spurs

[weston555]

David stern is a dumb ass..i cant believe he actually wants to interfere with coaching decisions just so he can "please" his fans......he has mastered the art of chasing money and forgetting what competition is all about.

[savage1]

I agree-he ought to stop seeking the headlines and stay the fu k out of matters which are none of his business.
What is the differencee with sending the players home and dressing them and their simply not playing/ being rested-would he take disciplinary action there too!!
I am glad this power hungry/attention seeking asshole is finally going to step down soon.

[kbsooner21]

Great posts by both of you. Agree 100%!!

[BigWeiner]

I don't agree, what if you had tickets to the Spurs/Heat game, that you bought in a 10 game mini plan, that came with games against Charlotte and New Orleans and you fucking go the game and find out nobody's playing. What if both teams did the same thing, Heat benched all their players too. Can't do it, it messes up the game.

[kbsooner21]

I don't agree, what if you had tickets to the Spurs/Heat game, that you bought in a 10 game mini plan, that came with games against Charlotte and New Orleans and you fucking go the game and find out nobody's playing. What if both teams did the same thing, Heat benched all their players too. Can't do it, it messes up the game.

The NBA knew it was a marquee event. Why schedule the Spurs to play their 4th road game in 5 days? Why schedule them to to have to fly home and play their 5th game in 7 days?

And if that's the case, why does the NBA charge full price for preseason tickets? I didn't see them worried about the fans when I paid full price to watch Charlotte's 3rd team in the preseason.

[wayne1218]

I'm with BW. It was only game 17 on the season and after blowing out previous teams, none of these guys have logged many minutes in those games as they were very limited on minutes. Green is 25 and seriously doesnt need a break in game 17. Manu has only played 14 games and is playing less than 25 mins per game. Parker and Duncan are near 30 mpg but why not start them and after 3 minutes, put them on the bench. Do that each qtr and get them 12 minutes. Give Green 20 minutes. Considering how much rest they had in previous blowouts, that isn't asking a lot in game 17 of the season.

I also understand when a team comes in once a year, the fan base buys tickets based on seeing those particular players and/or team. Give them what they pay for and what you advertise when you pump up Duncan, Parker and the Spurs coming to town. Many pay more than face value and it doesn't happen when they pay to see teams like Charlotte or Washington. They pay the big bucks to see the stars.

No reason why he couldn't have started those guys and played them 10-15 mins in game 17. Ridiculous imo for the fans who pay to see them and the networks that pay billions to promote them.

[wayne1218]

and i fuckin hate david stern but i think he is right about this one!

[wayne1218]

And if that's the case, why does the NBA charge full price for preseason tickets? I didn't see them worried about the fans when I paid full price to watch Charlotte's 3rd team in the preseason.

Same can be said about the NFL. Difference is, you only pay face value and you know most stars don't play much in the preseason anyway imo.

[savage1]

The point is that if Stern believes it is unaccetbale for SA to do what they did, he should have put the rule into effect after the Spurs did the same thing before when Popovich joined the players also took the plane home.
Imo it is wrong to fine someone when there is no clear rule in effect.
What disturbed me was Stern's overall arrogance about the whole matter when he immediately said what SA did was unacceptable and that disciplinary action would be taken-imo that is the way in which a self-proclaimed tyrant of dictator operate to me that is a lot more unacceptable than what Popovich did.

[weston555]

I don't agree, what if you had tickets to the Spurs/Heat game, that you bought in a 10 game mini plan, that came with games against Charlotte and New Orleans and you fucking go the game and find out nobody's playing. What if both teams did the same thing, Heat benched all their players too. Can't do it, it messes up the game.

