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LeBron Disagrees With Silver, Says Issue Of Teams Resting Players Is Only About Him

Cavaliers F LeBron James disagrees with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver's memo "demanding that team owners be involved with decisions to rest star players," according to Joe Vardon of the Cleveland PLAIN DEALER. James said that the league is "only calling it a 'problem' because he's sat out a couple times this month." James: "I love what Adam is doing for our league, but I don't see how that (would help). I don't understand why it's become a problem now, because I sit out a couple games?" James said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has been resting his players "for 10 years, 12 years, 15 years and everybody was like, 'You know what? That's the smartest thing Pop has ever done.'" More James: "Some of our coaches in our league don't have the stature that Pop has, and our head coach doesn't have it so he gets killed for it." James has missed six games this season, five because of rest (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 3/22). James: "I just know the conversation gets a little bit more talked about when I'm a part of it. If it's somebody else, it gets blown up briefly, it gets talked about a little bit, but it doesn't have legs and it's gone. But as soon as I'm involved it's just a whole different situation." When Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue was asked whether James' actions are judged differently, he responded, "You know that." ESPN.com's Dave McMenamin wrote it is "hard to imagine the rest issue disappearing over the final month of the regular season, as playoff-bound teams will be mapping out spots in the schedule in the coming weeks to pull their best players in order to save their legs for the postseason" (ESPN.com, 3/21).

REST AREA: In Akron, Marla Ridenour writes James "found it ludicrous that owners should be involved in the decisions to rest players." James said, "There’s owners that are not even around the teams. There’s owners that are just owning the team because they just own the team." As for possible fines, he said, "I don’t own the team. So, I don’t have to pay that fine" (AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, 3/22). CBS Sports Net's Adam Schein said, "I don't want owners being meddlesome on playing time or the active roster. … I respect Silver for wanting his league marketed the right way. The NBA is the best when it comes to marketing of players. ... But it's the basketball coach that should be making these calls. Not Adam Silver, not the owner. Not anybody else” (“Time to Schein,” CBSSN, 3/21). NBA TV's Isiah Thomas said of James, "The NBA is on your back. ... You have a greater responsibility to the fans, to the media, to the public, than any other single person in the NBA. That’s the level that you’ve risen to” (“NBA GameTime,” NBA TV, 3/21).

PUT ME IN, COACH: The AP's Jon Krawczynski wrote now that Silver is "ramping up the pressure to consider more than just X's and O's when deciding when to rest players en masse, Popovich and other coaches around the league say they are eager to have dialogue with the league and its television partners to address an approach that is drawing the ire of fans and business partners." Popovich said, "Luckily all the participants are sane people and care about the same thing and want to get it right. It's not about anybody having power or wanting to issue orders. It's about trying to get it right." He said he supports "more discussion with TV partners so the product isn't put in that type of position." Popovich: "There is an inordinate number of games that are national that do end up in the back-to-back sort of situation." T'Wolves coach and President of Basketball Operations Tom Thibodeau said, "We certainly understand there is a business side to it. There is the rest side. And the health of the players. I think if we take a hard look we can find a solution." Heat coach Erik Spoelstra: "It makes sense that our best product is being shown to the masses" (AP, 3/21). 

Carlisle, a member of the NBA's competition
committee, hopes the new CBA will help
FROM BOTH SIDES NOW: Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle, a member of the league's competition committee, said that he "understands the gravity of the situation." Carlisle hopes the new CBA, which will shorten the preseason and add about a week to the regular season, will "help the situation." Asked if coaches should be concerned with the business side of the league when it comes to sitting stars for a nationally televised game, Carlisle said, "It's not that simple. When you coach in this league for a while, you get a real feel for players. ... And there are times when you just know that a night of rest strategically spaced during a span of games is going to make a big difference in the long run." Warriors coach Steve Kerr said that he also "understands both sides of the issue." Kerr: "This is something every organization needs to partner together with the league and our broadcast partners to figure out what's best for everybody. We all have the same interests at heart" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 3/22). Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy: "There’s probably 15 to 20 guys in our league fans really pay to come see and it’s really tough on them when people don’t come to play. ... I’m not criticizing any of the teams ... but certainly what’s best for you, what at least has to be factored in to that, is what’s best for the fans" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 3/22).

