Author Topic: Pop may have been making a larger statement by sitting players  (Read 1796 times)

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Pop may have been making a larger statement by sitting players
« on: November 30, 2012, 03:17:49 AM »

Offline Ogaju

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I form of protest to the NBA for poor or fixed scheduling, and poor offciating in favor of LeBron.

Knowing Pop this was more of a protest than resting his players. The term for the labor action in labor economics is 'walk to rule'. You show up for work, but you do not put in a full effort.

Pop's message could be 'hey you rigged this schedule in favor of Heat, and your refs always favor the Heat, so I am not going to play your game and subject my stars to a rigged mtachup'

This is my take.

Re: Pop may have been making a larger statement by sitting players
« Reply #1 on: November 30, 2012, 03:18:51 AM »

Offline lightspeed5

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yeah i agree there is a message in it. why play against the heat when the refs will let them win.

Re: Pop may have been making a larger statement by sitting players
« Reply #2 on: November 30, 2012, 05:05:29 AM »

Offline chambers

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Or maybe he was just resting some dinosaur players in a tough game which they'd probably lose anyway?
Put it this way- he rests his stars for 1 game which was 50/50 instead of leaving them in and maybe winning, and then maybe losing the next 2 from fatigue.
He loses this one, give his second unit a tough match up defensively and giving the team a much better shot at winning the games after the Heat game after their older core is rested.
I really don't think Popovic buys into the fan's 'rigged' dimension that lots of Heat or Laker or Celtic haters seem to think exists.
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Read that last line again. One more time.

Re: Pop may have been making a larger statement by sitting players
« Reply #3 on: November 30, 2012, 12:23:57 PM »

Offline Ogaju

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I believe he was making a larger statement. You just do not pull all your stars in a early season game.

Re: Pop may have been making a larger statement by sitting players
« Reply #4 on: November 30, 2012, 12:24:47 PM »

Offline Fafnir

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I believe he was making a larger statement. You just do not pull all your stars in a early season game.
He did it last year. (at least with Duncan)

Re: Pop may have been making a larger statement by sitting players
« Reply #5 on: November 30, 2012, 12:31:53 PM »

Offline celtsfan84

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I believe he was making a larger statement. You just do not pull all your stars in a early season game.
He did it last year. (at least with Duncan)

Yup, just to add to your post, here's a link to a recap of a game against Portland last year.  Ginobili and Splitter were injured.  Popovich rested Duncan and Parker.  The Spurs lost by 40 to the Blazers. Popovich has done this before.  I don't think Popovich was trying to make a statement against the Blazers.

Quote
San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said before the game that he was resting Parker and Duncan because the Spurs were playing three games in four nights.

http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=320221022

Re: Pop may have been making a larger statement by sitting players
« Reply #6 on: November 30, 2012, 12:33:04 PM »

Online Donoghus

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Well, I'm sure he wasn't exactly thrilled with the NBA schedule makers but I think that would be the extent of the underlying message (besides the obvious one of doing what's best for his team, in his mind).


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Re: Pop may have been making a larger statement by sitting players
« Reply #7 on: November 30, 2012, 12:41:43 PM »

Offline Ogaju

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I believe he was making a larger statement. You just do not pull all your stars in a early season game.
He did it last year. (at least with Duncan)

Yup, just to add to your post, here's a link to a recap of a game against Portland last year.  Ginobili and Splitter were injured.  Popovich rested Duncan and Parker.  The Spurs lost by 40 to the Blazers. Popovich has done this before.  I don't think Popovich was trying to make a statement against the Blazers.

Quote
San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said before the game that he was resting Parker and Duncan because the Spurs were playing three games in four nights.

http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=320221022

So you are saying that Pop has a tendency to sit his star and aging players in games he thinks he has a low chance of winning. Hmmmm that wont fly well with the consumers. So what we have is 'welcome to the NBA where winning is everything and you will only get TIM DUNCAN and other stars on nights that they have a shot at winning'. That is more accurate than buy a ticket come see our stars.

Re: Pop may have been making a larger statement by sitting players
« Reply #8 on: November 30, 2012, 12:46:27 PM »

Offline celtsfan84

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I believe he was making a larger statement. You just do not pull all your stars in a early season game.
He did it last year. (at least with Duncan)

Yup, just to add to your post, here's a link to a recap of a game against Portland last year.  Ginobili and Splitter were injured.  Popovich rested Duncan and Parker.  The Spurs lost by 40 to the Blazers. Popovich has done this before.  I don't think Popovich was trying to make a statement against the Blazers.

Quote
San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said before the game that he was resting Parker and Duncan because the Spurs were playing three games in four nights.

http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=320221022

So you are saying that Pop has a tendency to sit his star and aging players in games he thinks he has a low chance of winning. Hmmmm that wont fly well with the consumers. So what we have is 'welcome to the NBA where winning is everything and you will only get TIM DUNCAN and other stars on nights that they have a shot at winning'. That is more accurate than buy a ticket come see our stars.

His pattern is to rest guys at the end of long road trips.  HEAT fans were able to see LeBron, Wade, and Bosh anyway.

I wouldn't say that the Spurs had no shot of beating the Blazers last year.

Re: Pop may have been making a larger statement by sitting players
« Reply #9 on: November 30, 2012, 12:50:51 PM »

Offline fairweatherfan

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Well, I'm sure he wasn't exactly thrilled with the NBA schedule makers but I think that would be the extent of the underlying message (besides the obvious one of doing what's best for his team, in his mind).

I agree.  To the extent there was a "message" beyond just resting the guys, it was that Pop thought the schedule was unreasonable and refused to play along.

But I would LOVE to see Pop's response to someone telling him he sat his guys because "the refs are biased toward LeBron so you know you can't win anyway".

Re: Pop may have been making a larger statement by sitting players
« Reply #10 on: November 30, 2012, 01:23:43 PM »

Offline SHAQATTACK

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I Pop doesn't like the Travel, ect , ect , then he needs to complain during the OFF SEASON and not screw the fan out of their hard earned money.

he is not using good judegment .

Re: Pop may have been making a larger statement by sitting players
« Reply #11 on: November 30, 2012, 01:29:17 PM »

Offline LooseCannon

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I wonder if the league is annoyed that he actually sent them home instead of at least having them sit on the bench in street clothes.
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Re: Pop may have been making a larger statement by sitting players
« Reply #12 on: November 30, 2012, 01:31:28 PM »

Offline Stizz44

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Well, I'm sure he wasn't exactly thrilled with the NBA schedule makers but I think that would be the extent of the underlying message (besides the obvious one of doing what's best for his team, in his mind).

I agree.  To the extent there was a "message" beyond just resting the guys, it was that Pop thought the schedule was unreasonable and refused to play along.

But I would LOVE to see Pop's response to someone telling him he sat his guys because "the refs are biased toward LeBron so you know you can't win anyway".

I agree right here! If this was about resting guys he would have rested his stars against the Raptors, Wizards, or Magic.

Re: Pop may have been making a larger statement by sitting players
« Reply #13 on: November 30, 2012, 01:52:39 PM »

Offline Cman

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count me as slightly gleeful at anything that annoys David Stern, regardless of the motivation.
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Re: Pop may have been making a larger statement by sitting players
« Reply #14 on: November 30, 2012, 01:55:22 PM »

Offline Chris

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Its funny that people think of Stern as the cocky one, when comparing him to Pop.  I see it the other way around.  Stern is certainly cocky, but Pop is one of the most self satisfied people I have ever seen, and this is just another case of him trying to prove how much smarter than everyone else that he is.