NBA fines Spurs $250,000

[All Net]

@SpearsNBAYahoo: NBA fines Spurs $250,000 for its decision to send four players home prior to Thursday's game at Miami.

[mentallooser]

First, they now have to admit that somehow one regular season game is more important than another, which it really isn't.

[9erempiree]

wow.

That's wrong fining them that much.

Next time Pop will say "back spasms"

NBA is becoming a sideshow now. It's not about the game anymore, it's about entertaining fans. Sad.

[crisoner]

Chump change but wow.....

Stern is a gangsta. Kind of walking a fine line here but he said f*ck it and fined them anyways.

[HorryIsMyMVP]

Lol what a joke.

[DuMa]

chump change? are you kidding me? thats a ****ing boatload of money for a stupid ass fine as this

[red1]

if the spurs won he woulda fined them $500k for making his heatles look bad

[fpliii]

pretty lame/pathetic move

:facepalm

[Meticode]

I wonder if the Spurs still would've been fined if they won the game against the Heat?

I understand that it's a travesty to the fans and all, but it's not like it wasn't a competitive game. The Heat almost blew it. If anything if the Heat lost that game the NBA should've fined them.

[daily]

So the NBA cites an BOG owners meeting in April 2010 where this very thing was discussed and agreed that resting players like the Spurs did was against the best interests of the League

Found official release

Offiicial Release
Posted Nov 30, 2012 6:05 PM
The NBA announced Friday that the San Antonio Spurs organization has been fined $250,000 for its decision to send four players home prior to the Spurs' Nov. 29 game in Miami. The Spurs' actions were in violation of a league policy, reviewed with the NBA Board of Governors in April 2010, against resting players in a manner contrary to the best interests of the NBA.

NBA Commissioner David Stern stated: "The result here is dictated by the totality of the facts in this case. The Spurs decided to make four of their top players unavailable for an early-season game that was the team's only regular-season visit to Miami. The team also did this without informing the Heat, the media, or the league office in a timely way. Under these circumstances, I have concluded that the Spurs did a disservice to the league and our fans."

[taucesays]

Stern is a petty bitch

[9erempiree]

if the spurs won he woulda fined them $500k for making his heatles look bad

this.

I like how they said the integrity of the game was affected but in all honesty, the Spurs are so good that they don't need their stars to beat or compete with Miami.

:oldlol:

[All Net]

@ESPNNBA: NBA fines Spurs $250K for sending players home before Heat game. Stern says, "Spurs did a disservice to the league and our fans.

[9erempiree]

The NBA is treating their players like slaves.

CAN'T REST...HEY BOY....U NEED TO PLAY!

[ChuckOakley]

On what grounds?

If I'm SA I simply don't pay it.. if possible. NBA probably has their money already.

[All Net]

@SpearsNBAYahoo: NBA states Spurs' actions violated league policy (reviewed with Board of Govs '10) against resting players contrary to NBA's best interests.

[eazyduzzit10]

Is there a rule stating that certain players have to play? Yeah it sucks for those who bought tickets to see Tim Duncan or whatever, but man if Poppovich wants to rest them then why can't he if there's no rule against it

[DuMa]

http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/pCg7RTs1N_6UUIJ2Ojn7YQ--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NQ--/http://media.zenfs.com/en/blogs/sptusnbaexperts/David-Stern-cant-hear-you.-Youll-have-to-hate-louder.-Screencap-via-@Jose3030.jpg

[daily]

On what grounds?

If I'm SA I simply don't pay it.. if possible. NBA probably has their money already.


Already posted. Violation of a policy set in 2010 at the owners meets

[ripthekik]

knew this was coming but LAME. Let's get a media session interview on how Stern justifies this. Why those 4 players, and just this game?

If Spurs want to appeal, I'm sure they will have an easy time doing it.

Also, I hope Pop gives those 4 guys DNP-sore back, the next game, just to give a bigger FU to Stern.

[TheFan]

huge slap... i honestly don't know what to say...

In one hand... NBA is right... there is money on the line... you can't just decide to not to play your best players...

But Popovich can decide to rest his starters whenever he wants...

so...

[kurple]

holy shit

how is this not a coaches decision?

and Pop has been doing this forever, he must have gotten some warnings before.

[9erempiree]

huge slap... i honestly don't know what to say...

In one hand... NBA is right... there is money on the line... you can't just decide to not to play your best players...

