Absolute BS: Spurs fined 25k for resting players

[Bornstellar]

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I rarely make topics but WTF...Spurs are in a part of the season where they play 40 games in 68 days. They have ZERO two day breaks during that time, and were at the end of 5 games in 7 nights and the 2nd night of a back to back and sat DeRozan (who played 37 mins the night before), Patty Mills, and Jakob Poeltl and get fined by the NBA. What an absolute joke. The entire league is resting players left and right. Irving only plays when he feels like it. Al Horford is chilling in Cancun on a beach right now probably. But fine the Spurs for trying to catch some rest on during a brutal part of the schedule in a game they ended up blowing Phoenix out? This is ridiculous

[DaPessimist]

The only teams getting fined are the teams who won't even take the time and energy to lie on the injury report. It isn't hard to write in a box that a player has a sprained ankle.

[Homer38]

Maybe they are fined because they are the ones who started it, almost 10 years ago?!

No, seriously, I agree with you .... The Nets should be fined too for what they did against the 76ers on Wednesday or against the Jazz this year with Harden.

[infinite11285]

Very shrewd move by Silver to fine the brainchild of “load management.”

[Duke4life831]

Haha the fact that the NBA decided to fine a team for resting when the entire league has done this so far this year, some teams beyond blatantly, is ridiculous. The fact they chose the Spurs is laughable. Can’t blame Spurs fans for feeling unfairly chosen for this.

[Bornstellar]

The only teams getting fined are the teams who won't even take the time and energy to lie on the injury report. It isn't hard to write in a box that a player has a sprained ankle.

I get the issue with resting/load managing all the time, but the Spurs havent really done it at all this season and actually legtimiately have a need to rest their guys given their horrendous scheduling. Seems pretty ludicrous for Silver to decide to fine them especially since the Spurs are irrelevant now and it wasnt a national TV game and the teams with actual superstars are routinely sitting them with clearly fake or bogus injuries

[MelTurpin]

$25,000 for a team is a pitifully small amount that doesn't hurt at all. I'm sure that's part of the message here.

[wade44]

Lol what a joke. Teams have been doing it all year

[wade44]

$25,000 for a team is a pitifully small amount that doesn't hurt at all. I'm sure that's part of the message here.

That’s not the point though. Teams have been load managing under the guise of faux injuries all season

[Bologna Smasher]

The Raptors also got hit with a fine. They need to fine all the teams doing it all at the same time instead of just singling out one or two teams.

I think they way they're selecting which teams to fine brings to light another issue. They're most likely being singled out because of the reasons they're saying the players are missing games. It essentially makes teams come up with false excuses and the league basically lets them get around it as long as they use the right terminology.

[bearadonisdna]

this like rasheed wallace throwing a towel on the sideline and swearing.
its a tech.

somebody else, its watever.

[Blood Orange]

Welcome to the club

[Raps in 4]

When are the Nets getting fined? They've been sitting guys randomly all year.

[Shock Defeat]

OKC is the real team that should be fined.

[TheBrooklynKidd]

The Spurs broke the rules by resting 2 healthy players during an away game. The Nets have never done that as they’ve dealt with real injuries and COVID protocol absences.

The NBA created clear rules for resting players, some teams are better at following those rules than others.

[BernteB]

generally speaking, it's a joke that the league can tell the coaches who to play and who not. if a coach decides to not play a player for whatever reason, it's the coach's decision.

[TheBrooklynKidd]

When are the Nets getting fined? They've been sitting guys randomly all year.

The Nets players have actually been injured, rehabbing, in COVID protocol or for Kyries case a personal absence.

The Spurs rested 2 healthy guys without explanation, that’s why they got fined.

[Winsome Gerbil]

This feels more like a lifetime achievement fine.

[KO7]

Guess it’s par for the course with NBA just like their officiating: inconsistent as heck. You can do whatever you want as long as you’re the Nets and.... bizarrely, OKC?

[FinnTheHuman]

generally speaking, it's a joke that the league can tell the coaches who to play and who not. if a coach decides to not play a player for whatever reason, it's the coach's decision.

Not when it comes to quality players who should definitely be playing big minutes. This is an entertainment business where you are contractually obliged to put out a contractually determined type of product on the court for the viewers who pay for that one way or the other, and unless you've got a reasonable explanation as to why your player is missing a certain game, you are supposed to get fined. It's hard and costly to prove that teams are lying that there are reasonable reasons for a certain player to miss a game, but if you don't even do the minimum of communicating the lie, you get fined. Which is what happened to Spurs.