So Poppovich should stop being a coach to please the Heat fans??? Sounds like a good approach to winning a championship. "Hey Duncan I don't care if your legs are vulnerable...we have some opponents' fans that paid to see this game..get out there and make 'em happy"...I hate to be sarcastic about it but really that's what you are arguing

[weston555]

I'm with BW. It was only game 17 on the season and after blowing out previous teams, none of these guys have logged many minutes in those games as they were very limited on minutes. Green is 25 and seriously doesnt need a break in game 17. Manu has only played 14 games and is playing less than 25 mins per game. Parker and Duncan are near 30 mpg but why not start them and after 3 minutes, put them on the bench. Do that each qtr and get them 12 minutes. Give Green 20 minutes. Considering how much rest they had in previous blowouts, that isn't asking a lot in game 17 of the season.

I also understand when a team comes in once a year, the fan base buys tickets based on seeing those particular players and/or team. Give them what they pay for and what you advertise when you pump up Duncan, Parker and the Spurs coming to town. Many pay more than face value and it doesn't happen when they pay to see teams like Charlotte or Washington. They pay the big bucks to see the stars.

No reason why he couldn't have started those guys and played them 10-15 mins in game 17. Ridiculous imo for the fans who pay to see them and the networks that pay billions to promote them.

I'm not going to argue any decision that Pop makes. He always has a solid record no matter who plays on his team. Whatever he did I'm sure was the right call...it makes perfect sense to me to rest players after a long road trip and "give up" a game against the Heat. What he's doing is playing odds..they may have very well lost the game anyway, he gets to rest his players for the long haul, they are rested better for the next game, backups get experience, etc. Tim Duncan is still an all-star player at his age, I would say Pop has been doing good to keep his guys playing each year by resting them. And the Spurs have been legit every year with Pop, including this one. It's funny that every game, every point, every injury, everything matters...yet people don't really give a shit unless a bad decision or play is made at the last second of a game, or final game of the season, or during the championship. It's crazy to think but what if Duncan or Parker would have gotten hurt during this game or if they needed some rest and did awful in the next game. Of course you can't predict the future and/or what might have happened..my point is just that Pop made the decision he thought was best and he shouldn't be knocked for that, let alone punished.....and as far as ticket sales, advertising, fans, any of that BS goes; everyone should be well aware that sports are unpredictable and coach Pop is definitely unpredictable when it comes to who the hell he plays. It isn't up to the coaches to do what is best for the fan or Bud Light for purchasing some commercial time....he is there to coach and win a championship. In essence, we are now allowing outsiders to "coach" the game which is fucking stupid...as dumb as it sounds, Stern may have made a future coaching decision for your team or another in the future that may very well keep them out of the playoffs or get a player injured.....money is everywhere in sports and it is a huge part of every game nowadays but to now be able to dictate coaching decisions..???? You have to be fucking kidding me. This is by far the craziest shit I have seen in sports, not exaggerating at all.

[weston555]

Bottom line is that if you think championships should take a back seat to entertainment in any sport, so be it. For me though..I enjoy to see it played out the way it should be. Let the players play and coaches coach. If you are a fan and bought tickets in a situation like this, that's just tough luck. Strategy is a part of sports..I would say it has and always will be but I will hold the "will be" back for now.

[wayne1218]

Maybe it wasn't the right call weston. That is a game that they clearly could have won. He has rested people in the past but never this early in a season and it still makes ZERO sense to me. Pop is a great coach but even they make mistakes at times and i'm glad they got banged with a 250K fine!

If i spent a couple hundred on tickets to see one game this year in Miami and that happened, I would have been pissed too. Integrity of the game imo WAS LOST OR FORGOTTEN LAST NIGHT. These guys are certainly paid well enough to suck it up and go play a few minutes i think.

[wayne1218]

Plus, You know the league and tv is pumping up the nationally televised game. Why not sit them the night before in a half empty arena in washington in a game they probably still win without them and isn't on national tv? Makes no sense.

[wayne1218]

I can see both sides pretty easily really. I would probably side with pop if it was game 68 or 70 but i think it was simply the wrong time and place for this one.