The NBA needs to do something about load management.
There’s no excuse for a player having the best doctors and medical staff on Earth and making $40 million a year, and then not suiting up to play when he’s healthy.
But instead of closing in on that major issue, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver might propose a rule that would only water the product down even further.
According to Bleacher Report’s Eric Pinus, the league is reportedly considering using a target score in overtime games to prevent players from… playing.
They used Kawhi Leonard playing 46 minutes in a double-overtime game vs. the Sacramento Kings as an example.
The NBA could reportedly implement a target score for overtime games, per @EricPincus
“That would prevent overlong broadcasts and overloading player minutes, like Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard's playing 46 minutes in a double-overtime loss to the Sacramento Kings… https://t.co/CIDTJDrRUw pic.twitter.com/X91eAYb4QQ
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) February 27, 2023
Leonard averages roughly 31 minutes per game per his career, and he’s perhaps the highest-earning part-time employee in the history of the league.
Needless to say, the fans weren’t exactly on board with that.
This is why the older generation thinks this generation is soft
— choc (@choc) February 27, 2023
"That game was fun! Let's prevent it happening again.'
— Mark Deeks (@MarkDeeksNBA) February 28, 2023
oh noooo 46 mins in double over time, the horrors
— Tyler Blint-Welsh (@tylergabriel_) February 27, 2023
— Hunter Mahan (@HunterMahan) February 27, 2023
Absolutely…..NOT!!!! These are (extremely well) paid PRO ATHLETES!
— Luke Lyddon (@Luke_Lyddon) February 27, 2023
everyone's favorite game of the season
nba: we need to put a stop to this
is Manfred running the nba now too??
— resting kitsch face 🌞 (@dj_soubise) February 28, 2023
Wilt Chamberlain averaged 45.8 minutes per game throughout his career, and he played for 15 seasons in the NBA alone with an insane usage, not to mention his days with the Harlem Globetrotters and even his comeback as a volleyball player.
So, what’s the excuse here?
Winning an NBA championship is as tough as it is because there are things that no player or team can control.
Luck and health are also factors to consider, and making shorter games or a shorter season isn’t going to solve the problem; it’s just going to make players play even less.
The league needs to address this issue in its next CBA, as this is just getting out of hand and it’s affecting the product, just like we all saw in that terrible All-Star Game.
NEXT: The Knicks Have Announced A New Contract Signing
