Stern: NBA will discuss resting players

[Manu'sMagicalLeftHand]

I know plenty of people who can play bball at the rec center or the park 3-5 times a week just fine, and these guys aren't necessarily in shape, don't get paid, have a day job, and don't sub out, etc.

so you're saying NBA players are just bunch of gigantic pussies?

Heck, I could play basketball 7 days a week if I wanted to, but then, by the second week I would be so knackered and tired that I would stand beyond the arc doing nothing, making turnovers, not going back on D, and barely moving my feet. Basically, I would look like a shorter, younger and white version of Michael Finley.

The gargantuan NBA season takes its toll on players and it's proven. I laugh when people post about players getting injured because they play 7 games (40 minutes each) with their national teams. They fail to see the fact that in the last 10 years the number and frequency of injuries in the NBA has been on the rise, while playing NBA games and most of them happened to players that didn't play any summer basketball in 5 years.

Each year, improvements in training, diets, gym work, etc, lead to more athletic players, which means harder collisions at faster speeds and more injuries. Add to that 82 games in 6 months+preseason+summer camp, it's just too much basketball, and a significant part of it is low-quality.

I've had access to 4-5 NBA Games per night for the last 3 years, and watching lottery teams playing each other while tanking with 30 games to go is an absolut disgrace. Some of those games are played with half-arsed efforts, players who just don't care, others who are simply tired, good players injured, and the arena half-empty. I don't think that's a great bussiness strategy in the long term (how long till the Clippers fans get tired and stop buying tickets?).

[TDMVPDPOY]

lol fck him

playoffs is what its all about, maybe if the fans knew the clubs were resting players, maybe should make an announcement b4 the games or tickets go on sale so they wont be disappointed whose roster playin that night....

[OrEmuN]

I think we have to look at the interest of each en y

NBA and Owners: Wants more games to increase revenue. Quality is just secondary - if the quality affects revenue, then they will do something. Otherwise they just simply do not give a damn on quality.

Teams: Want to rest player for playoffs or to rest player to tank.

Players: Depending on whether you are a star or on the fringe. If you are a fringe player, you love chances to play.

Fans: Want quality. Want the stars to play when they go to the games but want the stars to save themselves for the playoffs when they are not going to the games.

Conclusion. NBA and owners is not going to change but they are just paying lip service to quality. Fans know what they are going to get if their teams have secured their playoff positioning. As such, if one is not ok with not seeing Lebron/Wade when he/she goes to the games, they can choose not to go

Of course, fans would not know if their team will rest their starters out of the sudden, aka Denver v Spurs last season. I think its only right that the team who does that should give something back to their own fans who had purchased the tickets for compromising the quality if it is unexpected. It will be advantageous for teams to do so as it will generate goodwill and bring in more future business

[The Truth #6]

No one wants to make less money so the schedule won't get shorter, though if it did the games would mean more. 2 games a week would be fine. More time to coach. Level of play would increase.

[vander]

Heck, I could play basketball 7 days a week if I wanted to, but then, by the second week I would be so knackered and tired that I would stand beyond the arc doing nothing, making turnovers, not going back on D, and barely moving my feet. Basically, I would look like a shorter, younger and white version of Michael Finley.

The gargantuan NBA season takes its toll on players and it's proven. I laugh when people post about players getting injured because they play 7 games (40 minutes each) with their national teams. They fail to see the fact that in the last 10 years the number and frequency of injuries in the NBA has been on the rise, while playing NBA games and most of them happened to players that didn't play any summer basketball in 5 years.

a season of any length will "take a toll" on players,

I can't believe that people in here are actually saying the human body can't stand up to 120 minutes of basketball a week for half a year (longer in the playoffs)
and not just any human body, but top notch athletes who have no expense spared on their physical condition, what a joke

Each year, improvements in training, diets, gym work, etc, lead to more athletic players,

really? more athletic players? and yet still not athletic enough to be able to play hard for 3000 whole minutes per year

which means harder collisions at faster speeds and more injuries. Add to that 82 games in 6 months+preseason+summer camp, it's just too much basketball, and a significant part of it is low-quality.