But Popovich can decide to rest his starters whenever he wants...

so...

Players are not slaves. You can't run them to the ground. Pop did what he saw was right.

Stern wasn't there practicing and coaching.

[Fiasco]

Hope he rests the starters again on March 31st.

[TylerOO]

Is he gonna fine the Wizards for rolling out a scrub team every game?

[DuMa]

I wonder how much TNT had a say in this decision. they were the ones that lost the most money in ratings wise

[Callystarr]

So the NBA cites an BOG owners meeting in April 2010 where this very thing was discussed and agreed that resting players like the Spurs did was against the best interests of the League

Found official release

Offiicial Release
Posted Nov 30, 2012 6:05 PM
The NBA announced Friday that the San Antonio Spurs organization has been fined $250,000 for its decision to send four players home prior to the Spurs' Nov. 29 game in Miami. The Spurs' actions were in violation of a league policy, reviewed with the NBA Board of Governors in April 2010, against resting players in a manner contrary to the best interests of the NBA.

NBA Commissioner David Stern stated: "The result here is dictated by the totality of the facts in this case. The Spurs decided to make four of their top players unavailable for an early-season game that was the team's only regular-season visit to Miami. The team also did this without informing the Heat, the media, or the league office in a timely way. Under these circumstances, I have concluded that the Spurs did a disservice to the league and our fans."


Makes sense to me. :applause:

[kurple]

huge slap... i honestly don't know what to say...

In one hand... NBA is right... there is money on the line... you can't just decide to not to play your best players...


the nba is not right.

the coach should be able to play who the **** he wants

he wanted his best players to have fresh legs against memphis (I would have done the same), let him

[Fiasco]

Bruce Arthur ‏@bruce_arthur

Per the release, the Spurs "did a disservice to the league and our fans." The fine for being Donald Sterling is going to be massive.

lol

[PleezeBelieve]

Bravo

[Callystarr]

The NBA is treating their players like slaves.

CAN'T REST...HEY BOY....U NEED TO PLAY!

yeah slaves that have a half a million dollar salary up to 30 million a year :facepalm

We are sooooooooo out of line to expect to see our teams best players suit up. :rolleyes:

I personally want to see the bench when I go to my games...:facepalm

[daily]

Players are not slaves. You can't run them to the ground. Pop did what he saw was right.

Stern wasn't there practicing and coaching.


One of the beat writers, posted numbers on twitter, in the previous 4 games of the 4 players Pops sat only Parker us averaging over 30 minutes per game. If true hard to argue "tired players" when they're playing bench minutes

[Fiasco]

Honestly if Stern had said he was fining them for "basketball reasons" it would have been even less BS.

[9erempiree]

So the NBA cites an BOG owners meeting in April 2010 where this very thing was discussed and agreed that resting players like the Spurs did was against the best interests of the League

Found official release

Offiicial Release
Posted Nov 30, 2012 6:05 PM
The NBA announced Friday that the San Antonio Spurs organization has been fined $250,000 for its decision to send four players home prior to the Spurs' Nov. 29 game in Miami. The Spurs' actions were in violation of a league policy, reviewed with the NBA Board of Governors in April 2010, against resting players in a manner contrary to the best interests of the NBA.

NBA Commissioner David Stern stated: "The result here is dictated by the totality of the facts in this case. The Spurs decided to make four of their top players unavailable for an early-season game that was the team's only regular-season visit to Miami. The team also did this without informing the Heat, the media, or the league office in a timely way. Under these circumstances, I have concluded that the Spurs did a disservice to the league and our fans."

They don't have to inform the other team.

It's like telling the other team how you are going to play against them or giving them their game plan.

[PleezeBelieve]

I swear, you dudes argue just to argue. This is an open and shut issue.

Move on, cornballs

[ripthekik]

http://thenosebleeds.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/brian-scalabrine-e1328118911374.jpeg

I demand the NBA to fine whichever team that has Scalabrine and is not playing him. It is against the best interest of NBA fans and the league. It is a huge disservice to the league and our fans.

[inclinerator]

coulda just like give it to me ya know..

[kurple]

yeah slaves that have a half a million dollar salary up to 30 million a year :facepalm

We are sooooooooo out of line to expect to see our teams best players suit up. :rolleyes:

I personally want to see the bench when I go to my games...:facepalm
it's not about the players making 30mill

it's about the coach doing what's best for their team and THEIR fans..

