Author Topic: Stern to fine Spurs for sitting players  (Read 30677 times)

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Stern to fine Spurs for sitting players
« on: November 29, 2012, 08:08:41 PM »

Offline rondohondo

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Just saw it on the tnt pregame show.Duncan,Parker,Ginobili and Green are sitting tonight vs Miami. They have been doing this for years, why are they getting fined now ?


Re: Stern to fine Spurs for sitting players
« Reply #1 on: November 29, 2012, 08:09:33 PM »

Offline hpantazo

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Stern shouldn't have a say in how a coach manages his team. Pop should protest!

Re: Stern to fine Spurs for sitting players
« Reply #2 on: November 29, 2012, 08:12:18 PM »

Offline fairweatherfan

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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.

Re: Stern to fine Spurs for sitting players
« Reply #3 on: November 29, 2012, 08:13:35 PM »

Offline hpantazo

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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.  I believe that Pop also prefers to not show his strategy against potential contenders in case they meet in the finals.

Re: Stern to fine Spurs for sitting players
« Reply #4 on: November 29, 2012, 08:14:58 PM »

Offline Chris

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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. 

Re: Stern to fine Spurs for sitting players
« Reply #5 on: November 29, 2012, 08:16:45 PM »

Offline fairweatherfan

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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.

Tanking is deliberately hurting your team's chance to win games, usually by sitting healthy players.  The only difference here is the purpose of the tanking.  I agree it's not as bad because of the intent, but the behavior is identical.

Re: Stern to fine Spurs for sitting players
« Reply #6 on: November 29, 2012, 08:18:19 PM »

Offline hpantazo

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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.

Nothing on the ticket guarantees that you see a certain player. Fans won't see Rondo tomorrow night for example, and Phili fans have yet to see Bynum. A coach should have the right to do what's best for his team's chances to win the title, not to please tv audiences and ticket holders.

Re: Stern to fine Spurs for sitting players
« Reply #7 on: November 29, 2012, 08:18:37 PM »

Offline Jeff

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Re: Stern to fine Spurs for sitting players
« Reply #8 on: November 29, 2012, 08:20:34 PM »

Offline scaryjerry

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I honestly don't get it.... its fine to do but its a little early in the season and what team doesn't want to measure themselves against the defending champs? You need those kind of games to grow. Why not sit them against the wizards? And why sit green? Kind of a weird move.

Re: Stern to fine Spurs for sitting players
« Reply #9 on: November 29, 2012, 08:25:07 PM »

Offline SHAQATTACK

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People don't pay big money to see the scrubs play.

Come on POP its super early in the season.... ARE you scard to play the HEAT????

WHo wants to watch LeBron play a team of second stringers....thats sucks....

I mean ....couldn't HEAT the do the same  just win enough games to make the playoffs,  SIT WADE and JAMES  1/2 the season and then bring them out to play REAL BALL ?????

Tanking to save [players this early in the season is TOTALLY WRONG..... the fans should demand their money back.

SPurs should be fined., or else they will set a presdent and soon all the decent teasm will just go though the motions to make the playoffs.

And HEAT vs Spurs is markee game ,  the TV ratings will fall if all the stars SIT IT OUT.   

Its really not fair to the ticket holders , they expected to se Duncan and buds play.

They are enterainers FIRST ...like it or not.   They are bing paid to BE on the court .... or at least be dressed and make some appearances.

But holding back players this early in the season isn't right. .....  players need to MAN up play the game.

I'm behind Stern on this one...no cheating the fans this early in the season
« Last Edit: November 29, 2012, 08:31:57 PM by SHAQATTACK »

Re: Stern to fine Spurs for sitting players
« Reply #10 on: November 29, 2012, 08:26:36 PM »

Offline JoT

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For some reason I find it hilarious that Pop would do this. It makes me laugh that he just gave a huge middle finger to the league by sending his best players home.
Pop just don't give a care and he probably shows no remorse for it either.

I will say if I were a fan who paid money to see my favorite players tonight only to hear they're not coming, I would be really angry. I can also see where Stern was coming from because Pop doing this can make him lose money.

Re: Stern to fine Spurs for sitting players
« Reply #11 on: November 29, 2012, 08:28:21 PM »

Offline PhoSita

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The NBA is a business, and their business is entertainment.  Pop sitting four of his top five scorers, including all three of his stars, in a nationally televised game against a top opponent, is clearly bad for business.  I can't blame Stern at all for punishing the Spurs for that. 

I think it's Pop's prerogative to strategically rest his key guys, but resting them all at once in a game against a good team (rather than against a team like, say, the Magic, who the Spurs played in their previous game), is kind of a slap in the face to the league office.
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Re: Stern to fine Spurs for sitting players
« Reply #12 on: November 29, 2012, 08:28:50 PM »

Offline Chris

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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.

Nothing on the ticket guarantees that you see a certain player. Fans won't see Rondo tomorrow night for example, and Phili fans have yet to see Bynum. A coach should have the right to do what's best for his team's chances to win the title, not to please tv audiences and ticket holders.

I agree, there is no guarantee.  But I think there is a slippery slope argument here.  When healthy stars are being sat (en mass) for a random game in November, then at what point do they start sitting out more and more games, just for rest.

Re: Stern to fine Spurs for sitting players
« Reply #13 on: November 29, 2012, 08:29:06 PM »

Offline fairweatherfan

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BTW, I'm not trying to knock the Spurs, I understand why they did it.  But I understand why the league is so p---ed, too.

The short-term embarrassment for the league is losing a marquee matchup.  But the bigger embarrassment is that the Spurs are basically underscoring how meaningless most of the regular season is.  That's the real impact of this move I think.

Re: Stern to fine Spurs for sitting players
« Reply #14 on: November 29, 2012, 08:30:26 PM »

Offline hpantazo

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The NBA is a business, and their business is entertainment.  Pop sitting four of his top five scorers, including all three of his stars, in a nationally televised game against a top opponent, is clearly bad for business.  I can't blame Stern at all for punishing the Spurs for that. 

I think it's Pop's prerogative to strategically rest his key guys, but resting them all at once in a game against a good team (rather than against a team like, say, the Magic, who the Spurs played in their previous game), is kind of a slap in the face to the league office.

then the next time they play a team like the Heat and Pop wants to rest his guys, he should just tell them to go out there and give 15% effort, let the other team go up by 25, and then I'll put you on the bench the rest of the night.