Dan and Max Article of the Week
What is your opinion on players resting themselve? Should they be allowed to rest if it his hurting the league? What is more important to you, quality basketball every night over the 82 game regular season, or quality basketball all the way through the playoffs? Should fans get compensated for going to games where star players are rested?
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/22/sports/basketball/nba-players-rest-warriors-cavaliers.html?_r=0
This issue in the NBA is actually very difficult to solve. The NBA commissioner has come out and said that this issue needs to be resolved because it affects viewership and the overall view of the NBA. Since I am very knowledgable on hockey I want to compare some things between the NHL and the NBA. The two sports play the exact same amount of regular season games (82) in the same time frame. Both sports have teams playing back to back games during the season. However, stars in the NHL don't get "rest days." For example, Jaromir Jagr who turned 45 yrs. old this year has played in every single game this season. Now one may argue that Lebron James deserves rest because he has been in the NBA finals for the last 6 years. To compare someone in the NHL to Lebron James, Patrick Kane has played 85 playoff games in the last 6 years compared to Lebron's 84 and yet he still has not sat out a single game because he "needed a rest." It is not to say that it is Lebron's fault for being benched because there is a high likelihood that he actually wants to be playing. However, I think that if a 45 year old man playing an extremely physical and grueling sport can play every game in his respective sport's season, then Lebron can also handle playing a full 82 game schedule without rest. Part of this job is not sitting out. If a normal person told their boss they were tired that day and didn't come into work it is not likely that the boss would respond with "ya its fine just sit this one out we will see you tomorrow." This is no longer college ball. Players should have to play a full season if they are not hurt because it is their job and they are expected to play for the full 82 game season. That's what they are committing to when they sign on the dotted line that hands them over millions of dollars. Fans come to the arena to see the stars play. They should not be wasting their money to see a team essentially lose on purpose so they can rest their players for the rest of the season. I am not sure what exactly could be done to prevent this but it should be up to the GM's to make sure coaches are benching star players at any point during the season unless they have an actual injury.
ReplyDeleteResting NBA players is becoming more and more of an issue in today's game. It becomes even more of an issue when it's losing the league money and popularity. Fans are attending games from all over the world to see their favorite players, only for them to be a late scratch from the game as a rest day. Popovich made the tactic a popular one by resting his aging big 3 throughout the season, but now it is becoming a tactic of teams that even have young stars as their cornerstones. Various franchises have proven that it works to rest your players in preparation for the playoffs but the issue is it hurts the popularity and enjoyment of the sport. Fans should not be compensated, and Adam Silver is going to need to have a discussion with current and retired players to figure out a fair way to resolve the issue.
ReplyDeleteI am totally fine with players taking a rest in any sport. It's good for their health and for the entertainment of the game. However this gets very out of hand in the NBA. The article stated that Lebron James has taken five games off. That is simply unacceptable for any player, regardless of their skill. A player should be there with his team no matter what the situation is. If they have to take one or two days off, that's fine, but after that it has gone too far. In terms of the league making money, this hurts the league. Fans go to see there favorite players, and when they're not playing, it discourages people from going to the games. What makes it worse is that coaches are resting more than one of their stars at a time, which makes it even less motivating to go to a game. I do think that players should be allowed to get a day or two off during the regular season, as it can be a really rough ride to the playoffs. The best way to fix this would be to only allow a coach to rest one of their star players at a time. It would be tough to make a rule like this, but I think it could be done. The playoffs are really what everyone cares about, and one regular season game shouldn't send fans in attendance on a rampage, however there is a way to make it better for fans. If the league made the coach announce a players day off far in advance, it would make things easier for fans and for the league.