[daily]

They don't have to inform the other team.

It's like telling the other team how you are going to play against them or giving them their game plan.
:facepalm

That's an NBA press release saying they do have to inform them if the NBA is says they do. You probably spent half of last night on ISH telling us the NBA can't fine the Spurs :lol

Now you going to tell us the spurs don't have to pay it?

[kurple]

i didnt see the pistons getting fined for benching Iverson

guess the only difference is Stern hating AI

[9erempiree]

:facepalm

That's an NBA press release saying they do have to inform them if the NBA is says they do. You probably spent half of last night on ISH telling us the NBA can't fine the Spurs :lol

Now you going to tell us the spurs don't have to pay it?

no dummy.

[ripthekik]

So why aren't these teams fined?


MIAMI—LeBron James is sitting out the Miami Heat's game against Washington.

Chris Bosh is being held out for the third game in a row Saturday, but Dwyane Wade is in the starting lineup.

James and Bosh were rested to ensure they're healthy for the start of the playoffs.

Coach Erik Spoelstra says James is treating some minor bumps and bruises but feeling fine. The game is only the second he has missed this season.

Bosh has been dealing with minor ailments, and the Heat hope to have him back before the end of the regular season Thursday.


SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Kobe Bryant sat out the Los Angeles Lakers' regular-season finale on Thursday against the Sacramento Kings and conceded the chance to catch Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant for the NBA scoring title.

The Kings won the game 113-96.

Bryant, averaging 27.86 points per game, would have needed 38 points to catch Durant and win the title outright. Durant finished the regular season averaging 28.03 points per game.

Pretty sure fans bought their tickets expecting Kobe and Lebron too.

[Is He Ill]

Vetoing the Lakers trade and now this? Both in one year's time...Stern is a POS, I can't wait until he's gone.

[Mr. Jabbar]

I wonder if the Spurs still would've been fined if they won the game against the Heat?

I understand that it's a travesty to the fans and all, but it's not like it wasn't a competitive game. The Heat almost blew it. If anything if the Heat lost that game the NBA should've fined them.

:roll: :roll:

[flipogb]

@SpearsNBAYahoo: NBA states Spurs' actions violated league policy (reviewed with Board of Govs '10) against resting players contrary to NBA's best interests.

if its really policy, then he did the right thing

[kuniva_dAMiGhTy]

I swear, you dudes argue just to argue. This is an open and shut issue.

Move on, cornballs

This

[tomtucker]

I wonder how much TNT had a say in this decision. they were the ones that lost the most money in ratings wise

folks turned off the game becoz of miller and barkley

[Replay32]

I'm not surprised. Pop messed up. Moving along.

[Jax]

Take that you scared hoes!! Next time play with the champs and lose by 20/30.

[9erempiree]

Take that you scared hoes!! Next time play with the champs and lose by 20/30.

lol @ the bench almost beating you.

[Replay32]

lol @ the bench almost beating you.

This is basketball. "Almost" only counts for horseshoes and hand grenades. Bottom line is the Spurs lost and the Heat won. "Almost"...don't count. :lol

[ZenMaster]

One of the beat writers, posted numbers on twitter, in the previous 4 games of the 4 players Pops sat only Parker us averaging over 30 minutes per game. If true hard to argue "tired players" when they're playing bench minutes


But what you forget is where and when the Spurs have been playing, travelling is hard on the body and the Spurs have played a ton of away games so far and in short stints.

Saying players can't rest is saying fatigue isn't real/doesn't apply to NBA players.
This fine is so far out of real basketball it's incredible, Pop has played his veterans almost as much as they could handle these kast previous years, and they've gotten hurt every year. It's not OK for the NBA to ask Pop to run his players into the ground.

[Jasun]

at first I was against the idea of fining the spurs, but now im glad stern did it. the spurs are getting older, but arent injured and had no personal reasons for not playing. you dont rest players like that this early. you dress them and give them limited minutes. dont think part of what pops did wasnt a f-you to the league. thats why stern said, nah f-you. I dont promote the idea of the nba owning its players, but they are still employed by the nba and cant just be given a random day off. never forget the nba is in the businesses of entertainment and the best interest of its consumers and advertisers must be met. without it the big arenas, lucrative contracts, celebrity athletes, etc wouldnt exist.

