If you have not heard, there was a small controversy tonight in the league in regards to our all time favorite commissioner, David Stern and the San Antonio Spurs.
Issue was that the Spurs were in the midst of their fourth road game in five nights and decided to rest Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan. Not only did Pop hold those three out, but he put them on a Southwest plane and sent them back to San Antonio.
Because of this, David Stern has said that the Spurs could face ‘substantial sanctions.’
First question should be how can the league sanction the Spurs when there is no rule on the books that says a team can’t rest it’s three best players. Popovich has been us info this tactic since 2008 when he knew his stars were getting a lot of miles on their legs and injuries started to hurt them. He knows his job is to win games in May and June, not the second game of a back-to-back in November.
Yes the league does have an obligation to the fans, but mostly to the networks (we know how much the league loves the bottom line over the fans) to provide the best possible product it can. With how the NBA has moved to a big three model of play this was a marquee match up, combined six titles in the last thirteen years and the first game on the NBA’s highest ratings night in the early season.
There are legitimate reasons for why the league would be upset about this. There are also reasons that Tim Duncan would be upset because he had to fly Southwest. We know if you’re above 5’7″ there is zero leg room on those flights.
If the league does fine the Spurs, they should counter suit for the league trying to control their team. Early word on the street is the league is looking at a potential one million dollar fine.
The league should be more worried about teams trying to downsize thirty places in media markets (again) instead of players playing in a five point game, that was decided in the final ten seconds of the game.
Update: The League has fined the Spurs $250,000 for sitting healthy players. The team plans to appeal.
Sorry about the grammar. I wrote this on my ipad. Not the greatest tool for blogging.
It’s all about the timing of it. Sitting your guys on a nationally televised game that is more of the issue by the league in my opinion.
If the league truly had an issue with it, they should have laid down the law last year and tell the Spurs “Hey I know this shortened season I tough so we’ll give you a pass this year, but next year and beyond if you do this you’re going to be punished.”
They never warned the Spurs and actually did the complete opposite “The strategic resting of particular players on particular nights is within the discretion of the teams,” Silver told NBA.com in April with the qualifier that it was a lockout-shortened season. “And Gregg Popovich in particular is probably the last coach that I would second guess.”
How nice of D. Stern to flip his shit about something so important. Weird that he wasn’t quite so mad at his league leaving the 14th-largest media market for the 43rd. HUH.
The league can’t do jack about it. If it wasn’t a nationally televised game even Stern wouldn’t have said anything about it. For years the injured list was a joke used to stash guys for the most absurd reasons possible, and the NBA looked the other way. Seems hypocritical to single this out.
“Yes the league does have an obligation to the fans” — I understand the point, but the tickets say Spurs vs. Heat. Not Duncan, Ginobili, Parker vs. Heat … as a fan you are never guaranteed that certain players will appear.
Groin pull
That’s what the Spurs should tell Stern.
Mr. Baker FTW!
The injured list requires you to sit out 5 games…that isn’t really an apples to apples comparison. I can see why the League would want to protect the brand and integrity. They just need to be consistent.
sooooo arena drawings today?
seriously dude. i see nothing about the drawings on here, kjr, king 5, chris daniels…
on the spurs issue. i’m in favor of giving more power to the coaches and not have owners/the league micro-managing their every move. the athletes are the lifeblood of the league so they already have a disproportionately high amount of power of their coaches who are supposed to be their boss. i understand the obligations for tv and all but pop should be able to play/bench whoever he sees fit.
pretty sure the seattle times was wrong. ever since those place holder images came out there seems to have been a lot of confusion.
Hey guys. I just wanted to let you guys know that I just got tickets to the Nets/Thunder game here in Brooklyn and I’m going to be there with my Sonics hat on!
This is still a way better way for Pop to handle it…check out why Duncan didn’t play last year:
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/tim-duncan-missed-sunday-night-spurs-game-because-081218158.html
That was awesome.
I’m waiting for the league to respond by assigning Joey Crawford as lead official for every single Spurs game for the rest of the year
arena mock ups on chris daniels twitter RIGHT NOW. stoked i was wrong.
I think I prefer “option 1.”
Finally registered to the new site under a new username. I’m formerly known as gst and decided to go with a new username with the new site. So i would need to be cleared.
@chrisdaniels5 just posted several tweets on the new designs of the arena
New thread!!!!! Arena drawings look AWESOME
Pdf that Chris Daniels obtained shows three options for different arena layouts. The one marked “preferred” by Hansen’s group looks sweet
New arena drawings are early and rough but still brings excitement!
Yep! There’s like three different options. A preferred option is listed. Wish I could see them better but I’m on my iPad right now.
Chrisdaniels also tweeted that port union’s lawsuit may not get its first hearing until February which could be good for us imo. The longer it takes for that get going the better for the arena imo.
hopefully we get some larger images from the sonics arena site. the “preferred” option looks like it blends in a little more. i like the idea of a big iconic statement building so im sort of drawn to the transparent egg shaped one. like them both quite a bit though!
Not a fan of the preferred option, kind of looks like an ugly cruise ship. The glass oval, while nothing too groundbreaking, looks sleeker.
http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/reader_feedback/public/display.php?source_name=wp-today&source_id=34355
Last two paragraphs are typical Seattle times anti arena BS at lease imo.
i kinda like the preferred option. haven’t really seen anything like it. i think the trees and main entry are cool. good spot for a championship rally. design #2 is pretty bad. the white one with slats in the roof… it looks like a warehouse with solar panels on top. i don’t mind the black oval one. it’s nothing unusual but looks good to me!
i’m excited to learn more!
only thing i’d change about the “preferred would be instead of deciduous trees i’d put in small evergreens to make it look more northwesty
I’m very tempted to just go to war with Lynn Thompson.
In the day we needed to be polite Now I just don’t care anymore. I will never get a positive article in the Seattle Times again. May as well just side with the Stranger and call Lynn out.
As a paying fan, I want to see the best possible team on the floor for both teams. It’s a stars league and most fans expect to see them. That is why stars make the most money. If a player is legitimately injured, that’s one thing. Pop chose the wrong moment to do what he did, for sure. He should have just played them limited minutes. Stern hates the Spurs anyway.