You're serious aren't you? He is NOT resting his players. He is protesting the NBA schedule at best or being a stupid f(ck thinking he's actually going to make it to the finals and needs to keep the Heat guessing with no practice time against his real team. Who here honestly believes Pops only goal is to rest four players.
Drafted by the Spurs from a Rockets second pick. Flashy passes, but a combo guard. I don't know if he can defend in the NBA.
I can't believe some of you think this is funny. People pay good money to travel and attend these games. Unless there are external issues like family or injuries involved, when your best players can play, they should. This is more of a 'f*** you' to the NBA and its fans than it is to Stern and the media.
The coach should be allowed to do whatever he wants with his players. I don't understand how Stern can sanction him for this. I guess he probably shouldn't have let them skip the game entirely, but he could very well have had them sit on the bench the whole night. What's the problem with that?
Clearly, Pop's decision has undermined the sponsors and the fans attending the game. Millions of dollars were spent prior to this game on the premise the two best teams in the league were matching up against each other. In the future, sponsors and television executives will be able to say "why should we pay you top dollar when you can withdraw your best players with a moment's notice and undermine our financial commitment?".
But that has always been the case all along. It's the sponsors risk to take. They are going to keep taking that risk because this is the exception to the rule. I think Stern is really overreacting here and it is so typical of him to do something like this.
Popovich is being fined for being a p***y. He hates the fact he got the Heat in the last game in a 4 in 5 days, so he is protesting. He is not resting his players....maybe Duncan, but not all of them. p***y...he doesn't want an unfair advantage of scheduling when playing against the Heat and get run off the court. Plain and simple. And those who say Parker and Ginobody will do whatever he says and not insist on playing...well they aren't Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Kobe, AI or Barkley...are they. There is no way in Hell, Popabitch could make them sit when they want to play against the best competition in the world on national television. THERE IS NO WAY!!!!!!!!! The Spurs know they are all p*****s and got DESTROYED by OKC four games in a row.
I agree it's an overreaction by Stern but I can understand his anger especially from a financial perspective. It lowers revenue when fans turn the game off.
this is a national televised game and pple wanted to see these teams compete. they took time out of their lives to watch this game but pop pulls a last minute b**** move. there should be a rule against pulling your players on national televised games. at the end of the season doesnt matter
uh, as if exceptions never become the rule. What if Pat Riley retaliates and makes Lebron sit for the game in San Antonio. That's what I'd freaking do to Popovich. His fans would scream at him. I'd say, "See your p***y coach did not play his starters, I am going sit Lebron this game. Sorry to all you fans who wanted to see him play. Sorry we only visit one game. Maybe you can make it to the Finals this year." Go screw yourself San Antonio.
Then I feel like Stern should have fined him the 5 other times that Pop has done this. It just looks like he is picking and choosing when to apply the rule (is there even a rule on this?) and when not to. Who is David Stern to decide who are the "best" players on a team and which ones should get minutes and which shouldn't? Last time I checked the coach determined his starting lineups. I can understand him fining him on technicality that players need to travel when they are supposed to travel, but when has David Stern ever told Delonte West or Royce White when they misbehaved that their team would get fined for not bringing them along? This just seems arbitrary.
If I were Lebron, everytime I make a shot this game I'd turn to the San Antonio "starters" sitting on the bench and say "stay down, b****es"
Seriously? Are we going to allow David Stern to dictate what teams can play what players when, so he can make more money? Lol.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Before dispatching statement tonight, NBA had no communication w/ Spurs about Pop's decision to send players home, league source tells Y!</p>— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/WojYahooNBA/status/274328391426113536" data-datetime="2012-11-30T01:45:59+00:00">November 30, 2012</a></blockquote>
4th game in 5 nights versus a team that hasn't played since Saturday? Plus a game on Sat versus the Grizz which matters more......no brainer.
I don't like the Spurs but I hate the NBA schedule more. Why do teams have to play 4 games in 5 nights and then the first round of the playoffs has to be a best of 7 and lasts a month? I'd really like a good answer to this question. I would like someone blasting this move by Pop to show me the records of teams playing the 4th game in 5 nights on the road for the last 20 years. Why bother risking injury in this situation? It's a joke.
