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There has been a popular trend that seems to be taking place in the NBA this season; that trend being the resting of star players and more specifically resting them during Saturday Prime-time games. There have been multiple games this season that were nationally televised that did not include many star players that the fans pay a lot of money to come see. In an ESPN.com interview, Patrick Beverly of the Houston Rockets was recently asked his thoughts on the resting of players and he simply said it’s a “disgrace to this league.”
"I think that's bulls—," Beverley told ESPN reporters. "I think that's a disgrace to this league. I think that fans deserve better. I could care less about coaches asking players to rest or not. It's up to you to play or not, and if you don't, you're disrespecting the game."
Many agree with Beverly, feeling that it is one thing if you are hurt and physically are unable to play, but if you simply take a game off because you are tired, it is just not right.
When comparing the NBA to other professional sports, it seems as though Beverly has a point. Yes, the vigorous 82 game schedule that takes up five and a half months is tough, but it is much less than the MLB’s schedule of 162 games in about 180 days. Pete Rose, who played in the MLB from 1963-1984, was asked his thoughts recently on Fox Sports Radio. “The NBA is unbelievable for resting players,” said Rose. He went on to say that if they do take a game off because they are tired, then they should not receive their game paycheck from that game.
Even the commissioner of the NBA, Adam Silver, thinks that resting players is ‘a significant issue for the league.’ The NBA board of governors will be meeting on April 6 after the conclusion of the regular season to go over everything that happened this past year. According to an ESPN.com interview, Silver has issued a warning that there will be “significant penalties” for teams that do not abide by the league’s standing rules for providing, “notice to the league office, their opponent, and the media immediately upon a determination that a players will not participate in a game due to rest.”
However, on the contrary, some veteran all-stars around the league have different opinions on this issue, recognizing that there is a difference in injury prevention measures and mental toughness. In April of 2013, Kobe Bryant tore his Achilles tendon, tried to pull the tendon back up into place, and proceeded to walk back onto the court after a timeout to take two free throws following the initial injury; an example of extreme perseverance. Cleveland Cavaliers veteran forward LeBron James also has the mindset that he is here to compete for a championship and not a game. He would rather take games off during the regular season, in order to be healthy in May and June when it really matters. Avid basketball fan and Ramapo student, Connor Walsh, agreed with James. “I don’t see it as a problem, NBA players are judged what they do in the playoffs, not the regular season. It is important to be healthy and well rested for the playoffs come May,” said Walsh.
“LeBron has certainly proved himself over the years on both his talent and work ethic, I think that him taking a game off here and there is not that big of a deal,” said Ramapo student Mike Digirolamo. James is one of the most decorated players of all-time. Some of his accolades include three NBA championships, four league MVP awards, three Finals MVP awards, Rookie of the Year, and two Olympic Gold medals. While Beverly may feel that resting healthy players shows weakness and is distasteful, it begs the question if some of “The King’s” key to greatness was taking a few games off in preparation.
aunglaub@ramapo.edu