ReplyDeleteThough I can see this small resting issue developing into an NBA phenomenon, I believe it is absolutely necessary for players to take nights off. As the article clearly pointed out, rest has a direct correlation with a longer career. Tim Duncan-who really started the idea with his coach- got to play a longer and more successful career than nearly any player, since he was smart about when he played. Players, like James Harden, are not thinking correctly when they decide to play every game. It will eventually take its toll, and others will surpass players like that because of it. The commissioner tried to daunt players from resting by saying there will be "serious consequences," but that's not gonna do much. As it continues- and it will- Adam Silver and the league need to come up with a solution. I, myself, have a simple one: lower the amount of games played a year. While it's currently at 82, I believe you can decrease it to 60 or so and see what happens. This'll give players more rest, the TV ratings will likely increase, and fans will get to see the greatest quality of basketball. However, I can see the league being against this idea because it'll bring in less revenue, obviously. In my opinion, quality basketball all throughout the playoffs is more important than the regular season quality. I'm not bothered by players resting a game or two each month, but the league and fans going to the games will have something else to say. I don't know how fans would be compensated for, so I'm gonna go with no. Overall, the NBA will have to stop being bothered by it or implement a resting rule. But I think it should be allowed for now.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is better for players to rest in order to be healthy in the playoffs. In the article, it stated that James Harden hasn't rested in games but has only played in 34 games in the playoffs in the last four seasons. James on the other hand, played 84 games and he rested games, only if they were back-to-back.This makes James have the fourth most career playoff minutes. I think that it is a good strategy because it is hard to be Lebron's age (32) and still be the best player in the league. Also, the NBA isn't the only team that does that. In soccer, Real Madrid sits out Ronaldo all the time so he can stay healthy. Fans are making too big of a deal about this. It's better to have a player have 4 more good years than for them to play 6 extra games and have to retire earlier. So to wrap things up, I think that the NBA and their fans shouldn't give players a hard time for trying to stay healthy.
ReplyDeleteI think that players deserve to have a game or two off if they have reached an age where there bodies are not where they used to be. For instance Lebron James has taken 5 games off which is too many games off in my opinion in his state. Fans for the Lakers-Cavs game paid up to $3000 and the cavs sat Kyrie, Lebron, and Kevin love. The fans paid an extreme amount of money to watch bench players, play a game. In the spurs versus warriors game, every single started on both teams was benched to rest. This is unfair to the fans because they are paying to watch a performance by their favorite players, and they are not playing. I think that the NBA should implement a rule that states that you need to tell the league if a player is sitting for rest so the fans know before purchasing tickets for that game. I believe that it is the player, coaches, and organizations decision to sit a player. It negatively affects the outcome of the game, and the teams record. If the team is very high in the playoff standings, they can rest a player so he will have fresh legs for the grueling playoff race. As the article clearly pointed out, rest has a direct correlation with a longer career. Tim duncan played well into his 30's because of rest. At the end of his career it was hard for him to run, but he moved better than he would without taking games off. Patrick Beverly, most recently voiced his concerns about rest, saying that " it is a disgrace to the league, I think the fans deserve better than that".
ReplyDeleteI think that it is very important for players to have rest games, but it is very disappointing to fans who go to games and the star player is resting. I went to a Knicks game and Kristaps Porziņģis was resting which was a huge disappointment because I rarely go and when I do, I expect to see the best. I think that rest days are important to these players because it allows the body to recover, but I think that the schedule should either be spaced out more for more rest days in between games to limit rest games. It is important for these athletes to not injure themselves, or else it could shorten their career which no one wants to see. Derick Rose for instance was always injured on the Bulls, broken ankle, had to have surgery, and when he would finally come back, he would take rest games that the fans were not appreciative of. I also think that people should be more leant of allowing their players to rest because a good team needs the other athletes on the team to shine and it allows the discovery of other athletes. Colin Kaepernick was discovered due to an injury, Jeremy Lin was allowed a spot on the court due to injury, so it does allow other athletes to succeed. Also, I think it is important for these players to shine during the playoff rather than during a regular season game that is a blow out. One of Oregon's best player just got injured and it is really disappointing not only for the fans but the teammates for a player to go through the regular season just to be benched for the glory of the road to the -ship. I do agree with the Golden State Warriors coach for resting Steph Curry during the fourth quarter if it is a blow out because it allows the athlete to show off their skills to the fans and allows them to rest. I think that ticket prices should be lower if a star fan is resting because people go to the games to witness greatness of the players, not some bench players who miss a lot. I think that to a point that the league should limit the total self determined rest days without a doctors consent, that a player should not be allowed to take a rest day because they don't want to play that game.