OWNERS WEIGH IN: Wizards Owner Ted Leonsis said of the letter sent by Silver, “I responded immediately to Adam and said, ‘Just put the Washington Wizards on national television and I'll make sure our players show up.’ It's an honor to play on national TV. ... The networks paid a lot of money for the programming and they want to drive ratings. They deserve to have our best product out there and the best players, so I empathize and support where our commissioner took a stand here.” Leonsis, on whether a new rule needs to be implemented: “It's a slippery slope. ... You have all sorts of issues around the CBA and what's in the best interest of the player. But I do think when you sit out three players arbitrarily in the main game of the week, that's probably inappropriate” (“Fast Money Halftime Report,” CNBC, 3/21). Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban said Silver "just wanted to reinforce the idea that this is important, that you can't just do it willy-nilly." Cuban: "Some teams were using it competitively. ... There's the psychology of it: Let's not play our best guys against a primary rival that we might see in the playoffs." Cuban said of possibly stretching out the regular season, "One of the issues in ending later is people watch less television during the summer" (“Mike & Mike,” ESPN Radio, 3/22). Celtics co-Owner & Managing General Partner Stephen Pagliuca said resting players is a “complex issue” for the league, as “fans have every right to see the players play every night.” Pagliuca: “My gut bias is I really would like the players to play if they can play, and there are legitimate injuries and there’s going to be a grey area” (“Power Lunch,” CNBC, 3/21).

STERN WORDS: In Houston, Brian Smith writes, "Thank goodness David Stern's replacement finally spoke up." The former commissioner "wouldn't have stood for this insult to a basketball nation." Ticket-buying fans -- many of whom "pay a couple hundred dollars for an average seat months before their desired game -- are the ones really being trashed" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 3/22). FS1’s Jason Whitlock said of Silver, “He was a great wing man for David Stern. They were good cop/bad cop. Now, there's only a good cop, and if you're running these leagues, if you're running a business, you probably, at the top, need to be a bad cop" ("Speak For Yourself," FS1, 3/21). USA TODAY's Amick & Zillgitt write Silver is the "basketball and business boss of the league, the guy whose extensive background working with NBA Entertainment before becoming commissioner taught him plenty about the balance that must be struck here." He "hasn’t come with the heavy hammer just yet, a la Stern" in '12 when he "fined the Spurs $250,000 for sending their stars home" for a late-November TNT game against the Heat, "but he’s clearly peeved about this problem." The "warning shot has been fired, with teams now on notice by way of Silver’s words." The next time, "it’s quite clear, action will be taken" (USA TODAY, 3/22).

WILL THIS APPROACH WORK
: ESPN’s Marcellus Wiley said he was “impressed by the spirit” of Silver’s memo, but it is "impossible to enforce.” ESPN's Michelle Beadle said the memo “isn’t a law, it’s just a heads-up that we’re on to you and we’re going to figure this out.” ESPN’s LZ Granderson said these owners “start paying attention when you mess with their money" ("SportsNation," ESPN, 3/21). The Washington Post’s Kevin Blackistone said Silver “can’t make the owners do anything. He works for the owners.” L.A. Times columnist Bill Plaschke said Silver's letter was "meant to tell the fans, ‘Hey fans, I’m trying everything I can, I’m trying to change this thing.’” Dallas Morning News columnist Tim Cowlishaw said, “This is a league that’s run basically by two giant cable companies who are having a hard time keeping subscribers, and telling them on Saturday nights now your star players aren’t going to play, that is not going to work. Players will feel that in their pockets” (“Around The Horn,” ESPN, 3/21).

WRONG TURN? USA TODAY's Nancy Armour writes under the header, "NBA Takes Wrong Approach To Scheduling Issue." The time to address it was "before the new TV contract that added 21 nationally televised games started this season." Not now, when "there’s only a month left in the regular season and being ready for the playoffs is the priority" (USA TODAY, 3/22).

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