Hello,
The Spurs sent home most of their top players at then end of their long road 6 games in 8 days road trip. The Spurs were scheduled to play 6 road games in 8 days, obviously meaning they had to travel between games. They played in Boston, Indiana, Toronto in the space of 5 games. Then they closed out the trip by playing 3 games in 4 days. The Spurs won their first 5 games on this road trip. Then they sent home most of their key players before that sixth road game in eight days in Miami.
Most of the Spurs star players are older and their coach, Gregg Popovich, likes to give them rest during the season. That way they can be at or near their best when it really counts, the playoffs. I don't see anything wrong with this approach, in fact I think it's the right approach. If you could choose to lose a meaningless regular season game or a playoff game, which would you pick? (Maybe that's the real issue for Stern, people aren't overly concerned with the regular season.) The Spurs have won 4 NBA Championships in the last several years, obviously they know what they are doing.
I've never been a fan of David Stern. For the most part it seems he's been good for the NBA. But he also comes off as a bit of a tyrant. This time he's really gone overboard and has gone to Kurtzian lengths. I also wonder if he's suffering a bit from small man syndrome. He fined the San Antonio Spurs for sending home 4 of their top players at the end of a grueling road trip. Funny, I thought the point of the NBA was winning. Specifically winning in the playoffs.
What was so funny about that Spurs-Heat game is that the depleted Spurs almost won. I would have loved to see what Stern would have said about that. Of course Stern would of still said that the Spurs did the wrong thing. But for Stern this is all about money. By San Antonio sending home many of their best players, that might mean less people show up to the game.
When Miami played Milwaukee, 19,971 people showed up. Their next game they played the 3 win Cavaliers and the attendance was 20,064 people. Next they played San Antonio and the crowd was 19.703 people. Because all those players didn't play for San Antonio, look how low the attendance was. Well except for the fact the game against Cleveland was on a Saturday night. I know people weren't showing up for that game to see Anderson Varejero. Maybe people go to these games more when is a convenient time for them, rather than the other team actually playing? (That might be another thing that Stern doesn't want to hear?)
The result potentially resting players would mean less money into the NBA's pocket. That's truly what Stern cares about. In corporate America, everything is judged by how much money is made. That's the only consideration. The concern isn't about the quality of the product at all. (This is how Jerry Jones runs the Cowboys. He could care less if Dallas wins, all he cares about is making money. He's been wildly successful at that. If money isn't his only consideration then why hasn't he made any real changes in the last 17 years? In corporate America, Jones is a winner. However the Cowboys are anything but.)
This is what David Stern had to say about this situation: "The result here is dictated by the totality of the facts in this case, The Spurs decided to make four of their top players unavailable for an early season game that was the team's only regular-season visit to Miami. The team also did this without informing the Heat, the media, or the league office in a timely way. Under these circumstances, I have concluded that the Spurs did a disservice to the league and our fans."
Let's be honest here, who cares? When I go to a game the thing I care the most about is my team winning. Rarely do I go for the players on the other team, the last time I did that was several years ago. For instance if the Lakers came to town, I wouldn't go to see Dwight Howard. In fact, I don't want to see prima donna Howard play. I don't need to see his selfish, all about him play.
If the NBA is truly about winning, then Stern wouldn't have fined the Spurs. Because obviously the Spurs goal is winning. They don't care how many people show up for the games when they are on the road. They are one of the best run franchises in the NBA and smartly resting some of their players is another sign of that.
Honestly as much as I love basketball, at this point of my life I don't even want to go to a NBA game. They are too expensive, the environment is too stifled, the arenas are covered with ads, the kinds of seats I could afford are atrocious. The prices for parking, concessions and food are way out of control. Again it's not about the fan enjoying the game, it's about the NBA fleecing the fan for every penny they can.
In an espn.com poll 80% of those that voted deemed this fine "too harsh". David Stern you need to apologize to the Spurs for fining them at all. Cancel the fine and let teams run things as they see fit.
themusicaddict
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