How should Silver deal with healthy scratches?

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How should Silver deal with healthy scratches? 

Post#1 » by Roscoe Sheed » Sun Mar 19, 2017 4:03 pm

The NBA clearly has a problem. For the second week in a row their marquee match up on Saturday night was ruined by players resting. I know that Cleveland claims two of the players were injured, but we know that is stretching the truth.

I've never seen LeBron play in person so I spent a lot of $ to go to last night's game. I am big Clippers fan, so I'm happy they won because they can use any victory however they can get it right now. However, I'm very upset about paying so much money just to see LeBron sit on his ass.

What should be done to strongly persuade teams not to do this in the future?

1) Substantial fines?

2) Repeated offenses to have more severe consequences like draft pick forfeiture?

3) No back to backs at all as a pre-emptive measure?

Something has to be done because this is a real black eye on the league image.
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Re: How should Silver deal with healthy scratches? 

Post#2 » by druggas » Sun Mar 19, 2017 4:07 pm

Silver needs to address this issue with all the owners. TV isn't going to pay for D league games.
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Re: How should Silver deal with healthy scratches? 

Post#3 » by sp6r=underrated » Sun Mar 19, 2017 4:10 pm

The NBA will never shorten its season for revenue reasons. The owners won't agree to it. The players won't agree to it. That idea is a non-starter.

Coaches will never stop resting players as it has been shown that it can lead to improved win totals over the RS. A rule about resting non-injured players could never be enforced because many legitimate basketball injuries don't show up on medical exams.

The NBA could adopt a points system for standings if you want to avoid coaches resting marquee players in prominent games. Wins over last years playoff teams are worth 2 points. Wins over all other teams are worth 1 point.

Teams would now have a greater incentive to go for the win in big games.
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Re: How should Silver deal with healthy scratches? 

Post#4 » by jazzfan1971 » Sun Mar 19, 2017 4:12 pm

Neosporin.
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Re: How should Silver deal with healthy scratches? 

Post#5 » by OrlandoDream » Sun Mar 19, 2017 4:14 pm

Not just that but the blatant tanking has never been this obvious. Shutting down players for non-health reasons just to rack up the Ls and improve your draft odds isnt in the nature of professional sports.
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Re: How should Silver deal with healthy scratches? 

Post#6 » by sp6r=underrated » Sun Mar 19, 2017 4:18 pm

OrlandoDream wrote:Not just that but the blatant tanking has never been this obvious. Shutting down players for non-health reasons just to rack up the Ls and improve your draft odds isnt in the nature of professional sports.


Resting players on good teams isn't nearly as bad of a problem as the blatant tank jobs we are now seeing. Hinkie was a destroyer of norms. Teams used to nominally attempt to win games. Now teams are sitting out players like Bledsoe for a quarter of the season to get losses.

That is the problem the league needs to correct immediately.
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Re: How should Silver deal with healthy scratches? 

Post#7 » by hype_2004 » Sun Mar 19, 2017 4:18 pm

Roscoe Sheed wrote:The NBA clearly has a problem. For the second week in a row their marquee match up on Saturday night was ruined by players resting. I know that Cleveland claims two of the players were injured, but we know that is stretching the truth.

I've never seen LeBron play in person so I spent a lot of $ to go to last night's game. I am big Clippers fan, so I'm happy they won because they can use any victory however they can get it right now. However, I'm very upset about paying so much money just to see LeBron sit on his ass.

What should be done to strongly persuade teams not to do this in the future?

1) Substantial fines?

2) Repeated offenses to have more severe consequences like draft pick forfeiture?

3) No back to backs at all as a pre-emptive measure?

Something has to be done because this is a real black eye on the league image.


Get a refund, don't buy the games in the future until you find out if the opposing team is fielding their full lineup, the NBA won't change their policy unless they are forced to by financial repercussions, but you can and that is your right.
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Re: How should Silver deal with healthy scratches? 

Post#8 » by Chuck Everett » Sun Mar 19, 2017 4:19 pm

This L is for you. All that money to see Lebron, but instead you got to see your team win. LMAO.
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Re: How should Silver deal with healthy scratches? 

Post#9 » by OrlandoDream » Sun Mar 19, 2017 4:23 pm

sp6r=underrated wrote:
OrlandoDream wrote:Not just that but the blatant tanking has never been this obvious. Shutting down players for non-health reasons just to rack up the Ls and improve your draft odds isnt in the nature of professional sports.


Resting players on good teams isn't nearly as bad of a problem as the blatant tank jobs we are now seeing. Hinkie was a destroyer of norms. Teams used to nominally attempt to win games. Now teams are sitting out players like Bledsoe for a quarter of the season to get losses.

That is the problem the league needs to correct immediately.

Agreed but it will not be addressed until the offseason at least. After the damage has been done and the exploiting of losses to tank is finished. The #1 pick will probably again go to one of these blatant tanking teams and will just send the pro-tank message. Silver has done a good job(better then stern) in dealing with these controversies so far in his tenure, so I expect him to add this to his calendar.
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Re: How should Silver deal with healthy scratches? 

