MaTT4281 wrote:

CrushAlot wrote:

knicks1248 wrote:WTF...pop is crazy

Spurs Resting Starters
Stephen A. Smith weighs in on Gregg Popovich sitting his starters and the league's decision not to discipline the Spurs.Tags: Stephen A. Smith, NBA, Spurs
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SportsNation: Spurs Stars Sit

SportsNation Gregg Popovich held four of his top players out of Thursday's game against the Heat. Is that fair? And should the league intervene?
Discuss and vote!

San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has decided to send four of his top five scorers home rather than play them in Thursday's game against the defending champion Miami Heat, according to the San Antonio Express-News.

Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Danny Green reportedly did not join the team after its victory over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night and instead traveled back to San Antonio for an extra day of rest. The Spurs are scheduled to face the Memphis Grizzlies, who have the NBA's best record.

The Spurs, already without injured players Kawhi Leonard and Stephen Jackson, will take on the Heat with only nine players.

The NBA will not sanction the Spurs for resting the players.

Popovich has made this move in the past -- sitting Duncan, Parker and Ginobili for three games last season.

Apparently Stern is going to fine the club.

David Stern said the Spurs will face "substantial sanctions" for resting their players on Thursday.
"I apologize to all NBA fans. This was an unacceptable decision by the Spurs. Substantial sanctions will be forthcoming," David Stern said. It's fair to say that there wouldn't be such an outrage had the game not been nationally televised. "Substantial sanctions" might be this year's "basketball reasons" for Stern. Stay tuned for how the NBA fines the Spurs for managing their team.

From rotoworld.

That's absolute garbage if Stern fines them. No grounds to enforce it, unless they want to implement fan voting for rotations on a nightly basis.

Meanwhile, the starless Spurs are hanging tough with the Heat.

Yeah Sterns actually gonna have to be careful with how he words his reasons for this fine or else hes gonna have to fine every team that rests their starters at the end of the season after clinching a playoff spot

Nalod wrote:Stern WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE OTHER OWNERS should fine them.

I'd be freaking pissed if I bought a ticket to that game. National game is not joke either. This is big business.

You don't "Stick it to the Commish" because you have 12 days on the road while your arena is a rodeo palace.

Before the season is announced you file a grievance and to adjust the schedule.

Fans drive the revenue and the league provides the product. He should stick them for 1/82nd of their tv revenue for the year from the national deal.

Knicks usually play Charlotte as the last or second to last game the last few seasons. I don't buy tickets because I don't want to see sorry ass BobCats play the scrubs to see what they have, and don't want to see knicks if clinched a spot not play their "stars"! Its freaking November and its the only time SAS in Miami. Marquee match up! I Get Pop's reasoning but would be pissed.

I can certainly understand the fan frustration from the situation, but it is far too much of a slippery slope to begin enforcing fines over it. It's a risk we take. What if the Spurs had only rested one of the stars? Acceptable? What if Miami chose to sit LeBron? He has a devoted following as an individual, not just Heat fans.

Fortunately the fans tonight were treated to an exciting game. Worked out better for them than others that may have payed to see at full strength play a half-assed game and get blown out.

If Stern wants to decide starters and rotations, maybe he should pursue a coaching gig once he steps down. In the mean time, I look forward to watching him try to establish a rule to prevent this.

MaTT4281 wrote:

Nalod wrote:Stern WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE OTHER OWNERS should fine them.

I'd be freaking pissed if I bought a ticket to that game. National game is not joke either. This is big business.

You don't "Stick it to the Commish" because you have 12 days on the road while your arena is a rodeo palace.

Before the season is announced you file a grievance and to adjust the schedule.

Fans drive the revenue and the league provides the product. He should stick them for 1/82nd of their tv revenue for the year from the national deal.

Knicks usually play Charlotte as the last or second to last game the last few seasons. I don't buy tickets because I don't want to see sorry ass BobCats play the scrubs to see what they have, and don't want to see knicks if clinched a spot not play their "stars"! Its freaking November and its the only time SAS in Miami. Marquee match up! I Get Pop's reasoning but would be pissed.

I can certainly understand the fan frustration from the situation, but it is far too much of a slippery slope to begin enforcing fines over it. It's a risk we take. What if the Spurs had only rested one of the stars? Acceptable? What if Miami chose to sit LeBron? He has a devoted following as an individual, not just Heat fans.

Fortunately the fans tonight were treated to an exciting game. Worked out better for them than others that may have payed to see at full strength play a half-assed game and get blown out.

If Stern wants to decide starters and rotations, maybe he should pursue a coaching gig once he steps down. In the mean time, I look forward to watching him try to establish a rule to prevent this.

what is the risk "WE" take?

Nalod wrote:

MaTT4281 wrote:

Nalod wrote:Stern WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE OTHER OWNERS should fine them.

I'd be freaking pissed if I bought a ticket to that game. National game is not joke either. This is big business.

You don't "Stick it to the Commish" because you have 12 days on the road while your arena is a rodeo palace.

Before the season is announced you file a grievance and to adjust the schedule.

