The issue of NBA teams resting star players was a "main topic of conversation" at the league’s annual spring BOG meeting in N.Y. last week, according to Scott Cacciola of the N.Y. TIMES. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said that there was "agreement among the owners that teams should avoid resting 'multiple players' for games that are broadcast on national television." Silver also said that the owners "concluded that teams should rest players for home games whenever possible, rather than sit them on the road when opposing fans might miss their only chance to see them play." Silver: "There was a consensus on the need to find the right balance between appropriate rest for our players on one hand and our obligation to our fans and business partners on the other hand." He added that the owners had "discussed issuing 'guidelines' for teams rather than 'enforceable rules.'" Silver: "It’s not a function necessarily of owners calling coaches and saying, ‘I’m now going to dictate to you or micromanage how you coach the team or how you choose minutes for a particular player.' But these need to be organizational decisions where there’s a fair balance between the competitive issues on one hand and the very real business issues on the other hand" (N.Y. TIMES, 4/8).
WHAT ELSE IS THERE TO DO? In Boston, Gary Washburn wrote there "isn't much Silver can do to deter this besides adjusting the schedule and strongly suggesting top players participate in nationally televised games." He "doesn’t have any more right to order coaches to play certain players than he would forcing coaches to allocate certain amounts of playing time." That is the "coach’s decision and Silver does not want to interfere." One thing that will "not happen is a reduction of the regular-season schedule." Silver: "It was not discussed, reducing the number of regular-season games" (BOSTON GLOBE, 4/9). As for extending the NBA season, Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban said: "I prefer to go longer into June than start earlier. We're cutting at least to four (preseason games). June, we'd have it all to ourselves, but there are fewer televisions watching" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 4/8). Rockets GM Daryl Morey said of potentially shortening the regular season, “People tune in to games based on two things. One, is how important is this game to the overall prize of that league, whatever it is. Two, is how uncertain is the outcome? The NBA unfortunately fails during the regular season at a pretty high level on both of those issues. ... It is almost for sure that by shortening the number of games the ratings would rise and it would lead to higher television money." Morey added, "It could go as low as 30 to 40 (games) and shortening playoff series to one to three. ... You look at the NCAA tournament and ... they make more in those 63 games than we make in 1,250 games" ("Mike & Mike," ESPN Radio, 4/10).
CAROLINA ON THEIR MIND: Silver said Charlotte hosting the NBA's All-Star Weekend after HB2 was repealed last week “is not a done deal yet.” Silver said that the league will "develop an anti-discrimination policy that will have to be signed onto by participating groups in Charlotte." Silver: "If those requirements are met, it’s our expectation the All-Star Game will be there in 2019." Silver said just because HB2 was repealed, it “does not mean fundamental issues are resolved” as they pertain to protection for the LGBT community (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 4/8). The N.Y. TIMES' Cacciola noted before Charlotte can "secure the game, the city and its corporate partners must provide assurances that they will adhere to anti-discrimination policies for the weekend’s events." Silver: "We can be a force for change" (N.Y. TIMES, 4/8).
OTHER ON-COURT ISSUE: THE VERTICAL's Chris Mannix wrote Silver was "less forceful" on the issue of teams "tanking" late in the season. Silver: "There’s no question there’s also a certain amount of jockeying that’s going on there as teams look to go into the draft. That is something that we discussed at our board meeting and agreed that we need to revisit it in a holistic way." Mannix: "Translation: It’s a problem -- and we have no idea how to fix it." The league "won't" care about tanking because fans "don't." The NBA "stays out of it," though it "shouldn't." The NBA is "tainted by dozens of games played with one team actively trying to lose it." Mannix: "The NBA lets them. But it doesn’t have to. And it shouldn’t" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 4/8).
STAY AWAY: Silver said that the league has "no interest in getting involved" in Knicks Owner James Dolan's "expletive-filled run-in with a Knicks fan" last week. Silver: "It's not something we would typically get involved in. I'm not particularly concerned about that incident. It seemed like it was handled in the normal course." Silver added, "You of course as a league wish those incidents didn't happen, but we don't want to put a microscope on every back-and-forth that happens between a fan and an owner. I don't think it would be fair to anyone" (ESPN.com, 4/8).
