NBA Star Power Index: Russell Westbrook is not the second-best PG ever; Anthony Edwards making strong ROY case

Also, LeBron James has no room to gripe about the inequities of the play-in tournament

Welcome back to the NBA Star Power Index -- a weekly gauge of the players who are most controlling the buzz around the league. Reminder: Inclusion on this list isn't necessarily a good thing. It simply means that you're capturing the NBA world's attention. Also, this is not a ranking. The players listed are in no particular order as it pertains to the buzz they're generating. This column will run every week through the end of the regular season.  LeBron's gripe echoes that of Luka Doncic and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, both of whom have been recently critical of the new play-in format. Not coincidentally, the Mavericks and Lakers are both in danger of having to play their way into the playoffs through the play-in tournament. Obviously they're not going to think it's fair that a team that played all season to earn a playoff spot would then have to get through an additional potential three-game series.  Edwards dropped 42 points, seven assists and six rebounds in Minnesota's loss to Memphis on Wednesday. He shot 17 for 22 from the field, including 8 of 9 from 3-point range, joining LeBron James as the only teenagers in history to post multiple 40-point games. He is also the only teenager to ever put up at least 40 points while hitting at least five 3-pointers in a single game.  But here's the deal: Things change. And this change, like Major League Baseball's wild-card postseason expansion, is in the best interest of the NBA and its players. Keeping more teams in the hunt for a play-in spot discourages tanking, and the play-in series themselves are an additional revenue stream that will ultimately flow into the players' and teams' pockets. When these guys start accepting less money, then they can moan about how that money is generated.  Edwards is the third-youngest player in history to post even one 40-point game, sandwiched between Kevin Durant at No. 2 and Carmelo Anthony at No. 4.  Also, is LeBron really going to play the equity card just because the new postseason system might not work in his favor this year? The guy played in the Eastern Conference for 15 years. Did he really travel the most equitable path to his eight straight Finals berths? Go talk to Chris Paul or Damian Lillard about how fair the traditional two-conference setup is. Those guys have been killed for years for not being able to get to a Finals despite having to navigate far more competitive fields.