There goes NBA commissioner David Stern again trying to establish his dictatorship.
Prior to the San Antonio Spurs’ last game of their six-game road trip on Thursday against the Miami Heat, coach Gregg Popovich sent Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker and Danny Green home to rest. Stern was unhappy with the decision and threatened the Spurs that “substantial sanctions” would hit the team. The NBA then fined the organization $250,000 Friday.
Since when was the league office allowed to interfere and tell a head coach how to, well, coach?
The fine is simply unacceptable. The game against the Heat was the Spurs’ sixth in eight days, while Miami played its first game in five days that night. Popovich has rested his star players several times in the past to avoid wear-and-tear. Plus, the Spurs have consistently been an elite team the past decade due to Popovich managing his players efficiently through those long, grueling seasons.
And did LeBron James, I mean, Heat fans really spend hundreds of dollars to see Ginobili, Parker and Duncan play?
I get that the stars are the products the NBA is trying to sell as a business, but why force them to play in a virtually meaningless game in November and risk their health that could lead to missing time when it actually counts in the playoffs?
C’mon, Stern.
