coldfish wrote:No, this is one of those things where people make up some imaginary criteria and then hold the team accountable for it. Newsflash: Teams try to win as many games as they can and try to play the players who can play. The only time that teams really rest players intentionally is after they have clinched something. Maybe when you have really old players too.
I've never seen a coach play a player coming back from injuries through the end of blowouts like Thibodeau has the season. We can even broaden that: I've never seen a coach play players, regardless of whether they are healthy or not, through the end of blowouts like Thibodeau has this season.
Your statement about European ball is absolutely incorrect. Coaches cut the minutes for players coming off of injuries and play scrubs in garbage time just as they do in the US -- and they play in leagues where point differential is taken into account when there are ties in standings. So you're wrong, and even if you weren't wrong, you would be comparing apples and oranges. Never mind the fact that European games are only forty minutes long, and the games are consistently spaced out.
The coaches in European ball, furthermore, are able to game plan around injuries much better because of their increased practice time. When a player is coming off an injury they usually spend a good deal of time just working around the three point line, where they will sustain less contact, as they work back into things.
Regardless, what many of you are demanding is not typical for the NBA or its coaches. The Bulls are a young team trying to win a title. They also spread out their minutes more than just about any team in the NBA. The Bulls have 10 players who have got more than 320 minutes. Most teams only have 7 or 8.
The fact that this is a constant issue on the Bulls board is patently insane. You guys are just trying to find something to bitch about.
The Bulls have probably had more blowouts than any other team (see point differential) so your statement just doesn't hold. I just don't understand where you're coming from, Coldfish. You seem to be reaching to me: especially your comment about European ball. If you're actively reaching for support for a proposition than perhaps you've become stubborn on an issue and aren't seeing things clearly.