ReplyDeletePlayer should be able to sit out up to a certain limit depending on how they feel. While their job maybe to play basketball, it's not all about the money and the fans. Sometimes you need a break because the training a NBA player goes through, as well as the stress on their bodies from 82 games a season can't be healthy without sometime off. Many people look at their situation as they make millions so they should play no matter how tired until they get a injury. Well that view of thinking isn't looking at them as humans, it's looking at them as machines for our entertainment, which is wrong. They are human beings as well. Everyone needs a break. Now five games like Lebron has taken is too much for the season. He may need a break but five games is taking it past a break to now just taking advantage. The league needs to set a limit to the amount of sit outs a player can take. While this isn't all on the players either. Many teams can use this as a strategy to win. If they don't let their stars become tired, then when the playoff's come along they will be all rested up and ready to go. Just like the article brought out about "Coach Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs, who would regularly hold out Tim Duncan and other top players during particularly strenuous parts of the schedule". So this is defiantly not all the player either not wanting to play or being lazy. Really the team should be able to have a limit to how many sit outs a player can have in a row and in a season. The fans do matter and how much they spend on a game is important but player's can't be looked at as machines. When you work at job you get sick days and vacation days.
ReplyDeleteI believe it is important for some players to have rest games. Not playing some of the older players in every game and giving them rest games lengthens their careers giving fans more time with the athlete in the long run. This strategy was started by Coach Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs and can be seen through Tim Duncan's career. Although younger players shouldn't have to need rest days. For example Tristan Thompson of the Cavs has played over 325 straight games with the record and he isn't slowing down as the season goes by. Also Harden is another example who has played in every game this season for the Rockets and is one of the contenders for MVP in the league. I believe the quality of the playoffs is more important than a random game in the league. This is because fans would rather see a crazy playoff game on TV compared to missing a crazy regular season game because they don't watch in the normal season. Fans shouldn't be compensated for going to a rest game because it was their decision to buy the tickets and all the players are still excellent athletes and watching them is entertaining.
ReplyDeleteNBA players resting themselves during a hectic playing schedule or for injury should definitely be allowed. However, the amount of games should be monitored and not become abused by teams. An 82 game regular season for a star player who is on the court for a majority of the game can be very strenuous. However, when coaching uses it to an advantage for the playoffs it crosses a line. It’s unfair to fans to be paying a lot of money for tickets to a game and not to even see their favorite player on the court just because of coaching strategy leading up to bigger games. In the article it stated, "extra rest seems to help the players involved but create bad optics for a league that sells itself on its superstars.” With that there should be a medium in putting what’s best for players into account but not abusing that resting power that upsets fans and can hurt leagues popularity.
ReplyDeleteI think that while it is important for players to rest, fans should be notified in advance so that they can make the choice of wether or not to attend the game regardless of that player resting. For many fans, just being at a game is exciting, so it may not be an issue for some. However, some fans only come to the game to see the superstar players like Lebron James or Steph Curry. However, for many people, just seeing a game of professional basketball is exciting. I do believe that there should be a timeframe for fans to be notified of the rest, so that fans can plan accordingly, but fans should not be compensated for the rest. It is ultimately their choice to either come to the game or not attend based on the rest.
