Idea: shorten season

[AB_Celtic]

I understand why the NBA season is currently as long as it is. It's supposed to "dilute" runs made by teams so that only the truly good teams come out on top at the end. However, at a certain point, the NBA needs (IMO) to take a look in the mirror and ask itself whether this dilution is worth injuries to its most prolific players. Every one of the following players suffered a season-ending injury.

Derrick Rose
Rajon Rondo
Danilo Gallinari
David Lee
Danny Granger
Kobe Bryant
Kevin Love
Amar'e Stoudemire
Russell Westbrook

These are the players who play the most minutes, because they are needed most. They are also the biggest part of why people watch basketball: they are exciting players that make money for the association.

Basketball is not baseball; every game is physically demanding and damaging to the body. There are hard fouls, harder falls, and twisted ankles all the time. When these players play as many minutes as they do over an 82 game season, they are far more susceptible to a season-ending injury.

Has the NBA considered shortening its season length? I think it's at least something that should be looked at. We'd lose some dilution factor, but the exciting players would be less likely to get hurt and could then do what was most important: be on the court come playoff time.

[Mr Green]

Nice idea but I highly doubt the season will ever be shortened. The bottom line is the owners like 41 home games each season so they can make lots of moolah.   

[Celtics4ever]

Agree, it's about money so this will never happen.   BTW Rondo's injury happened early in the season so your whole premise is flawed.

[pearljammer10]

Coaches could always just play their players less minutes. Injuries happen, it's unfortunate there were so many to high profile players this season.

[ItStaysYang]

By the way, by shorten the season I thought you meant "keep the number of games the same but stuff them into a shorter time period"

[snowball]

Won't happen, but should be about 10 games less.

[Moranis]

Rose got hurt last year, not this year, you know during a shortened season, and then re-injured himself by coming back too soon last year.

Granger came back too fast from his injury sustained last year and re-injured himself. 

Rondo and Bryant didn't do themselves any favors by continuing to play on their injury.  Maybe if they came out immediately they wouldn't be out for the year (or miss as much time).

And let's be clear, there have been season ending injuries to top tier players for years.  Wilt, Jordan, Bird, etc. (even Garnett in Boston) have all had season ending injuries and all came back to a top level (bird was a bit less, but his season ender was much later in his career).

It isn't the length of the season either as Rondo and Amare went down at about the halfway point. 

Injuries happen.  They suck, but they happen.  The length of the season won't change that.  The reality is Kobe's is the only one that may have been at least partially caused by fatigue, but as I mentioned he didn't do himself any favors by continuing to play on it.

[jambr380]

Coaches could always just play their players less minutes. Injuries happen, it's unfortunate there were so many to high profile players this season.

I guess it's unfortunate that the Spurs got fined such a hefty amount when they decided to rest their key players. If a coach or an organization is worried that their players are going to be injured, they should be able to rest them when they please. Apparently the league doesn't agree.

[AB_Celtic]

Agree, it's about money so this will never happen.   BTW Rondo's injury happened early in the season so your whole premise is flawed.

Rose got hurt last year, not this year, you know during a shortened season, and then re-injured himself by coming back too soon last year.

Granger came back too fast from his injury sustained last year and re-injured himself. 

Rondo and Bryant didn't do themselves any favors by continuing to play on their injury.  Maybe if they came out immediately they wouldn't be out for the year (or miss as much time).

And let's be clear, there have been season ending injuries to top tier players for years.  Wilt, Jordan, Bird, etc. (even Garnett in Boston) have all had season ending injuries and all came back to a top level (bird was a bit less, but his season ender was much later in his career).

It isn't the length of the season either as Rondo and Amare went down at about the halfway point. 

Injuries happen.  They suck, but they happen.  The length of the season won't change that.  The reality is Kobe's is the only one that may have been at least partially caused by fatigue, but as I mentioned he didn't do himself any favors by continuing to play on it.

Addressing both of your posts, the point of my post is that more games means a higher probability of injuries happening. Some of these injuries will still happen, of course, but with 70 or so games the list might have 6 elite players on it, rather than 9. I'm not trying to eliminate all injuries; that will never happen. But the wear and tear of 82 physically demanding games leads to some injuries that could have otherwise been avoided.

[Moranis]

Agree, it's about money so this will never happen.   BTW Rondo's injury happened early in the season so your whole premise is flawed.

Rose got hurt last year, not this year, you know during a shortened season, and then re-injured himself by coming back too soon last year.

Granger came back too fast from his injury sustained last year and re-injured himself. 

Rondo and Bryant didn't do themselves any favors by continuing to play on their injury.  Maybe if they came out immediately they wouldn't be out for the year (or miss as much time).

And let's be clear, there have been season ending injuries to top tier players for years.  Wilt, Jordan, Bird, etc. (even Garnett in Boston) have all had season ending injuries and all came back to a top level (bird was a bit less, but his season ender was much later in his career).

It isn't the length of the season either as Rondo and Amare went down at about the halfway point. 

Injuries happen.  They suck, but they happen.  The length of the season won't change that.  The reality is Kobe's is the only one that may have been at least partially caused by fatigue, but as I mentioned he didn't do himself any favors by continuing to play on it.

Addressing both of your posts, the point of my post is that more games means a higher probability of injuries happening. Some of these injuries will still happen, of course, but with 70 or so games the list might have 6 elite players on it, rather than 9. I'm not trying to eliminate all injuries; that will never happen. But the wear and tear of 82 physically demanding games leads to some injuries that could have otherwise been avoided.

except all of those injuries you mentioned have nothing to do with fatigue except possibly for Kobe's.  Fatigue just isn't the issue.

[Celtics4ever]

e point of my post is that more games means a higher probability of injuries happening

That is true, but then if safety was the sole concern they would only play thirty games or so.  It's not it's about money.

A lot of ball injuries are of the "freak" variety and had nothing to do with fatigue.  Age is a culprit sometimes I think as older guys bodies wear down.

[CelticConcourse]

It'$ all about the $$$