NBA players can get rest without skipping games
An edited transcript of an interview with Los Angeles radio talk show host Mychal Thompson, former NBA player and father of the Warriors’ Klay Thompson: Q: What do you think of players resting (for entire games), as someone who has played the game before?
A: I don’t like it. Playing 82 games is not hard. The games are easy. It’s what you do between games that wears you out.
It’s all about maintaining your body, maintaining your fitness and you do that by eating properly, watching your alcohol intake — I know I sound like an old-fashioned guy — but you do that by going home between games and getting your rest, taking care of your body, making sure you’re getting the proper rest, the proper nutrition.
When you’re talking about the star players, the guys people pay money to see, the guys who carry the load, here’s how I would treat my franchise players: If you’re a franchise player, you give me 35 to 38 minutes a night and, tell you what, you get the day off of practice the next day if you don’t want to come. You can stay at home and keep your feet on the couch and recover that way, but if you come in and shoot free throws, put up a few jumpers for an hour, that’s OK. But I would definitely make sure that between games, the guys are getting the proper recovery time they need.
But the games themselves, I lived it, I did it, I played 80 to 82 games numerous times — the games aren’t hard. It’s what you do between games that makes you tired.
Q: I was looking back at the scuffle that broke out between (Oklahoma City) and Golden State, and I noticed no one wanted a piece of Klay. Is Klay a tough guy? Is he a brawler?
A: Klay is growing up. He did a lot of imitations of the Ninja Turtle karate moves and the Power Rangers, and so maybe he remembers how to do all that stuff. But, no, you see those kind of little skirmishes going on and it’s kind of fun. You don’t want to see anyone throwing punches or getting hurt, but it’s good to see teams have that edginess and chippiness between themselves. We got it the other night between the Lakers and the Bucks and the fans loved it. You hear that buzz in the building, and if the Thunder and the Warriors meet in the playoffs, it will get chippy.
Q: If you had to bet $10,000, would you bet Steph has been in a fight or hasn’t been in a fight?
A: Oh, I bet Steph can handle himself. You’ve got to watch out for those quiet guys. I wouldn’t mess with Steph Curry, man. You can tell there is no mark on his face, so you know he knows how to handle himself; he’s like Muhammad Ali. You can swing at him, but you’re not going to hit him.
Q: A little while ago, there were some sports talk people saying that Magic got his job with the Lakers because of his personality. You took issue with that. Why did that bother you?
A: I thought that was disrespectful to Magic’s work ethic and intelligence. The guy built a business empire and you don’t do that just because you have a pretty smile. The guy is definitely a smart guy, knows what he’s doing. He’s a basketball genius. So to downplay that and disrespect that, I thought it was stereotyping him way too much.
Q: What is your stance on LaVar Ball and his commentary on his kid (UCLA guard Lonzo Ball)?
A: It’s not my style, it wouldn’t be your guys’ style, but I love LaVar Ball. I think it works for him and his family. Who are we to tell him how to raise his kids. He’s very entertaining and you’ve got to remember, guys, weren’t we saying the same things about Richard Williams and Earl Woods? And how did their kids turn out? This works for the Ball family. He’s a strong father figure. His kids love him and respect him, so what’s everyone complaining about?