League wants its stars to see the court more

SALT LAKE CITY — The billboards are all over town, as is the NBA custom in All-Star cities. Ja Morant in full flight. Luka Doncic in total control. Bigger than life, they celebrate the event and the excellence of the immediately identifiable stars and the gifts that brought them together.

There are no pictures of LeBron James sitting on a bench and load managing. There are no reminders of the games Zion Williamson or even MVP candidates Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo have missed.

As much as the NBA fills sports news cycles with league-shaking transactions, where even the biggest stars can be traded, there is a need to keep tabs on where players will play but also on whether they will play at all.

This is not new, but as the NBA reached its annual All-Star break and semi-annual (along with the summer league get-together) gathering, the issue has seemed increasingly problematic.

The reduction of backto-backs and elimination of sets of four games in five nights has failed to curtail the practice of having players sit out in the name of load management. The term “injury maintenance” has become as much a part of injury reports as “sprained ankle.”

Teams have leaned hard into the routine of having players miss games to have them at their best for other games, a practice that makes ticket buyers routinely unable to see the stars on those billboards and television partners showcasing reserves and understudies.

In a particularly glaring — and some argued, infuriating — example, when the Warriors made their one stop in Cleveland this season, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins, four starters on the reigning champions, were out, all but Wiggins seemingly for rest. A night later, when the Bucks came to town, Antetokounmpo did not play.

“I think players got to protect their body, and teams got to do what’s the best fitness for them,” Antetokounmpo said. “Obviously, I’m a guy that wants to compete as much as I can if I’m healthy. I want to be out there. I love basketball. I’m obsessed with basketball. But at the end of the day, we cannot force people to compete if they don’t feel like competing. So, I don’t think the NBA (can) penalize that. At the end of the day, so many games, 82 games, you’ve got to take care of your body.”

The issue has become prevalent enough that NBA commissioner Adam Silver said it has been discussed in the collective bargaining talks with the National Basketball Players Association.

Players, however, have quickly pushed back on the idea that they do not want to play every game possible, with many games missed the result of organizational decisions, rather than players choosing to take nights off.

“I don’t know who created the terms ‘load management’ or this narrative that continues to play on about star players or guys not being available,” Mavericks

guard Kyrie Irving said. “But it’s completely run amok. I think it completely dehumanizes some of us and the way we prepare ourselves day-to-day. It’s a high-level, competitive sport. Very aggressive. Nobody knows how anybody else’s body feels.”

Advancements in sports science have argued to the benefits of limiting wear and tear in some circumstances and allow for better monitoring players’ health.

The “get off my lawn” arguments about players in other eras playing every night (Michael Jordan played in 82 games in his final NBA season, and Karl Malone played in at least 80 games in 17 of 19 seasons) can be as outdated as arguing that players should not jump while shooting and that a 3pointer should rarely be taken at all.

But in an indication of how seriously the league views the situation of players not playing, Silver has floated the idea of tying postseason awards, which in some cases come with incentive bonuses, to the number of games played.

Silver tends to launch trial balloons, unconcerned that they will be shot down. There are problems that would come with that system, starting with the teams’ roles in the practice of having players sit out, and including the bonuses that could be lost because of decisions often out of players’ control.

Silver said that he does not believe the league and players have addressed the issue “in an adversarial way” and there is “real medical data” to support having players sitting out and especially to not play with injuries as was done in the previous generations. If award qualification is determined by games played, that could become adversarial.

An eligibility requirement based on games played would also go against the tradition of providing no criteria for awards, leaving it to voters to determine what matters most to them. It could also lead to having a player that plays in 65 games be ineligible while another player that played in 67 wins.

Of this season’s favorites, Denver’s Nikola Jokic has played in 51 of the Nuggets’ 59 games. Boston’s Jayson Tatum has played in 55 of the Celtics’ 59 games. But Embiid has played 44 of the Sixers’ 56 games, a pace that would have him play in 64 games this season. Antetokounmpo has played in 47 games, putting him on pace to play in 66 games. The Mavericks’ Luka Doncic has played in 50 games and at that rate would play in 68 games.

“The best ability is availability,” Tatum said. “The guys that are out there the most and contribute to their team winning is an underrated skill or part of what we do.”

Only one player has been named MVP while playing in 70 games or fewer. Bill Walton played 58 when he was the MVP in the 1977-78 season. In the 52 regular seasons with a full schedule since, 35 players who were named MVP played in at least 80 of 82 games. But in the past 10 full seasons, four players did not play that much. The trend has seemed to pick up speed, with teams believing they need their best players to be their best in May and June.

The solution most often floated, and perhaps least likely to be enacted, is to play fewer games. When Warriors coach Steve Kerr sat his stars in Cleveland, he empathized with fans who bought tickets to see them play but did not, and called for a 72-game season.

“I feel terrible for fans who buy tickets expecting to see someone play and they don’t get to see that person play,” Kerr said. “It’s a brutal part of the business. It’s why I’m going to continue to advocate for 72-game seasons.

“I know it’s a big topic around the league. We have so much more data. So much more awareness of players’ vulnerability. It’s proven that if guys are banged up, back-to-backs, players are much more likely to get injured and miss more games and that’s why you’re seeing it leaguewide.”

Other coaches shared the sentiment, if without any confidence the NBA would choose to have less inventory to sell.

“I don’t think the league will ever do it, to be honest,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “I think there’s too much historical significance with an 82game season. I’ve been a part of a few … shortened seasons, with COVID and the bubble. I think if you want to get the best player availability, shortening the season may be in the best interest of everybody involved. But that’s also a lot of money being lost — TV games, money.

“Let’s not forget, this is a business. So, we’ll have to wait and see how the NBA views it.”