[VegasLakerFan]

If I were Pop, the next time I wanted to rest p[layers, I'd just let them sit on the bench. DNP- Coaches Decision.:smile

I also don't get why this wasn't a problem at the end of last last year. Does the time of year matter, or are all regular season games of equal importance? The Board of Gov. rules was put in place in 2010, so teams who sat players last years should have been fined as well... maybe, I am missing something?

[sundizz]

So, in response to this why can't Pop just play Timmy D, Manu, Tony, Danny G for the tip-off and call time-out and sub them out. They can just sit and watch the game. :confusedshrug:

I mean I'm with Stern on this. It's bs. They shouldn't be allowed to take time off unless they are injured. This is the NBA. They get paid millions to do this by choice. If they are legitimately injured then sure. However, they should still have to be a part of the team, and at least on the bench. I'm not a fan of them going home to rest. Same with players that are injured. I don't like that they don't attend games. Even when I was injured I showed up to my pointless intramural games to support my team.

[kennethgriffin]

The NBA is treating their players like slaves.

CAN'T REST...HEY BOY....U NEED TO PLAY!

i think of it like this. its ok if they sat one guy. but their top 4 players?

its impossible for all 4 guys needing a rest out of coincidence. its basicallly like throwing a basketball game. and the league is trying to get away from the image of fixing and gambling

i agree with the fine

players are paid to play. if their not injured then they are expected to show up. the timing couldnt have been worse because it was against the heat and on national tv.

[daily]

If I were Pop, the next time I wanted to rest p[layers, I'd just let them sit on the bench. DNP- Coaches Decision.:smile

I also don't get why this wasn't a problem at the end of last last year. Does the time of year matter, or are all regular season games of equal importance? The Board of Gov. rules was put in place in 2010, so teams who sat players last years should have been fined as well... maybe, I am missing something?66 game lockout season last year with that insane schedule

[VegasLakerFan]

66 game lockout season last year with that insane schedule

Good point. I am actually for the fine. I just want the rules to be consistent. If the policy was implemented in 2010, then what about 2011 when there was no shortened season? I would be surprised if no team held out players at the end of the season then.

[kentatm]

Since November 13 they haven't had more than 1 day between games.

Maybe the NBA should pay attention to how they schedule a bit more.

and I don't want to hear about some bullshit, vague ass "for the good of the NBA" rule. What a crock of shit.

This is no different than resting your players before the playoffs.

I hate the Spurs but this is just such crap.

Yes, I'm :mad:

[DropStep]

The NBA is treating their players like slaves.

CAN'T REST...HEY BOY....U NEED TO PLAY!
Slaves didnt get paid millions of dollars.

[longtime lurker]

LOL :facepalm Stern

I think that a statement needed to be made but 250,000 this is getting ridiculous. If you actually read into this situation why Pop rested his starters it makes a lot of sense. And he brought up a good point that he's done it in hte past, but because it's a national game a big deal is made out of it.

[ILLsmak]

Slaves didnt get paid millions of dollars.

But on the other hand, these guys are specialists. They are legendary at what they do. So, because of that, I believe the slave card can be played. I believe their salary relates to their talent/rarity for the most part.

-Smak

[ihoopallday]

Just curious, where does all this money from fines go? Btw, that was really messed up by Stern. It was actually a great game. Just proves even more how great of a coach Pop is.

[Dbrog]

What I hate the most (I'm surprised no one has mentioned it) is that literally EVERY SINGLE TEAM in the NBA does this at the end of the season when there are 1-3 games left of their schedule. This has never ever been discussed before so why all of a sudden is it against the rules simply because it's at the start of the season?

[jl1718]

**** Stern, everybody does this at some point. NOBODY ELSE will be fined for this.

Now the Spurs get Joey Crawford for the rest of the season. Stern will make sure the Spurs never get out of the first round.

[Derka]

What I hate the most (I'm surprised no one has mentioned it) is that literally EVERY SINGLE TEAM in the NBA does this at the end of the season when there are 1-3 games left of their schedule. This has never ever been discussed before so why all of a sudden is it against the rules simply because it's at the start of the season?

The NBA is a business. Its a big deal at this time because its two of the better teams in the League and TNT paid a crapload of money for broadcast rights to that game and several other games that feature the League's prominent stars. They and their advertisers paid for Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobli and Tony Parker to be on their air that night.

Injuries can't really be helped. Resting guys for the postseason is a strategic thing. Arbitrarily sitting your studs for a national game is Pop looking at his coaching staff and saying "Dude, know what would totally piss everybody in NY off right now...?"