I've had access to 4-5 NBA Games per night for the last 3 years, and watching lottery teams playing each other while tanking with 30 games to go is an absolut disgrace. Some of those games are played with half-arsed efforts, players who just don't care, others who are simply tired, good players injured, and the arena half-empty. I don't think that's a great bussiness strategy in the long term (how long till the Clippers fans get tired and stop buying tickets?).

who watches 4-5 games a night, that's your problem. stop watching the bad teams. Fans of the Clippers are suckers, and should stop buying tickets, fools deserve to be parted with their money, and that's what's happening to Clipper fans

it's not a disgrace, there will always be bad teams playing disinterested basketball, would a 60 game season have made a Clipper/NJ matchup any more meaningful/tolerable?

and are players in better shape coming into the preseason than halfway through the season? a longer offseason might even lead to an increase in injuries with guys having more time to get fat and out of shape, Shaq's career might have been but half as long

you're thoughts on the matter are skewed by being a Manu fan, not everyone is as frail and fragile and stamina-challenged as Manu, most guys in the NBA can easily go hard for 82 games.

[TJastal]

I hope your kidding right? Don't ever compare rec ball to professional basketball at all.

I sometimes play 2 times a week with ex-college players and these guys go full out, and we are dead tired after about 1 hour of playing very hard. And I can barely walk after the games.

You also have to consider how much time they are travelling around the country playing games. Back to back games in different cities, sleeping on planes, and team practices..etc

It's amazing how more players don't get injuried, with how hard they play.

I was thinking that too... and its almost impossible to get comfortable in a plane seat, they don't tip back and its so cramped you can barely stretch your legs. Whenever I fly I always make a trip or 2 to the bathroom just to get out of the damn seat..imagine doing this for 3/4 of the year every week, sometimes every other day

[Jason R]

Stern is all about $$$. him.

Maybe because he's a businessman.

[greyforest]

if there's some rule against it, players will just feign injuries when most convenient

[taps]

Allow me to use this as an opportunity to promote FIBA. FIBA doesn't affect injuries because the NBA season is longer. Simple math

[NFGIII]

he's trying to get the fans what they pay to see..... just like the nfl

Season is too long but it really comes down to money. With salaries and overhead the NBA can't afford to reduce the season and make ends meet. If you look at the NBA as a business model they either overpay their employees or don't change enough at the gate/concessions.

The simple solution is to cut the rigorous schedule of 82 games down to 60 or so.. that would get rid of the many back to backs .. shouldn't ever be a B2B game IMO

Agreed. But I really don't see owners wanting to do that. Look at Holt's situation. He really wants the Spurs to have a deep run in order to recoup some to the losses that he has taken on with RJ's aalary and all. Reducing the number of games is out of the question.

To me, this is a non-issue. The teams should be allowed to do what is in THEIR interest. This is sort of a makeup for them having no say in players playing for NTs.

Frankly, if this is mandated, teams would just flat out lie and say player 'X' has a mild ankle sprain, sustained in practice.

It's their team and they are in it to win a championship. The NBA needs it's fans but when it comes down to it all teams are more interested in being healthy and ready for the playoffs and not neccessarily giving the fans their money's worth with these last couple of games.

If the NBA mandates a edict that all players must play then exstatic is right on. What are they going to do? Send out doctors to verify any and all injury reports? How far does the league want to take this?

[adidas11]

The length of the season has nothing to do with it people.

Teams are going to sit players when they lock up a particular seeding for the playoffs. Doesn't matter if its a 50 game regular season, or a 100 game regular season.

The same thing happened in NFL, where the Colts sat Peyton Manning and a lot of the other starters, once they wrapped up the best record in the league. And that is a 16 game season.

The argument lies in what is fair to the fans, and what is right for the teams?

Someone mentioned before that fans pay lots of money to see Lebron James and Kobe Bryant. I would counter that by asking what players in the league are deemed this status that fans are paying to seem them play?

Because in his first season, Lebron James didn't make the All Star team. But because he was so hyped coming out of high school and signing with Nike, lots of fans paid to see him pay.

What metric would be used to determine who has to play, and who doesn't matter? It is impossible!

[coyotes_geek]

The length of the season has nothing to do with it people.

Teams are going to sit players when they lock up a particular seeding for the playoffs. Doesn't matter if its a 50 game regular season, or a 100 game regular season.

Exactly.

It's Stern's job to make the nba product as marketable as possible, it's the team's jobs to look out for themselves. It's Stern's job to say something about it, it's the team's job to decide whether or not they give a damn.