4 takeaways from the NBA All-Star draft

The basketball world was deprived of any drama that would have stemmed from watching LeBron James and Stephen Curry select their respective All-Star teams live this year, with the results of the non-televised draft being revealed Thursday evening.

At least we wound up with a solid mix of East and West talent joining forces. Had that not been the case, it would have defeated the entire purpose of changing formats to spice up the otherwise uninspired midseason exhibition.

With the two teams announced, and without knowing who fell where in the draft order, here are four takeaways from this year's All-Star rosters.

1) Kevin Durant was likely selected first overall

"I'm pretty sure (Durant) would be a pretty solid pick if you had the first pick. If LeBron doesn't take him, I probably will for sure," said Curry last week, according to The Mercury News' Mark Medina.

Putting two and two together, it's safe to assume James - gifted the first pick as a result of being the top overall vote-getter - chose the four-time scoring champion with his top selection, therefore keeping him away from his Golden State Warriors teammate.

Perhaps it was all strategy on James' part, or maybe he just viewed Durant as the best available starter, which he probably was.

2) Reunited, and it feels so good

"Kyrie was available on the draft board. He's one of the best point guards that we have in our league. It was an easy choice for me," James said Thursday.

There doesn't seem to be any lingering animosity between the former Cleveland Cavaliers teammates. They embraced following their first meeting on opposite sides during the regular season, and are leaving the past in the past as it pertains to Irving forcing his way out of town over the summer.

With Kevin Love also in the fold, it will be fun watching the former Big Three turn back the clock, reminding the Cavs faithful of a simpler time.

3) Tower power

We're living in an era of positionless basketball anyway, so for an All-Star Game where the action will be fast-paced with very little (if any) defense, having an abundance of bigs to work with doesn't mean a whole lot, in the grand scheme of things.

That doesn't make us any less awestruck by the fact James chose a bunch of giants to team with. A frontcourt of Durant and New Orleans Pelicans behemoths DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis are all 6-foot-10 or taller, with James coming in at 6-foot-8 himself.

Curry has "The Greek Freak" and Joel Embiid at his disposal as fellow starters to combat such size. Still, you'd like to think if he had a do-over, he would have separated Cousins and Davis to even the playing field a bit more.

4) No draft can tear them apart

Toronto Raptors bosom buddies Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan are sticking together. James and Love weren't separated, and neither were Karl-Anthony Towns and Jimmy Butler of the Minnesota Timberwolves, or Washington Wizards backcourt John Wall and Bradley Beal.

If you were dying to see Irving and Al Horford of the Boston Celtics face off, then boy, are you in luck.

Durant being away from Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green is a cool wrinkle, but we've been through that song and dance before. Thompson or Green landing with James, knowing they've been Warriors since Day 1, would have been a fresh, enthralling matchup.

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