Stern to fine Spurs for sitting players

[Eja117]

Pop's moves are bad for business. The NBA is a business.

the nba is a business.  however, pop is not a business man.  he is a coach, and the best in the league for a long time.  his goal isn't winning tonight, it is winning the title.  the spurs have been an elite franchise for over a decade, they know what they are doing.

I totally get your point and you're absolutely right but just because he isn't a business man doesn't make him immune or above the business environment. Tons of non-businessmen have had to deal with the business end of things. I believe Thomas Edison and Henry Ford were both fired for example. Artists have to deal with business. NASA and science has to deal with business. He doesn't have to like it.  He has to unfortunately learn what some of the refs need to learn (but seem immune to under Stern). You are not the product. You never were the product. You will never be the product. You may not be above the product in any way.  You are the worker that produces the product. The product is what people are paying for. Now do your job and assist in producing it.  Or pay back all the consumers you cheated.

i am willing to bet the spurs organization 1000% supports pop's decision making with coaching the team and the strategies he employs.

the fact is, fans buy a ticket that says spurs vs heat.....not lbj, wade, bosh vs manu, duncan, parker.  the nba is the one who markets the individuals. 

pop is the best at what he does and his strategies have been battle tested.  screw stern and his ego trip.

Ah yes. The laundry theory. The idea that as long as the people out there are wearing the right laundry the fan has nothing to complain about. All they have to do is trot someone out there wearing a jersey that says Spurs and you should feel lucky that you are in the presence of a genius coach. Who the heck are you as a spoiled paying fan to think that by buying a ticket to the Spurs that you are entitled to seeing actual specific members of the Spurs play?  Don't you understand strategy?
And by the way.  You thought that by buying a ticket to the Stones you would see Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. But you won't. It just says "Rolling Stones". It doesn't say Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. These guys have talent and were added to the band this morning. Feel lucky we didn't just roll some stones down a hill and take your money.
Heck. All we had to do was put some cowboy spurs on the court at the agreed to time and that would have been fine.  It's what the ticket says, right?

It's an interesting theory.

classic over the top and extreme example stretching your point.  u want pop to refund fans' money....lol, good luck with that....way to be sensible and realistic.  have fun rambling with someone else.

It's amazing how a classic over the top extreme example can hit the point absolutely perfectly on the money and show how two things are the exact same thing.  I always try to make all my sports conversations completely sensible and realistic, because that's what sports is all about. Being sensible. That's what I love in my pro sports. The sensibility and realism.  I'm gonna ramble on and sing my song

[Celtics4ever]

he could be fixing the officiating but no he is fining a team for sitting players.  Other than his marketing of the NBA the man is a joke.

[JoT]

I think the fans should be the consideration. They're the league's bosses/employers/consumers.  If I took my kids to a game like that and none of those guys were there I'd be pretty ticked. It's a little like if you buy a ticket to the Rolling Stones but they don't put Keith Richards or Mick Jagger out there cause they have another show next week and they want them rested up and they don't give you any money back, because buying a ticket to the Rolling Stones doesn't guarantee you'll see Mick Jagger. Actually I do sorta see it as a guarantee that if I buy tix to a game of the Spurs and Heat I will see the best healthy players of those teams play. Pop doesn't have to play them 48 minutes. He doesn't have to play them 28 minutes.

The corporate sponsors that pay to have commercials during national games have a stake too.

Pop's moves are bad for business. The NBA is a business. Yes Stern is being a huge hypocrite here, but that doesn't mean he's wrong. Even an evil blind squirrel finds a nut and he may have stumbled upon a decent point here.

If I was a fan, I would be very mad about this, so I can understand Stern's decision/feelings on this issues considering that he is trying to protect the fan here. 

Until you consider....

The spurs have played 10 games in 17 nights prior to tonight, including lots of games against elite teams and finishing an immediate 4 games in 5 nights all on the road.

Sorry Stern, YOU are the one who is at fault here.  Guys (especially older ones) are going to get tired when you put them through schedules like these and, potentially worse, are going to get hurt occassionally.  Who would be getting fined if star players got hurt due to fatigue in a game like this?  Stern has zero ground to stand on here tonight.

If the schedule was not like this, I would have Stern's back here, but he set himself up for this one.

