Stern to fine Spurs for sitting players

[Eja117]

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

Ever notice how Ray Allen messes up everything?

[JoT]

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

Ever notice how Ray Allen messes up everything?

I'm mad as heck right now. They had them and I would have loved to see them win tonight with these players but that guy had to ruin it.

[Eja117]

Pops coulda put in his well rested stars in the last five mins and won. Woulda been epic

[Larry for 3]

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

Ever notice how Ray Allen messes up everything?

ray for 3 again, it makes me sick

[Eja117]

This is one of the best unforeseen NBA dramas ever

[BballTim]

  This happened to the Celts in the mid-80s. They had a late-season game in Atlanta and left most of the starters in Boston. When the league found out they called someone in the Celts front office and they had to call the players, rush them to the airport and fly them to Atlanta in time for the game.

[ImShakHeIsShaq]

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?

There aren't even close to 15 teams that have good enough players/teams to even try this! Spurs are one of the few teams who can rest anyone and still play good basketball! If Mia sat out just LeBroid they would struggle.

Let's say that all 32 teams did try it, SO WHAT, no one even really cares about most of the teams anyway... what's wrong with resting good players EVERY NOW AND THEN, y'all act like he does this every game!

Oh wow, the Bobcats, Wizards, Raptors, Suns, etc., for a game here and there, sit out their 3 top players... yep, their records and play is going to suffer LOL.

We are talking about a game here and there people, calm down.

[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?

There aren't even close to 15 teams that have good enough players/teams to even try this! Spurs are one of the few teams who can rest anyone and still play good basketball! If Mia sat out just LeBroid they would struggle.

Let's say that all 32 teams did try it, SO WHAT, no one even really cares about most of the teams anyway... what's wrong with resting good players EVERY NOW AND THEN, y'all act like he does this every game!

Oh wow, the Bobcats, Wizards, Raptors, Suns, etc., for a game here and there, sit out their 3 top players... yep, their records and play is going to suffer LOL.

We are talking about a game here and there people, calm down.

I agree with you in theory, but it's easy for fans to talk about money losing propositions when it's not our money. If this became common place on the one hand it might not be a big deal. On the other hand 10 grand here. 10 grand there. People don't calm down about shrinking revenue. Sports are already competing with the whole mancave thing and internet and slow economy. They want to make even more money, not less.  It's easy for us to be ok with it because it isn't happening to us. I'm trying to imagine what would happen if Doc tried this. I mean we get on him for not playing centers. I'm trying to imagine what would happen if he just conceded a game to Miami by not even playing guys. No Rondo. No KG. No Pierce.  I wonder how that would go over

[Lightskinsmurf]

Didn't watch the game because the saints falcons are on and NFL > NBA but from the response on my twitter ray hit another big 3 huh lol?

[CelticSooner]

Found myself rooting for Miami. Yuck

The fan in me won't allow me to accept resting players this early in the season.

[Lightskinsmurf]

Found myself rooting for Miami. Yuck

The fan in me won't allow me to accept resting players this early in the season.

You're disgusting.......

[manl_lui]

Found myself rooting for Miami. Yuck

The fan in me won't allow me to accept resting players this early in the season.

You're disgusting.......

the big picture is getting to the playoffs. The Spurs played 4 games in 5 nights...Stephen Jackson is already out for the Spurs, so they need the rest.

I like what Pop did, and I still hate the Heat

[action781]

Why didn't Stern fine the Heat and the Celtics for this game that was on TNT
http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/201204240BOS.html

That brings up a very good point.  If Pops is fined here, I hope he brings this up as a counter argument for why he shouldn't be.  I acknowledge there is a difference, but where is the line?

[Edgar]

I think the title is jumping the gun - Stern said "significant sanctions" but nothing's been named yet. 

I'm not surprised though - I'm sure the contracts have some kind of elastic "detrimental to the league" clause, and a team basically forfeiting a nationally televised matchup is not going to make the front office happy.  It's essentially tanking, just not for a lottery pick.

Resting your old star players is not tanking, it's doing what's smart to win a title this year. To get fined for it is a joke and an insult.

It is also a slap in the face to the fans who paid good money to see these guys play.

I have to agree in this one
without reading any other coment after

[Edgar]

I can't believe anyone can be against popp on this.

The goal is to win a championship. He should be able to do whatever he wants.

So Stern is going to fine them next time for playing those guys 5 min?

I can't believe how angry this makes me. It just turns the game more into pure entertainment, than a sport

Why not sit them against the wizards and magic?
games like this can help build a championship team.

but heyre a champioshipm team already