Stern to fine Spurs for sitting players

[SHAQATTACK]

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.


ALL THIS IS TRUE...the NBA is sorta losing respect as it is...this sure won't help.

[CelticG1]

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

[hpantazo]

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

I fully agree. The point is to compete for a championship. Next time Pop should send the old guys out to walk the ball up the floor, walk back on D, and go down by 25 quickly. What can Stern say then? Heck, the celtics have done that the last 3 years!

[ImShakHeIsShaq]

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.

I'm not saying a penalty (fine or otherwise) is a bad thing but I will say that MANY top tier teams rest players... to start penalizing the Spurs is STUPID. If you don't like them doing it, say so before the season starts, be clear that no one can "rest" players! You can't just single out Spurs and not penalize others. When Doc rests KG, PP, and RR (or any of the guys), as a fan, it doesn't bother me because I am smart enough to know that there is a larger plan in motion... I also enjoy when they sit (every now and then), so I can get a look at other guys who may turn out to be a missing element (Avery got that shot when Ray was out)... you may need one of the "scrubs" to stand up one day and help win games, they won't get any play when there are 10 guys that have proven themselves, ahead of them.

[hpantazo]

The Spurs are doing allright agains the heat so far tonight too

[scaryjerry]

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.

[hpantazo]

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.

Pop is a secretive guy when it comes to showing your potential Finals opponent your team strategies and how your guys match up with theirs.

[Eja117]

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.

[hpantazo]

The Spurs are up 6 right now, so maybe Stern should also fine the Heat for tanking.

[ScottHow]

This is crossing the line in my opinion. Having Stern force coaches to play certain people is the next step to making the NBA the WWE.

[dark_lord]

stern needs to go asap!  telling a franchise like the spurs, which has been elite (and classy) for over a decade, what strategy to use is ludicrous.

[hpantazo]

This is crossing the line in my opinion. Having Stern force coaches to play certain people is the next step to making the NBA the WWE.

maybe he should also fine Doc for not playing any of the centers we have on our roster.

[Birdman]

popovich did it last year and stern didnt say a thing. Its on primetime tv tonight against the heat is why he is doing this

[Donoghus]

Totally on Pops side here.

It blows for the fans who paid to see the Spurs against the Heat tonight and the television partners on this but he's the head coach and should have the right to be able to do what he needs to do for what he thinks are the best interests of the team.  He's certainly one of the coaches in the NBA to have the pedigree to do it with his background.

They've played something like 6 road games in 9 days and this is the backend of road back to back.

Plus, when you buy a sports ticket it's not guaranteed that you're going to see everyone you want to see.  It can be a bummer but the understanding should be there.

Stern's shelf life expired about 5 years ago.

[byennie]

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.