Strategic Resting?
2012-11-30Today’s NBA hub-bub focuses on Greg Popovich’s decision to send Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobli home, one day before the conclusion of a long road-trip. TrueHoop’s Henry Abbott discussed the rationale and medical benefits behind San Antonio’s somewhat routine decision to bench their stars.
Cleveland has two more four-games-in-five-nights stretches in December. In the Cavs’ most recent game, also a fourth game in five nights, Dion Waiters suffered a minor hand injury. Daniel Gibson and Anderson Varejao regularly battle the injury-bug. Kyrie Irving has missed time on five occassions in less than two calendar years.
Cavs fans, what do you think; should the team periodically rest players during compressed periods in the schedule? Maybe everyone on the team should voluntarily sit out one game between December 11th – 15th and December 18th – 22nd.
I would support this.
I believe fines fund the NBA Cares program.
Who/where/what does the money go to when there’s a fine? Is it distributed to other owners or what?
And also, hooray for the Cavs tonight.
I’m sure the 250k fine will be such a huge burden on the billionaire Spurs owner.
Wow $250k?! I wonder how much of a fine he will be levying against the Bobcats, Cavs, Magic, Pistons, and Wizards.
Rick you must not have any libertarian friends. They’re above the fray and feel comfortable talking down to democrats and republicans equally since they are both evil. They voted for Gary Johnson
Gotcha, thanks for the enlightening. Makes more sense now.
And wow, a $250k fine despite almost universal panning of Stern’s heavy handedness. Not a Spurs fan by any means but I hope they contest it and win.
RickOH – yes, Stern proved he is Vince McMahon ruling over his WWE and he will create the storylines.
http://www.garyjohnson2012.com/
This guy? I guess I still don’t get the reference. Good job, good effort though.
That Wojo piece on Stern was pretty enlightening but also disheartening to know how so much of everything in pro sports these days is calculated and petty just to get the last dollar out of fans and advertisers. Explains why the NBA didn’t pursue charges of collusion against the Heat when there was lots of evidence to at least have an investigation. Makes me wonder if teams like the Timberwolves or even Cavs had pulled off that coup to get Wade, Bosh and Lebron on their teams, would Stern have looked harder for improprieties. Also, someone enlighten me on who… Read more »
Stern fined the Spurs a quarter of a million dollars. (!)
RickOH voted for Gary Johnson.
Danny Green, who is a kid, is too important to a team with Championship aspirations that they sent him home before this game too…
For the record, I’m fine with mocking of commenters. Brings a lot of levity to this blog as opposed to the constant “he said/no he said” nonsense from this past week.
Unrelenting homerism is just as bad as unrelenting negativity, whether it is real or perceived.
SO HEAVY: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba–david-stern-stumbles-again-in-his-failed-culture-war-against-the-spurs-194828970.html
Windhorst with another great take.
http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/miamiheat/post/_/id/16120/get-ready-for-wave-of-tendinitis-in-the-nba
Cols, sorry to break it to you buddy, but it’s not me. Although I will say, to that parodier out there, we have an idea of who you are.
Matt Yglesias has a good piece on this.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2012/11/30/david_stern_punishes_gregg_popovich_for_being_smart.html
John Hollinger had maybe he greatest piece ever on this subject this morning. Hope you guys have insider – it’s almost worth the money just to read this evisceration. http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/story/_/page/PERDiem-121130/david-stern-statement-regarding-san-antonio-spurs-raises-questions My Lord and my God I wish that 3 would have gone in for gary Neal, or that loose ball bail out 3 by Ray Allen would have rattled out. Then we’d be talking about how Popovich’s you know whats can only be carried with this -> In all serious – this entire thing is ridiculous. The idea that heat “fans” were upset last night is utterly hilarious. Those front… Read more »
If Stern is going to punish the Spurs for the team they put on the court last night, is he going to punish the Cavs, Bobcats, or Wizards for the teams they put on the court every night? I only say that, because that Spurs team which is drawing anger from Stern would beat the aforementioned teams.
My guess is it’s Mallory
Some people, Kevin, refuse to be enaged with on any kind of intellectual or rational level, and deserve occasional mockery. Run your blog however you like, but I’m struggling to find any occasion in which removing parody benefited anybody.
Kevin, whatever you may say, clearly you mean to undermine me at every turn. Am I the only true Cavs fan on this blog specifically written for fans of the Cleveland Cavaliers? AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO STILL HAS HOPE?
For the record, Cavs:the Blog does not encourage mocking of commetors or our writers. Please stick to constructive discussion.
Funny.
I didn’t know that thinking that these Cavs were on the right track was so absurd.
Cols714,
My comment relates to two comments that I deleted, that were posted by a Cols imposter.
Cols714,
At the time, he was also using the name “Cols714”. Now he is more blatant.
TheOfficialCols714ParodyAccount,
Yes, this is less confusing. Now, I know which comments are from Col714 and which comments are from the fake-Cols714. Thank you.
Is that better?
Agree with Kj. Stern is inconsistent about things like this.
I wouldn’t mind the Cavs at least resting Andy with a fake injury for one of those games in the 4 out of 5 stretch. He could use it since he always plays like a man possessed. Andy probably wouldn’t go for it though.
Nah
Cavs are young, I’d rather they play
I deleted the posts from whomever is impersonating Cols714 in the comments section, primarily because it confuses the hell out of me.
I read the two comments, and thought “that’s so absurd, it’s hilarious”. Then I realized it was a different IP address.
Colin said this in email, but it’s turned into the Wild West in these comment sections. Carry on though.
http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/52046/did-popovich-or-stern-sit-those-players Nice piece by Abbott here. “Without adequate training, practice and rest, experts say fatigue causes a decrease in both cognitive ability and joint stability, which is why fatigued athletes get injured far more often.”
Stern allows this all the time and now, suddenly, it’s verboten? Dude needs to retire this instant. He just flies off-the-handle these days like a crank.
I think next time Pop should just start the guys, call a timeout immediately after the tipoff (which they won’t even try for… they’ll just take a foul). Then sit them for the rest of the game. If he followed this up with flipping off the camera, screaming at Craig Sager like he was Christian Bale’s lighting guy, and then posting a caustic twitter update, I’d be even more happy.
WHoever created this maniac schedule didn’t give a rat about the players health just Money Money Money in TV ratings abroad. I agree it’s not worth these guys getting hurt with 4-5 back to back. The Cavs can’t afford anymore injuries! I really believe thsi is what happened when CAvs played Suns after big battles against Grizzlies and Heat. Just exhausted and you set yourself up for injuries.