One of the most controversial storylines of the 2012-2013 NBA season occurred when some of the more successful teams chose to sit their star players in hopes that the “rest” they were given would keep those players healthy and hungry come playoff time.The two most frequent offenders are now squaring off in the 2013 NBA Finals.
The Spurs spaced out when they would sit their top players in hopes of staying fresh for the entire campaign while the Heat chose to sit their Big 3 plus other key players exclusively near the end of the regular season.
So this situation begs the question: does sitting your top players from time to time help save their energy, keep them healthy and prepare them better mentally and physically for the rigors faced in a deep, yearly playoff run?
This year, more than any other in recent history, is an indication that the answer is an emphatic "yes".
San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich received a lot of flak for sitting his top three players Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker and Tim Duncan (plus others such as Danny Green and Tiago Splitter) on multiple occasions throughout the regular season.
Critics stated that the Spurs were giving games away and also taking away from the viewership associated with the NBA. Though this may be true, coach Popovich’s job is not to worry about the NBA’s overnight numbers or nationwide popularity; his job is to lead his San Antonio team to an NBA championship each and every season.
Whenever these kinds of questions come up in postgame press conferences, Popovich counters with the argument that this is his team and he will run it the way he sees fit. Considering his track record and the fact that he is regarded by most, if not all, who closely follow the game as the best coach in the NBA, I think his argument is warranted.
His notion is also backed by how injury-prone his Big 3 players have been as they all creep into advanced ages for this league. Ginobili is 35, Parker is 31 and Duncan is 37 years old. By today’s NBA standards, all three are elder statesmen.
In terms of injuries, the proof is in the pudding.
Parker is currently suffering from a strained hamstring that could pull or tear at any moment in the next few games. If he had played in a few more games over the course of the regular season, maybe it would have already torn. Instead, he is taking it game-by-game, quarter-by-quarter and contributing in huge ways to the Spurs’ success on the court.
But this did not stop the NBA’s front office and David Stern more specifically from fining San Antonio $250,000 back in November when they sat their Big 3 against the Miami Heat in a nationally-televised game on ESPN.
Ironically enough, the Spurs almost pulled out an incredible short-handed victory over a full Heat squad. I watched the game myself and it was very entertaining because I am not personally a diehard Heat fan, so it was amusing cheering for the underdog who seemingly had no chance coming into the match-up.
The NBA will not lose a major portion of its fan base, or money, because of occasional resting of top players on some of the top teams in the league. The sporadic “I’ll watch if the Heat, Thunder or Clippers are playing” fan may be upset about coaches sitting their best players every once in a while, but those of us who follow the game and enjoy how a season progresses will never be phased or upset with this decision.
When it really comes down to it, it’s all about the end result. If a team doesn’t produce, players will be traded, released or not re-signed. If a coach doesn’t earn wins, he will be fired. The NBA has been for a while and will continue to be a “what are you doing for me now” kind of league.
Coach Popovich made some tough decisions, but he did it with an end goal in mind. Look at him now: pacing up and down the sidelines, coaching his team to what very well may be his fifth NBA championship title as a head coach.
The man has only missed the playoffs just one time since taking over the Spurs in 1996. Let’s just assume he knows what he is doing and learn from his example.
His strategy has paid off before and it looks like it may pay off again this season.
Written by Taylor Hennrick
