When the Memphis Grizzlies mandated that star center Marc Gasol would have to sit out the team’s first of two back-to-back games vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers, Gasol was not very happy. From Ronald Tillery of the Commercial Appeal:
Marc Gasol said he learned late Sunday night about missing the Grizzlies road game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
He was already packed and ready to go.
“I don’t like it. I don’t like it one bit,” Gasol said. “It’s not my decision or anywhere close to my decision.”
…
“You bite your tongue, say ‘Yes, sir,’ have a glass of wine and try to sleep a little bit,” Gasol said. “Obviously, you’ve got to buy into it. I still don’t like it. I don’t like to rest. But you have a lot of guys spending a lot of time looking at the data so you’ve got to trust them. These are guys with a lot of experience and education on it. They know better than I do.”
The Grizzlies lost that game 103-86, snapping their six-game winning streak. The following game, in which Gasol played 29 minutes, the Grizzlies beat the Cavaliers 93-85.
From a fan standpoint, the argument against resting players is a clear one: Grizzlies fans pay money to watch Marc Gasol, not Brandan Wright (no offense to Wright, who is a fine player but not Gasol).
Players, obviously, are rarely in control of these decisions. But rather than blaming teams, it may make more sense to blame the NBA for the intensity of its 82-game schedule.