The bold is the reason why I'm not as mad or mad at all about what Pop did. They're coming off a back to back with 4 games in 5 nights while Miami has had 4 days off. 

[Eja117]

he could be fixing the officiating but no he is fining a team for sitting players.  Other than his marketing of the NBA the man is a joke.

Yeah it's too bad that even when he's right or makes a good point now it doesn't matter. Selig may have him beat in commissioner ineptness, but I think Stern is the least liked commissioner.

[csfansince60s]

Big Respect to Pop!!!!

Who are really getting cHeated here?

Answer: cHeat fans.

My fellow Celts fans should be happy here. THEY are the enemy.

[fairweatherfan]

All debating aside, I love that the Spurs are winning right now.  I'd love to see if Stern has the balls to fine them after a win. 

[Eja117]

All debating aside, I love that the Spurs are winning right now.  I'd love to see if Stern has the balls to fine them after a win.

TP. That would take this from drama to high comedy. I wouldn't even be shocked if the Heat coaches try to sorta make that happen. They know they're going to the playoffs. The coaching brotherhood may be very strong for all we know.

[bdm860]

Let's be real here, do people really buy tickets to watch Tim Duncan?  He might be one of the greatest players ever, but we all know his style doesn't really put butts in the seats.  And I thought Miami fans showed up to support their team, because we know how deep their allegiance runs 


Totally with the Spurs on this one though.

We all know if this wasn't a nationally televised game, Stern wouldn't have done anything, actually he probably would have preferred it.  Don't want the Heat losing games now.

[fairweatherfan]

We all know if this wasn't a nationally televised game, Stern wouldn't have done anything, actually he probably would have preferred it.  Don't want the Heat losing games now.

The one game I got to see in person in the championship season (@Charlotte in April), the entire Big 3 were healthy DNPs.  Nobody really made a fuss about it.   Didn't hurt that we still won by 20 though 

[Lightskinsmurf]

4th game in 5 nights for the Spurs, while the Heat have had 4 straight nights off. That's the NBA's fault. Pop is totally justified in sitting his guys.

THIS ^^^^ You can't possibly blame pop for doing this when you give him a brutal schedule RIGHT BEFORE playing the heat. Also, the heat had 4 nights off? ****, give me a break. If you don't want him resting guys on national televised games then maybe you should have given the spurs 4 nights off like you did the heat!

[Fan from VT]

You cannot at all justify fining a coaching strategy outside of a coach specifically encouraging dangerous and/or dirty/illegal on court tactics (i.e. cheap shots, etc.). But you cannot fine coaching strategies.

It's completely ridiculous. What's next: fining a coach for encouraging his players to play good defense because fans pay to see scoring?

[Fan from VT]

And that's not even taking into account the many possible great reasons to sit all their starters: rest, injury prevention, and throwing the bench to the wolves to see who can sink or swim...basically training for emergency preparedness.

How many times have we armchair coaches wished Doc would just play a rookie for 35 mpg for a few games just to see if they could play if they found a rhythm?

[celticslove]

will they still be penalized if they win?haha that's a major slap on $tern$ face if the spurs can actually hang on to win this one.lol

[hpantazo]

Spurs are up 5 with 3 minutes to go in the game. Take that Stern!

[Eja117]

You cannot at all justify fining a coaching strategy outside of a coach specifically encouraging dangerous and/or dirty/illegal on court tactics (i.e. cheap shots, etc.). But you cannot fine coaching strategies.

It's completely ridiculous. What's next: fining a coach for encouraging his players to play good defense because fans pay to see scoring?

Stern is looking at the big picture that nobody else is looking at.  What happens when 32 coaches decide to routinely sit their best players because Pop is some sort of genius? How many millions upon millions of dollars do they stand to lose?  Then the owners complain they're losing money. Then the players strike. Then we all complain about how greedy they are. A season gets cancelled.  You can't have coaches getting into a tanking war.  What happens when TNT has 6 games in a row where the best players haven't played?  I don't think it would ever be like baseball where you only see the best guy every fifth game, but players and coaches could start doing the Brett Farve thing where they show up when they feel like it.

It's work. Show up for work. Do your job. You don't have to play the whole game by any means, but being a healthy scratch? I mean geeze. They advertise these guys as the best athletes in the world but ancient Tim Duncan can't play cause he needs an afternoon nap?