http://hangtime.blogs.nba.com/2012/1...es-are-do-you/
by Jeff Caplan, NBA.com
One month has passed since San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich flew four key players home before a nationally televised game at Miami. It rankled commissioner David Stern so that it earned the franchise an unprecedented fine of a quarter-million bucks.
Popovich said Sunday night as the Spurs prepared to face the Dallas Mavericks that he has had no contact with the league, has no idea of any guidelines for resting players and that he’ll operate as he has and rest a player — or players — as he sees fit.
“The league hasn’t come out with specific guidelines to follow on resting players or anything like that, so I don’t really know what the rules are,” Popovich said. “But given that we’ve been fined for it, I would assume that they’re probably thinking about it, working on it in some way, shape or form. But I haven’t had any conversations with the league on, ‘Hey, what are you doing, what’s the deal?’ I haven’t talked to anybody.”
That could make this week rather interesting. The Spurs began a stretch of four games in five nights Sunday at Dallas. Then they’ll come back home to host Brooklyn on Monday. That’s followed by a trip to Milwaukee on Wednesday and on to New York to play the Knicks on Thursday.
“If you’re playing four games in five nights and you need to rest somebody, I think that’s a call that I’ll make,” Popovich said. “I’ve done it before and I’ll do it again, I’m sure.”
The Nov. 29 game at Miami was the Spurs’ 10th road game of the month and the last of a six-game road trip that spanned 10 days. After defeating the Orlando Magic by 21 points the night before, Popovich sent home starsTim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, plus key rotation player Danny Green.
Almost as quickly as Stern learned about the absences in Miami, he issued an apology to fans, saying the Spurs’ decision was “unacceptable” and “substantial sanctions will be forthcoming.”
Stern was particularly perturbed that the Spurs did not notify the league office in advance. Still, the Spurs’ reserves led nearly the entire game until losing the lead and the game in the final minute.
Some suggested that Popovich sent the players home as a not-so-subtle message to the league to express his distaste for the road-heavy schedule. Would Popovich actually risk another significant fine or possible suspension and rest multiple players again? Well, it’s impossible to predict what Popovich might do.
“A lot of cri stances have to converge to sit two or three players on a given night,” Popovich said. “But it has to do with their bodies, how many hits they’ve taken, how many minutes they’ve played, what the schedule is, all those things.”
Popovich is certainly known for giving his older players nights off, especially Duncan and particularly in a back-to-back situation. He’s hardly the only coach to do so. Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle used to give Jason Kidd nights off, typically later in the season, as a way to keep him fresh.
It was also not the first time that Popovich ordered multiple players home early from a road trip. However, the early season timing of this incident, plus it being a nationally televised game against the champs, did not sit well with the league office.
Yet until the league hands down a directive, Popovich doesn’t plan on changing his priorities.
“I don’t know what the guidelines are, do you?” Popovich said. “I don’t know how you plan. I’m just going to do what I’ve been doing for, I don’t know how long now, 16, 17 years, whatever it is. I’m mostly concerned with the health and safety of my players, especially the ones who are a little bit older and when they need rest I’m going to give it to them.”
In February, the AT&T Center is occupied by the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo, so the Spurs will be away from Feb. 6-24, a nine-game trip that at least has the luxury of being split up by the All-Star break.
The Spurs play the first five before the break with one back-to-back, plus three games in four nights heading into the break. After it they play four games in six nights with the middle two being a back-to-back.
I hope Pop does do it again. And i hope other teams like Miami, New York, Lakers, Clippers etc. rest the likes of LeBron, Wade, Bosh, Howard, Gasol, Kobe, Paul, Griffin, Melo and Stoudemire to. Be good for some teams and the superstars to have a rest here and there to shove it up Stern's ass and say 'hey watcha gonna do midget, you gonna fine all of us to?'
Meanwhile, Lakers will play their next game on jan 2nd after resting 4 days. Will rest two more days and play again.
you Stern.
there's no problem resting your star players and other teams have been doing it too (like miami did in their 2nd preseason game vs. monkeyball in china). pop just needs to do it in a subtle way next time imho, like he could've played his big 4 against us but only gave each of them 10-20 minutes to play on court, instead of leaving them all at home which made it too blatant for the league to turn a blind eye tbh
At last Pop said something about the situation and probably half-ironic said that league is working on the guidelines
Pop's error was ambushing the NBA, rather than, as required, telling NBA in advance.
And Stern made it quite clear that had Pop advised the NBA in advance, the players would not have been rested.
I agree with poland's amusement at Pop's clearly tongue-in-cheek suggestion that the league is working on guidelines.
So, he could have rested his players by playing them?
Rest them Pop.
That's the sick part about this. Can you imagine if Pop HAD informed the league earlier, and Stern had said "no."
Coaches need to make these decisions not Stern.
Love how Pop is tweaking the league by saying they must be working on it. He knows they're not.
Popovich is an old school coach and the longest tenured in the league. He can do whatever he wants as long as it cons utes guidelines provided by the league office. His conduct was not otherwise walking over any set rules. Thus, rest them all anytime you want. When you can almost beat the defending champs starting your second team. Why not!
Another scheduled loss @NY. Pop didn't send everyone home for the latest game @POR, though, so he'll probably cave and play everybody on Thursday.
It's great to see that Pop is still defiant. I got a bit worried after he played all his guys in that Portland game in which it was obvious the Big 3 were all out of gas.
I can't wait for Pop to rest his guys again on national television. 'Twill be hilarious
I don't read him as defiant at all. I read him as not caring. What he's saying is that he's doing what he's doing for his reasons, and if the league wants to issue guidelines, he'll take those into account, but until they do, he'll keep on doing what he's doing.
^"He'll keep doing what he's doing" = defiant ... in my book, at least. I don't see any acquiescing to the invisible line in the sand that Stern decided to arbitrarily draw.
Except for the actual games where he had a chance, such as Portland IMO. Talk is cheap, you can't tell me Stern didn't change Pop's at ude when the team was gassed and Pop played em all.
Stern is a and Pop always calls him out on it one way or the other
None of our 4 games in 5 days include Stern's precious team down in South Beach. So it's not like he'll give a rat's ass what we do.
He should tell the office he's gonna rest them, then when Stern says "No," just start them and take them out at the first dead ball or call a time out a minute into the game. Stern can't do anything about it; it's a coaching decision...
When Pop is on the floor being interviewed on what was the key on winning the 2013 le, i'd bet he'll say "Those rest I gave my players".
I'm all for playing those tough games. The build toughness that will be needed in the playoffs.
Why not just start them, then sit them the rest of the game.
But that will up our top guys' stats and take them out of All-Star/MVP/first team all NBA candidacy.
Coach Pop just Thuggin' it and Lovin' it!
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