Fans drive the revenue and the league provides the product. He should stick them for 1/82nd of their tv revenue for the year from the national deal.

Knicks usually play Charlotte as the last or second to last game the last few seasons. I don't buy tickets because I don't want to see sorry ass BobCats play the scrubs to see what they have, and don't want to see knicks if clinched a spot not play their "stars"! Its freaking November and its the only time SAS in Miami. Marquee match up! I Get Pop's reasoning but would be pissed.

I can certainly understand the fan frustration from the situation, but it is far too much of a slippery slope to begin enforcing fines over it. It's a risk we take. What if the Spurs had only rested one of the stars? Acceptable? What if Miami chose to sit LeBron? He has a devoted following as an individual, not just Heat fans.

Fortunately the fans tonight were treated to an exciting game. Worked out better for them than others that may have payed to see at full strength play a half-assed game and get blown out.

If Stern wants to decide starters and rotations, maybe he should pursue a coaching gig once he steps down. In the mean time, I look forward to watching him try to establish a rule to prevent this.

what is the risk "WE" take?

that you get to see the spurs & heat (in this case), though you might not see lbj, parker, wade, duncan, bosh.

will stern apologize to fans who paid to see a game where 1 or both teams dont play hard or kinda give up/no show? he owes us quite a few for the past decade plus

Viva La Revolucion!

3G4G wrote:There is no question who is the most clutch players this year....

It's Ray-Ray

Jesus Shuttleworth?

Nalod wrote:

smackeddog wrote:Don't see how Stern can fine them. Ironically, it was a good game anyways!

If the nba is so concerned about fans with tickets getting value for money, how is it in the fans interests to watch a team who has played 4 games in 5 nights vs a team that has rested for 5 days? And how come the Heat are getting these advantages anyways- we have to play them as a second of a back to back twice! (the other two games they are the first of a back to back!).

The nba schedules are just about ramming as many games in as possible with little to no regard as to the quality of play that may result due to the consequences of that. Seriously, check out our schedule for March and April, and compare it to January, February:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/teams/nyk/schedule?view=calendar&season=2013&m=03

I'm glad Pop made a protest against this kind of stuff. Nba has no grounds to punish the Spurs for 'resting' their older players anyways- we should really do it in March and April. If older players get injured from a schedule that's too hectic, that's not in fans interests either.

Do the other teams have "Back to backs" also? Do they have to play us on the back end?

Road teams play more back to backs because its cheaper to keep the team, the coaches and other staff out of hotels, meals etc. IM going to guess its about 30-40 people. Thats hotel rooms in each city, meals, and ground transportation. If you limit the days you limit travel costs. Keeping a jet and flight staff either when you own it or charter is not cheap. So my Guess its the owners who set this schedule up. Not some conspiracy threory to screw the Knicks.

The Spurs home arena is being used for a rodeo and they do this EVERY YEAR. Longest road trip of any team. Its crazy but they also make it up by getting more road games out of the way which can be an advantage for longer home stands too!

For the fans it sucks. For the spurs fans they'll get over it cuz its for a good reason. The trio of Duncan, Parker and Ginobli is a special trio. It rare for three players to have been together for so long in a career and with one team! As a hoop fan I know when I see the spurs play its something special. They have chemistry and a presence on the court. That would have been a very special game and if there any fans in Miami like me (has to be some, right?)and bought a ticket i'd be very disappointed. People that buy tickets are customers and should be treated and given what is advertised. Injury's happen and players do get rested from time to time. usually its against scrub teams. Rest them in Orlando, not against the champion Heat and its MVP and Best player on the planet Lebron!

Should that matter to SA? I wanted to watch the trio stomp on the Heat last night, but from SA's standpoint, a win against Orlando counts as the same as a win against Miami. If it's not alright to disappoint Miami fans who wanted to see the Spurs' stars, why is it ok to disappoint the fans in Orlando (who very well may have only showed up for the visiting team)?

They played a very competitive game last night, and you might make the case by sitting the stars, they caught Miami off guard and de-motivated them. Almost came away with a win.

The game was advertised as the Spurs vs. the Heat, and last night the Spurs did play the Heat. Bad break for the fans, but it's an 82 game season - it happens.

TeamBall wrote:Didn't Spoelstra sit Wade, Lebron, and Bosh against the Celtics last year during a nationally televised game against Boston?

Thats wrong also.

I get why SAS did it, im talking about a fans perspective. Not eveyone in Miami is super wealthy or stupid with money.

Sometimes people will come in for an over nite stay. I have done it, Take in a game, nice late dinner, nice room at good hotel.....sleep in , do some shopping, home the next day. I have gotten tickets in NBA cities when on business weeks in advance and moved shedules to be there. I have clients in Miami and have taken in games in my travels. I'd have been pissed. I have big respect for Timmy, Obi-Won and Tony and a game like that is a draw. Great trio not going to play for ever!

It was still a good game and Pop does things for the right reasons for his team. I respect that, but I would have been pissed if I were there.

Popovich could have easily played those guys a few minutes then sit them.