The decision of the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers to\u00a0rest marquee players during nationally televised match-ups\u00a0over the last two weeks prompted NBA commissioner Adam Silver to issue a memo to NBA team owners criticizing the practice.\u00a0 The basketball community has been buzzing since.<\/p>\n
NBA commissioner Adam Silver<\/strong> sent a memo<\/a> to NBA team owners Monday regarding the practice of resting star players for marquee games. ESPN\u2019s Ramona Shelburne was the first to break the story.<\/p>\n According to Shelburne and other sources, Silver\u2019s memo:<\/p>\n Although currently a trending issue, the practice of resting players for marquee games is not new. As many pundits have noted, Gregg Popovich<\/strong> <\/a>began resting aging stars Tim Duncan<\/strong><\/a>, Manu Ginobili<\/strong> <\/a>and Tony Parker<\/strong> <\/a>years ago to preserve them for playoffs.\u00a0In fact, former NBA\u00a0commissioner David Stern<\/strong> famously\u00a0fined<\/a> Popovich for resting his stars without giving the league\u00a0proper notice during a nationally televised game against the Heat in 2012. Since that time, however, Popovich’s resting practices have been viewed equally with distain and admiration.<\/p>\n Renewed interest regarding the NBA\u2019s rest policy came about March 11, when Golden State Warrior\u2019s Coach Steve Kerr<\/strong> <\/a>chose to rest stars Stephen Curry<\/strong><\/a>, Draymond Green<\/strong><\/a>, Klay Thompson<\/strong><\/a> and Andre Iguodala<\/strong> <\/a>for a game against the San Antonio Spurs. The decision did not please fans, and certainly did not please ABC, who was airing the contest.<\/p>\n Kerr claimed that his decision to hold back Curry, Green, Thompson and Iguodala was based on health concerns, but the public was not buying it. Some speculated that Kerr was sending a message to the NBA; protesting a stretch of the Warriors schedule that he had previously described as \u201cinsane,\u201d<\/a> including eight games in eight cities in 13 days.<\/p>\n A week later, fans and ABC would again be disappointed. The Cleveland Cavaliers decided to rest LeBron James<\/strong><\/a>, Kryie Irving<\/strong> <\/a>and Kevin Love<\/strong> <\/a>during a 108-78 loss<\/a> to the Los Angeles Clippers. Cleveland general manager David Griffin<\/strong> told ESPN\u2019s Shelburne that the league called him shortly after the team announced its decision, to express its displeasure.<\/p>\n Griffin stood his ground, however, noting that it isn’t his job to appease the league and its television partners and telling ESPN that he gets paid “to win a championship.”<\/p>\n Griffin also attempted to differentiate the Cavaliers’ situation from that of the Warriors, asserting that the Cavaliers had legitimate reasons to rest at least two of their players (Irving: tightness in the left knee, and Love: recovering from left knee surgery) against the Clippers, while the Warriors choose to rest healthy players against the Spurs.<\/p>\n Future Hall of Famer James had his own take on the controversy, telling\u00a0media outlets that the league only had a\u00a0problem\u00a0with players\u00a0sitting\u00a0because he’s been sitting.<\/p>\n LeBron James said the league only thinks sitting out is a "problem" because he's sat out a couple times this month.https:\/\/t.co\/ZOHd2x3EkO<\/a><\/p>\n — clevelanddotcom (@clevelanddotcom) March 21, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n
Resting Players – Not a New Practice<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Renewed Interest\u00a0in Issue after\u00a0Warriors and Cavaliers\u00a0Sit Stars<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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