Professional sport leagues have a fine line between being a game and
being a business. Recently an issue that arose in the NBA that brought
such both aspects to the forefront. On Thursday November 29th the Miami
Heat were scheduled to play the San Antonio Spurs. This was a huge
game even being called a glimpse into the NBA finals. The Spurs coach
Gregg Popovich decided to send four of his best players home before the
game even started. He did this in order to rest his aging team. This
strategy has been used before by many coaches but Gregg Popovich has sat
his stars many times. His methods have already been proven time and
time again and have never been called into question in such a public
manner.
David Stern makes a compelling argument when looked at through his views. He is the commissionaire of the NBA and to make sure that his project is of the highest possible quality and that his fans are happy. He was very displeased that the biggest game of the night and maybe even the month was lacking stars.
The outcome was a hefty fine of 250k. Both sides make valid points and have presented their cases. David Stern also made clear that the NBA is a business and even with a punishing schedule is used to make money. Gregg Popovich shows that players are human beings that can be hurt and aren't just a commodity to be used. I have read through many arugments for both sides and happen to believe resting a player should be left up to the coaches decision especially with a coach who has more than proven he knows what hes doing. Which side do you stand on? Having the NBA be a franchise to make money or protect its players more?
Tillman Hubbard
KIN 332I-05
3 comments:
It's sad but David Stern saw it as a business decision rather than a basketball decision. Coach Poppovich was only doing what's right to help rest his aging superstars in Tim Duncan, Ginobili and Tony Parker. This is a coach that's won 4 NBA Championships in the last 13 years so I'd defnitiely trust his judgement in doing what he thought was right.
-Ibrahim A.
kin 332I
I actually watched this game, and it was pretty exciting. It came down to the final minute to determine a winner. I don't think David Stern has any right to tell Poppovich or the Spurs organization how to run their team. Poppovich was doing what he thought was best for his team because he was concerned about the success of the team in the long-term. Poppovich is one of the best coaches in the league, and his team has consistently done well each year. David Stern shouldn't tell him what to do.
-Cody E.
Kin 322i Tu,Th 2:00-3:15pm
This is a definite case of how media affects sports. I don't think it was wrong at all when Greg Poppovich decided to bench his main players. The 82 game schedule is very long and it is an effective strategy that worked for many years. David Stern fining the Spurs was wrong because it takes away from the game. Although entertainment value may have gone down for one game, in the long run it will provide for more intense competition. Recently David Stern brought up the idea of restricting or banning the "hack-a-anybody" strategy, which involves intentionally fouling a player in order to get the ball back. I think it's a great strategy that takes advantage of the opposition's weakness. In the highest level of competition of sports, a player's weakness is definitely going to be exploited. I believe all of these strategies are part of the game. I also think that David Stern is making a move because the largest fan base and largest market of the Los Angeles Lakers are actually involved in this situation. Another great case of how the cash flow affects the decisions of those with power in sports.
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