Post#10 » by Roscoe Sheed » Sun Mar 19, 2017 4:23 pm

Chuck Everett wrote:This L is for you. All that money to see Lebron, but instead you got to see your team win. LMAO.

As I said, I'm happy the Clippers won- they need any victory they can get. However, I've been to a lot of Clippers games. The reason I paid so much $ for the game was to obviously see LeBron. The tickets would have cost probably five times less if it was known that he wasn't go to play.

I know there is always a risk that players will sit, but I figured it wouldn't be a problem for this game because it wasn't the second game of a back to back.
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Re: How should Silver deal with healthy scratches? 

Post#11 » by Cyrusman122000 » Sun Mar 19, 2017 4:25 pm

Is it possible to implement a rule where a player doesn't get his game check unless a medical exam shows he's clearly injured and not able to play?

Therefore you could still rest players if you want but healthy players who don't play won't get paid for that game?
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Re: How should Silver deal with healthy scratches? 

Post#12 » by Roscoe Sheed » Sun Mar 19, 2017 4:26 pm

sp6r=underrated wrote:
OrlandoDream wrote:Not just that but the blatant tanking has never been this obvious. Shutting down players for non-health reasons just to rack up the Ls and improve your draft odds isnt in the nature of professional sports.


Resting players on good teams isn't nearly as bad of a problem as the blatant tank jobs we are now seeing. Hinkie was a destroyer of norms. Teams used to nominally attempt to win games. Now teams are sitting out players like Bledsoe for a quarter of the season to get losses.

That is the problem the league needs to correct immediately.

I like the proposed idea of having a tournament to get the top pick. However, the current players would have little incentive to play hard because the draft pick might be taking their job. There could be some benefit for those players though- a chance to showcase what they can do for a few more games for future contracts.
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Re: How should Silver deal with healthy scratches? 

Post#13 » by laika » Sun Mar 19, 2017 4:26 pm

Chuck Everett wrote:This L is for you. All that money to see Lebron, but instead you got to see your team win. LMAO.


People don't pay to see wins though. You can go to the local gym and watch a team win for free. People say to see the best players in the world compete against each other.
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Re: How should Silver deal with healthy scratches? 

Post#14 » by Kevin Johnson » Sun Mar 19, 2017 4:26 pm

I am so glad that I went to NBA games in the 80's-90s and don't go today.

I remember my first NBA game was a preseason game in the Dean Dome (Chapel Hill, NC), Sixers vs Hornets. Barkley must have played like 20 minutes and it was great -- felt like everyone was there to see him. I was still a kid and I will always remember Muggsy Bogues got a steal and went for an easy breakaway layup. It was unreal how fast Barkley was and he chased him down and grabbed him -- the crowd booed. Barkley then picked picked him up and ran around with him -- everyone was laughing and booing.

It would suck hairy donkey balls to be a kid anticipate going to a NBA game only to watch scrubs while healthy stars are Popoviched :banghead:
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Re: How should Silver deal with healthy scratches? 

Post#15 » by RightToCensor » Sun Mar 19, 2017 4:26 pm

If teams are resting a marquee player without an injury then fans in the arena should be allowed to request a refund and have them credit the bill to the team that's resting the player.

I'm also curious if players get paid their game checks even if they're resting, they shouldn't be getting that money. You miss out on work then you miss out on your paycheck.
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Re: How should Silver deal with healthy scratches? 

Post#16 » by Roscoe Sheed » Sun Mar 19, 2017 4:28 pm

Cyrusman122000 wrote:Is it possible to implement a rule where a player doesn't get his game check unless a medical exam shows he's clearly injured and not able to play?

Therefore you could still rest players if you want but healthy players who don't play won't get paid for that game?

I think the problem with that would be bench warmers that hardly ever play would have to forfeit a lot of their salary if they don't play at all.

LeBron and Irving were in uniform last night, but just didn't play. They were probably technically listed as active.
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Re: How should Silver deal with healthy scratches? 

Post#17 » by Froob » Sun Mar 19, 2017 4:32 pm

I see two good ways to deal with this

1) Change up the schedule so rest isn't needed as often

and/or

2) Make an unofficial rule behind the scenes to not rest for the marque matchups. So Cavs would rest for the Lakers game instead of the Clippers
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Re: How should Silver deal with healthy scratches? 

Post#18 » by ocelot17 » Sun Mar 19, 2017 4:34 pm

Silver needs to start fining coaches and players.
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Re: How should Silver deal with healthy scratches? 

Post#19 » by Froob » Sun Mar 19, 2017 4:34 pm

ocelot17 wrote:Silver needs to start fining coaches and players.

How do you do that? Major grey area on who is really injured and who is not.
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Re: How should Silver deal with healthy scratches? 

Post#20 » by dockingsched » Sun Mar 19, 2017 4:35 pm

Reimburse ticket holders
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