The NBA has a problem, and Commissioner Adam Silver knows it. More and more playoff-bound teams are beginning to rest their star players and, in turn, ruin marquee matchups between teams. The most recent instance of this are the Cavaliers, who rested LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love in an ABC primetime game against the Clippers. According to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, Silver sent a memo to team owners saying the practice of resting star players has become “an extremely significant issue for our league”.
In this memo, acquired by ESPN, Silver outlines that the issue will be a prime topic of discussion on April 6th at the next NBA board of governors meeting. He warned that there could be ‘significant’ penalties’ for teams that do not abide by the rules laid out for providing notice to the league, opponent, and media about a player’s availability. Silver also states that it is unacceptable for owners to not be involved in this decision-making because of the implications it has on fans, business partners, and the league in general.
Ultimately, the league does have a problem on its hands. The NBA is a changing landscape and players recognize this. To many teams, the regular season has become a tune up for the playoffs. Cavaliers general manager David Griffin exemplifies this mindset and, after the game against the Clippers, was contacted by the league office.
“They’re paying me to win a championship,” Griffin told ESPN. “I’m not overly concerned about the perception of it. We literally had one guy rest tonight, and everybody else was reasonably injured, so I don’t feel like we did anything terribly egregious.”
Kevin Love, fresh off returning from his knee injury, had a minutes limit and was not cleared for back-to-back games. Kyrie Irving also was dealing with a knee tweak and wasn’t considered fully healthy. Only LeBron James was given the night off despite not being injured. The Cavaliers were blown out by the Clippers and barely reached 30 points by halftime. Not exactly the primetime matchup ABC and the NBA were hoping for.
But Griffin does have a point. The goal is to win championships, not appease TV stations for better ratings. Regular rest for the three best players on the team is important for the expected long road in the playoffs. Spurs coach Greg Popovich has been resting his best players in the regular season for several years now. Warriors coach Steve Kerr also mentioned that regular rest for his star players was going to be a goal throughout the year.
The reality is that the NBA has a problem on its hands. Adam Silver has previously said that he wants players to rest at home and will not enforce teams, but that mindset may be changing. He has also mentioned reducing the preseason length, giving the regular season an extra week and in turn limiting the number of back-to-back games teams will play.
Regardless, it appears the NBA is committed to solving this issue as soon as next season to keep the stars on the court for as many games as possible.
