, though, in consultation with the Player's Association, it was decided that showcasing the selections of captains LeBron James and Stephen Curry would place them in an impossible situation.

Do I pick the best player or my best friend? What a bind!

For this season at least, the decision to not broadcast the draft has been made, seemingly to keep the players happy, acknowledging their sensitivities and the issues this could cause. It must be said, Lou Williams tweeting at his non-selection and Paul George snub - according to Russell Westbrook - means you cannot avoid unhappiness, no matter if the box is turned off. But it has been made anyway.

Never mind that James and Curry will inevitably have to answer a million questions about who they selected. At GiveMeSport, we’ve decided to stage our own draft, which will be so accurate you won’t miss out on the lack of a television show.*

*maybe.

Some housekeeping:

• James, as the top vote-getter from all starters, will be one team’s captain and select first.
• Curry, the top vote-getter from the West, will be the other captain and pick second.
• The picks will alternate until all eight remaining starters are off the board.
• When the draft moves onto the reserves, the order will reverse and Curry will select first.
• The captains do not need to meet any positional quotas, true to the current day’s ‘positionless’ game.

‘Please enter your dial-in code.’

The two captains are connecting with Silver, who is sitting in his New York City office with a coffee mug inscribed ‘#1 NBA Fan’. Once on the line, Curry and James say their hellos and are hoping there will be no ‘frozen envelope’ scenarios here.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski is sitting next to Silver with one hand on Twitter and the other balancing on a table for fear of collapsing in excitement. Sweat is building on his forehead as Silver says to James: “LeBron, tough luck with the Cavs so far. Seems Kyrie Irving would be a great point guard for you about now. Still, the chance to play with him one more time lies right here. Can I have your first pick please?”

And so the alternating drama begins.

LeBron James, pick #1

- Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors

Durant is arguably the best player on the board and won All Star MVP honours in 2012. He has faced James in two Finals and surely a team which can field one of or both of the league’s top two players is unbeatable. Durant, as an added bonus, is one of only four players averaging over two blocks a game on the season, which will come in handy when he has to guard Mr. Curry in the pick-and-roll. Warning, Kevin, he likes to shoot.

Steph Curry, pick #1

- Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

A man who likes to keep his house happy, Curry is prevented from selecting teammate Durant so reacts to James’s pick with a shot of his own. The three-point marvel wishes to avoid nasty words and swatted shots from the King, so immediately employs the Greek Freak to play the role as ‘LeBron stopper’. If anyone remembers last year’s 192-182 fiasco, Antetokounmpo dunked on Curry while he lay on the floor. Avoiding another one of those is essential

LBJ, pick #2

- Kyrie Irving, Boston Celtics

Now now now, what do we have here? We can’t let a little rivalry/hatred get in the way of fielding a competitive team. James considered selecting all guards ahead of Irving but is so sick of the Cavs’ recent run of poor form that he wishes to reunite with Kyrie and his healthy hips once more. As long as James doesn’t forget to pass him the ball, or accidentally on purpose barrel into him on a dunk attempt, we will see father and son reunited. Oh, and scoring the basketball is a good thing in the All Star game - first to 200 wins! - and Kyrie has illustrated his around-the-basket prowess with his new Boston mates.

SC, pick #2

- Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans

In need of another scorer but unwilling to show any weakness to the Houston Rockets, Curry glides over James Harden and takes a man who scored an All Star record 52 points in last year’s event. Shooting a career high 35% from deep, Davis adds a very versatile component to Steph’s Stars.

LBJ, pick #3

- James Harden, Houston Rockets

Well, that was a mistake, Stephen. James immediately swipes The Beard up, eager to steal some of that facial hair for the top of his own head while constructing one of the most dangerous backcourts in NBA history. Captain Curry is surely sick of the sight of Harden on the opposing side, but he’s blown his chance to team up here.