Interesting Spurs Tidbit about Injury Control

[michaelwcho]

"A company called Apollo MIS, which recently merged with STATS, does some of that European-soccer style exhaustion tracking, and has some NBA clients. One of their most enthusiastic is the Spurs ... the very team which leads the league every year in intentionally sitting stars. A game when the schedule has been harsh on them? Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker sit. Ditto for any fourth quarter when the game isn't close. Even as some claim they've found the fountain of youth for Duncan and the like, they've even gotten in trouble with the league for it.

But the way the data is shaping up, it seems likely the league is going to face some tough choices: Change the schedule in a profound way to allow for meaningful rest and real in-season training. Or stare down the barrel of a growing body of evidence suggesting one of the things causing NBA injuries are decisions made by the NBA."

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop

[Poolboy5623]

Oh boy..first football...and now basketball.

[capek]

"A company called Apollo MIS, which recently merged with STATS, does some of that European-soccer style exhaustion tracking, and has some NBA clients. One of their most enthusiastic is the Spurs ... the very team which leads the league every year in intentionally sitting stars. A game when the schedule has been harsh on them? Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker sit. Ditto for any fourth quarter when the game isn't close. Even as some claim they've found the fountain of youth for Duncan and the like, they've even gotten in trouble with the league for it.

But the way the data is shaping up, it seems likely the league is going to face some tough choices: Change the schedule in a profound way to allow for meaningful rest and real in-season training. Or stare down the barrel of a growing body of evidence suggesting one of the things causing NBA injuries are decisions made by the NBA."

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop

So basically it's a choice between elevating the quality of the game, and maximizing profit potential for the owners. Stern's made it so lopsided towards the latter that anything helping the former gain more prominence has to be a good thing. And the Spurs are at the forefront of that mission. Just another reason to love this organization. :tu

[CGD]

I wonder if he impact on owner profits would be so big if the season was reduced by say 12 games. Theoretically you should have a better product with in season training, less likelihood of teams resting stars, etc. Plus a tweaked profit sharing scheme among teams could sustain the rebuilding teams as they get better. In an ideal world the season would be shorter, and half the teams wouldn't make the playoffs.

[michaelwcho]

It's amazing to me how the Spurs are so often in the lead when it comes to these trends. I mean, if they had a real working crystal ball, wouldn't they kind of be making the same decisions? (Of course, they missed on some personnel issues)

I sure would be interested in their method for coming up with such prescient ideas. There is a lot to admire about the Spurs organization, for sure.