Sitting super star players

Popovich says science, not NBA or Spurs owners, will dictate how he manages players

“I will continue to make those decisions,” Popovich said.

Popovich labeled the memo a “little bit of pressure” but said he understood why Silver issued it.

“I would do the same thing probably if I was in his shoes,” Popovich said. “But I think just because we are coaches and GMs doesn’t mean we don’t understand or know what is going on with the business side. We are a little bit more sophisticated than that.

“But, at the same time, the league has to understand that the science of what we do is a whole lot more sophisticated than it used to be, and we have definitely added years to people.

“So, it’s a trade-off: Do you want to see this guy in this one game or do you want to see them for three more years of his career? And do you want to see him through the playoffs because he didn’t get hurt?”

As an example, Popovich pointed to how he handles Manu Ginobili, 39.

“Manu doesn’t play back to backs,” Popovich said. “It’s just the smart thing to do, or we lose a player.”

Ginobili said that policy has helped extend his career. He also said he doesn’t think owners should be involved in managing rosters.

“It is a coach’s decision to have their players at full strength when it matters most,” Ginobili said. “A coach’s job is to win, to be the last team standing.”

Popovich, however, said he is in “total sympathy” with families who spend lots of money for tickets so their children can see their favorite player.​

“That is a tough one,” Popovich said. “And you can say, ‘Well, that’s life. Everything doesn’t go your way in life.’ But I think it’s our responsibility to balance it, if we can, (through better scheduling).”

“A lot of TV games end up being back to backs or four in five nights,” Popovich said. “There needs to be more care taken in that regard, more discussion with TV partners, so that the product isn’t put in that kind of a position.”

In the meantime, Popovich will continue to let sports science be his guide.

“It’s like we don’t wear leather helmets in football anymore either,” he said. “You have to use the science just like you do the analytics on the court.”​

 

It is fine for teams to rest players to preserve their health (make their career longer) -- as long as they announce it in advance and fans have chance to get a refund.

Yes, coaches has the right to make informed players decisions. But fans/customers should also have the right to make informed decisions with their money. It's just common business practice.

 

the nba needs to schedule their tv games better and teams need to be told that players can't be rested for big national tv games because the league's tv partners are responsible for the bulk of everyone's salaries. rest them the game before or after the national tv game.

as for people who can only afford/get to a few games a year and say you're a lebron fan in jacksonville and have to drive down to orlando when he's in town. that can't be helped if he's rested that night.

 

Why not rest them by giving them practices off?

Rocket River

 

Steve Kerr willing to take pay cut for shortened season

DALLAS -- Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr says he would be willing to cut his own salary if the NBA shortened the schedule as a potential solution to the issue of stars resting during regular-season games as preventative maintenance.

"I wouldn't be opposed to it, even at the expense to my own salary, but it's something that everyone would have to agree to," Kerr said before Tuesday night's 112-87 win over the Dallas Mavericks. "I think even just going down to 75 games, I think that would make a dramatic difference in schedule. Now I don't see that happening because there is money at stake for everybody.

"I do think this can be remedied though -- maybe not remedied -- but I think it can be dramatically helped with what the league is already working on for next year and the consideration of geographics when it comes to the schedule."

"I thought [the memo] was smart," said Kerr, whose team wrapped up a grueling stretch of schedule with a back-to-back in Minnesota and San Antonio when the Warriors' stars rested against the Spurs. "I think this is something that every organization needs to partner together with the league and our broadcasting partners and figure out what's best for everybody. We all have the same interests at heart, which is we need to do what's best for the league. But there are great arguments on every side.

"I do feel bad for the fans. I also know resting those guys last week was something that was beneficial, and I think it's shown to be so this past week. You can see our guys are fresher, their legs. So what can we all do, together? And I think that's where Adam is really good in terms of taking a lot of opinions and finding solutions. This is not a right-or-wrong issue. It's what can we do to best serve the league, best serve the players' health. Is there a compromise?

"We're already working on that by extending the season next year by 7-10 days. I think that's going to be very helpful, and I think the broadcast partners and the league can pay closer attention to the schedule when it comes out next year as they put that together. These are all things that we all have to work on."

Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle, the president of the NBA Coaches Association, acknowledged that there are legitimate concerns on both sides of the issue. However, Carlisle said coaches can't necessarily consider business ramifications when making decisions about resting players in consultation with athletic trainers, sports science experts and medical staff.

"It's not that simple," Carlisle said. "When you coach in this league for a while, you get a real feel for players and their levels of energy, their levels of wear and tear, both physically and emotionally. There are just times when you know a night of rest strategically spaced within a span of games is going to make a big difference in the long run.

"People need to understand that, in the present structure of the schedule, there are just times when it really is the right thing to do. But I understand the outcry. It's a completely legitimate concern, especially considering the investment that our television partners have made in the sport, and we all understand that."

Kerr said rest will always be a necessary part of maintenance for NBA players "to keep them fresh and to keep them injury-free," but teams and the league can work to attempt to be more selective about when stars sit.

"You have to do it, but can we make it so that there's not as big of an impact on the national TV games, the games that people are going to notice, games that hurt the national viewing audience, the impression of our league, the opinion of people in the media about our league?" Kerr said. "I think there are ways to mitigate some of that."

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who is credited with popularizing the use of strategic rest, is happy that both sides want to find a way to remedy the situation.

"Luckily all the participants are sane people and care about the same thing and want to get it right," Popovich said Tuesday. "It's not about anybody having power or wanting to issue orders. It's about trying to get it right. That's the great thing about the league and what we're doing. It's all good."​

 

It's easy to say that players should play all the games they can for the fans, but fan opinion is divided on this issue. There are plenty of fans that would prefer their players rest to be as close to 100% as they can for the playoffs. This was already commonly accepted towards the end of the season when games had little stake in the standings, but now they are resting in marquee games and fans that buy tickets have a legitimate gripe. Hopefully, the extension of the season, combined with fewer preseason games and maybe fewer regular season games, results in fewer brutal stretches in the schedule and less need for rest games. Fans that buy tickets deserve a game worth watching, after all. Seems like everyone has a sensible take in that it will be a balancing act between owners, coaches, and players.

 

The tickets have team names on them. You're paying to see Golden State Warriors vs. San Antonio Spurs. It's not false advertising. You're not paying to see Steph Curry or Manu Ginobili play.

If the NBA was really concerned with keeping a good product on the court, then they'd shorten the season and kill the bottom dwelling teams.

 

I suspect many coaches do, but to compare the intensity of a practice with the intensity (and the necessity of that intensity) in a game is apples and oranges.

 

I am of the opinion that the coaches should manage their roster however they see fit in order to advance their opportunity to win a championship and the league should not influence how a team is coached as long as they are being coached to win a championship. I do have a problem with teams "resting" players in attempts to tank in order to improve draft positioning.

Hard to argue with anything Popovich does as a coach.

 

Yeah you shouldn't sit superstar players when fans have paid to watch them play. That is why I find the DoMo regular sitting out and benching by the Pelicans deplorable. Superstar player DMo being sat out and saved for the playoffs.

 

I have come to really hate Steve Kerr. He is so noble to take a pay cut.....

I have no problem with resting players at all. We have been doing it all season with Nene and Nene's knees and back say thank you. If JVG or Rick and done this sh## with Yao he probably would be in his final years as a Rockets now.

 

If fans were informed and could make the decision whether to watch the game, I have no problem with it.

 

Kids are going to grow up over-exaggerating rest and will become lazy. Kids who think they are stars will want to sit because thats what the superstars do. "If you get rest that means you're a better player" type of outlook. Its simple. Do your job for the year.

 

Does sitting super role players counts too?

 

I think the Pelicans are taking this resting thing just a bit too far with DMo.

 

You don't believe playing year round for close to 10 years had anything to do with his body breaking down? And Harden Yao duo if thats how it would work would be better than a Capela Harden duo. Okur smoking us was not the main reason we lost the series.

 

Let's just fine teams 1M for each player they rest without giving proper notice.

 

easy, simple, effective solution. probably not dramatic enough to get much play here though ...