After the Cleveland Cavaliers 103-86 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday, Tyronn Lue told them media that LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love would rest and not travel with the team to Memphis on Wednesday for the second game of their home-and-home series. Without their “big three”, the NBA champions were without an average of 71 of their points. The end result was their lowest-scoring output of the season and a 93-85 loss.
The Cavs and their coach faced a ton of criticism after the fact. The frustration was not just about this singular action but a growing trend around the league: The Philadelphia 76ers, for example, have scheduled rest for rookie star Joel Embiid in an effort to keep him healthy. Dwane Casey has only played Raptors starter DeMarre Carroll for one game in back-to-back situations. Steve Kerr has already rested Andre Igoudala and hinted that the big four on his super team could get maintenance days at some point this season. The Kings recently rested franchise player DeMarcus Cousins, which was criticized by Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni. The list goes on.
When San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich rested his stars three years ago before a marquee matchup against the Miami Heat, David Stern called it “a disservice to the league.” Current commissioner Adam Silver has also expressed frustration with the issue, but acknowledged there isn’t much he can do about it.
And nothing should be done about it.
The NBA has already been proactive in terms of helping their players make it through a season. They’ve extended the time away from the game during the all-star break and next year the season will start earlier to open up the window of time games are played in. Scheduled rest is part of that conversation and it shouldn’t be frowned upon.
Part of the method to Popovich’s madness was that Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker were playing year-round when you consider there commitments to their national teams. Kyrie Irving is young but he played internationally this summer representing team USA at the Olympics in Brazil. If we want our stars to sell the NBA game internationally it means we have to sacrifice them selling it in road arenas domestically.
Furthermore, it is not Lue’s job to consider the interest of the Memphis Grizzlies marketing department and help them sell tickets. That is the Grizzlies’ problem. The Cavs’ job is to satisfy their fans and deliver them entertainment at home 41 nights a year, and then deliver a championship afterwards.
Irving and Love were hurt last time they lost the NBA Finals in 2015. In 2016 they were both healthy and the Cavs were the healthier team as Andre Igoudala and Steph Curry struggled carrying injuries. Lue knows very well that he and his players won’t be judged on what happened on a random night in December. They’ll be evaluated on rings won.
As for James, no player in NBA history has played more minutes prior to their 32 birthday LeBron. If a couple nights off here and there means we get a couple more years of a high flying James in the twilight of his career doesn’t everybody win?
An NBA game is not a concert. This is different from Drake cancelling shows or even a headliner like Jon Jones not being on a MMA ticket. Memphis got a free win last night. Their fans and ownership should be ecstatic.
The NBA doesn’t have a resting problem they have a business problem. The NBA owners have made a business decision. They aren’t interested in playing less than then 82 games to increase the quality or interest in the product because that would mean less revenue. However, their revenue model is based on all 82 games meaning something. That currently is not the case.
In the MLB less teams qualify thus it is much harder to make the playoffs. In the NFL only playing 16 games, six of which are in your division, really sways the standings. In the NHL the parity presents itself over a long season because the best players are only playing for a third of the game. In basketball we have less transformative players than we do franchises. This year the two best teams in the league will likely send seven players to the all-star game. For the first time ever we very well could see the same two teams play in the NBA finals three consecutive years. Less teams thus less games matter now than ever before.
The league’s business interests have superseded their competitive interests. For everyone except Ty Lue that is. We always complain how sports is solely a business. This was a decision not with business in mind but results. Lue was not considering jersey sales, or tv ratings, or spreading the gospel of the NBA globally. Coaches who rest players are making a decision with a championship alone in mind and that is not just practical, it is admirable.