NBA to fine teams for resting star players
This is an odd move that will likely appeal to the fans in the short run but make them upset in the long run. This move is a strange one because it is pretty evident that it is aimed towards revenue generation for the networks that air the games and not so much to benefit the league in any way that I can determine - but if you can think of one please let me know.
Where this comes from is probably financial in nature as far as advertising on TV is concerned but honestly, it is anyone's guess. It comes from the fact that teams with star players will often rest their best players during regular season games in order to save them for bigger games coming up in the future. This is a tactic that is used in all sports but the NBA is the first league that I am aware of that is going to force the teams to take their star players off the bench and make them play in nationally televised games.
It is being called a rules that is meant to "preserve the integrity of the game" but to me it looks like the networks and the board of governors having some sort of side deal to maximize revenue on their own part.
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The biggest violator of this previously non-existent rule is likely the LA Lakers who routinely put LeBron on the bench when a lot of the fans are there specifically to see him play. They want to rest their biggest cash-cow while they are playing teams that they don't actually need him in the game in order to win. This makes sense from a coaching perspective though, doesn't it?
There are other teams that are guilty of this as well and it is all part of the strategy of playing the long game in what I believe to be a "too long" season anyway.
"Star Players" is defined as any players who was names to the All-Star Team or the All-Pro team in the past 3 seasons.
Another aspect of this new rule is preventing teams from intentionally losing games in order to get a better draft position the following season. However, this doesn't address the fact that just because someone is on the court, this doesn't mean that they are going to have to try their best to win. It is perfectly within the real of possibility that players could get in the game and only give half of their talent to the game and intentionally lose anyway. At least in this scenario it would be obvious to the fans and the audience at home that this is what is going on.
There are a lot of ways that teams could get around this rule though as they could simply fake injuries that happened when the cameras were off during practice. There has also been talk about how certain teams, especially the Lakers, would get a waiver for resting players due to "unusual circumstances" such as a player's age.
The fine for resting star players is set to be $100,000 for the first infraction and goes up to $250,000 per following infraction. There has been no report as to where this fined money actually goes but I suppose it doesn't really matter.
Will this improve the quality of play as far as in particular, late season play is concerned? To me, I don't think it will. I believe it will simply invite more lies to be introduced and we will start seeing plyers, especially LeBron, on the bench for a "strained muscle" on a regular basis.
What do you think?
This is why you have a squad of players so you can rotate them saving certain players for key games. This is all about tv advertising wanting the big players playing and it is not going to happen. Screw them and pay the fines and move on. I get the idea of manipulating the system in order to get a better slot for the drafting process so change the system if that is the case. There are plenty ways to skin a cat and this should be an easy fix if you use some logic.
I totally agree with what you said there. There is a reason why the bench is so massive on these teams... it is specifically so that the meat and potatoes of a team CAN have a rest. This could have really bad implications on these rather expensive stars in the future if teams were to adhere to the guidelines. Changing how the draft works would be extremely difficult, but I too think it would make more sense than not being allowed to rest star players.
The fact that this only applies to nationally televised games is the only point i need to see in order to know that this is all about money, and not about the game.
Yes this is bigger than the game which all revolves around money. The game is not that important but more of a cash vehicle to generate more money.