ReplyDeleteThe issue of NBA players sitting is one that has been hotly debated over the last few weeks, thrust into the spotlight after the Warriors and Spurs sat their best players in a game that was billed as a Saturday ABC marquee matchup. It's an interesting argument, one where I can see both sides—if resting directly correlates to longevity, it is hard to argue against it. Nonetheless, it feels a little empty when fans shell out a significant amount of money for a ticket, only to arrive at the arena to find out the NBA's best players aren't even playing that night. Professional sports are about the fans, and it isn't right when the fans spend their hard earned money for a lesser product. When the league's best teams come to town, ticket packages are usually higher. So if LeBron James opts not to play, at the very least fans should be reimbursed or compensated in some way. The NBA can't keep people from resting; even if the league institutes rules to prevent DNP-RESTs, athletes can simply say they have legitimate injuries. Overall, it is an impossible issue to regulate, but the NBA must serve its fans first and foremost.
ReplyDeletePlayers should be allowed to rest themselves if they are hurting their league. If a team has an easy game then a harder game following, better players would rest on the easier game, so they can perform better in the tougher one. Also, resting players could older players preserve their career for a few more seasons. Unfortunately for fans, who pay to watch their favorite players play live before them, get the worse end of the deal. Although there is nothing the fans can do about it, but it definitely would be frustrating for a fan who spent their money to see a player that will not play. A possible solution to this may be notification for fans if a player is resting and a limit for players who resting if they are not injured.
ReplyDeleteThis problem in the NBA is something that I have been following for a while now. It interests me because there are a lot of things to consider here. The most obvious problem here is the fact that these players are healthy, and not participating in a sport that they are payed an absurd amount of money to play. This is their job and they are payed to do it. What if one day, a CEO of a company wasn't feeling it so they decided to take a rest day. This type of 'rest day' doesn't really happen in any other job field. So why is it acceptable on the words biggest stage. An immediate fix to this problem that I came up with is to have a minimum games that people can sit out. For example, the minimum could be 3 games at one time. This would eliminate the opporunity for players to sit out for just one game, it would mean that they would be sitting out for the entire week which would have a much bigger impact on their record and playoff chances. I do not agree with the choice of players to sit out, although I do understand that it is not always their choice. For that reason I think they should be able to do what they want with their bodies and their careers.
ReplyDeleteThis is a question that comes down to how much the coaches care about the fan's feelings. If the coaches don't care at all, it would be very beneficial to the star players to rest every once in a while to save their energy for important games. However, this makes the fans mad. If I went to a game to see my favorite player play, and he didn't, that would be very disappointing. So, there has to be some way to communicate with the fans about what is going on. For example, if the starting lineup for each game was made available before I bought tickets I could find the games with my favorite player and go to those. That would be especially useful if I want to see a player that usually sits on the bench. Then, I could find the specific game where that guy plays.
ReplyDeleteI believe players should be able to rest during certain games. Lets say Golden State has to travel out of state to play the worst team in the NBA, then why should the general manager make tired ol' Klay Thompson get even more tired by having to play a crappy team and deal with exhausting travel before playing a much better team at home in Golden State in the days following. In this instance, the general manager(s) should keep Klay Thompson in Golden State and have him rest so he can feel 100% when they play the much better team at home. This is just one instance where I feel a rest would be applicable. The team's goal is to win, and it is much easier to win a game when the team is at 100% health. Although, to be fair to the fans, these teams should alert the fans when players from the starting lineup will be held out due to rest so the fans know a few days in advance instead of crying in the stadium once they hear Lebron isn't playing.
ReplyDeleteThe issue of sitting players while being healthy has been a big headline in the NBA this season. I truly believe that if you made it to the NBA and are getting paid extraordinary amounts of money that you would want to play every game. Harden has called himself a “hooper” who will “rest when I’m done.” The NBA season as of right now is 82 games. I think that the NBA season should be condensed and become shorter witch would allow players to play all games in the regular season. I would hate being court side tickets the the Cavs game and realize that Lebron, Irving, and Love will all be sitting. I think if you were not going to shorten the NBA season teams should get fined for sitting players that are heathy. In conclusion Adam Silver needs to take some sort of action towards the problem.
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