[PP34Deuce]

What I hate the most (I'm surprised no one has mentioned it) is that literally EVERY SINGLE TEAM in the NBA does this at the end of the season when there are 1-3 games left of their schedule. This has never ever been discussed before so why all of a sudden is it against the rules simply because it's at the start of the season?

Situational context must be given to scenarios. players wore out after 15 games isdifferent from 70 75 games. Higher stakes in the playoffs.

[swi7ch]

250,000 is nothing for their owner who's like worth 75 million! he probably spends that much in one night of having fun drinking champagnes! :oldlol:

[Kujo]

If the Spurs sat the players the previous games against Orlando, do think they still would have been fined? I think not, at least not as much. The only reason Stern, and the league are pissed (understandably so) is because it was a national televised game.

[PP34Deuce]

I do agree each coach has a philosophy..but that doesnt trump entertainment. NBA is entertainment You want pure basketball...continue watching NCAA orwatch wnba

[Derka]

If the Spurs sat the players the previous games against Orlando, do think they still would have been fined? I think not, at least not as much. The only reason Stern, and the league are pissed (understandably so) is because it was a national televised game.

Agreed completely.

[hawkfan]

250K bones.
What a joke.

[Deuce Bigalow]

Most Playoff teams that have clinched a spot eventually do it in a game or two towards the end of the season.

[2010splash]

Someone needs to physically hurt David Stern. Can't wait until 2014 and this b!tch of a commissioner is removed.

[Dbrog]

The NBA is a business. Its a big deal at this time because its two of the better teams in the League and TNT paid a crapload of money for broadcast rights to that game and several other games that feature the League's prominent stars. They and their advertisers paid for Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobli and Tony Parker to be on their air that night.

Injuries can't really be helped. Resting guys for the postseason is a strategic thing. Arbitrarily sitting your studs for a national game is Pop looking at his coaching staff and saying "Dude, know what would totally piss everybody in NY off right now...?"

This exact same thing happens before the playoffs though.

[Mr. Jabbar]

But on the other hand, these guys are specialists. They are legendary at what they do. So, because of that, I believe the slave card can be played. I believe their salary relates to their talent/rarity for the most part.

-Smak

Their salary relates to what the market they're in generates + their rarity. I could be the fastest guy to unscrew a bulb in the world, 0.2 secs, a freak of nature, rarity at its finest, yet theres no market for that, hence I flip burgers for a living.

[Derka]

This exact same thing happens before the playoffs though.

And as I said in the second part of my post, that's a completely separate thing. Sitting stars heading into the playoffs is not the same thing as intentionally benching them in November just to be a dick. Besides, networks like TNT aren't charging as much for ad time in those later months because their programmers already know that the stars won't be playing. I also wouldn't be shocked if the price the NBA is charging TNT for those games is reflective of that, as well.

[cool_3rd]

I'm leaning towards siding with Stern on this.

I'm ok with resting players, but 4 at the same time? Against a strong team, on national TV?

Imagine Spoelstra resting Lebron and Wade for all their away games and only playing in Miami. They'd probably still make the playoffs but all the road games will likely lose money in doing so.

[jl1718]

He should Fine the Celts and the Heat too.

From Hollinger

Moreover, Popovich isn't the only one. You want a bad national TV game as a result of sitting stars? How about last year's Miami-Boston game on April 24, in which six of the seven All-Stars from the two different teams sat out because of assorted maladies, both real and imagined, and the result was a 78-66 abomination that may be the single-worst game I have ever seen in person. (Did I mention I flew up to cover this putrescence?) I'm still waiting to hear about the sanctions facing those two teams.

[keepinitreal]

[QUOTE=All Net]@ESPNNBA: NBA fines Spurs $250K for sending players home before Heat game. Stern says, "Spurs did a disservice to the league and our fans.

[rmt]

Emailed my opinion on this terrible decision. Here's the address if anyone wants to voice their opinion:

http://www.nba.com/email_us/contact_us.html

[Digital Lee]

Benching these players effected all the fans at the live show, u could make the argument that they didnt get their moneys worth. As for every other basketball fan it is a diservice to them that the spurs got fined for what seems to be a logical move. The hypocrisy of this fine is ridiculous

[jl1718]

http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2012/11/29/what-got-to-stern-this-time-it%E2%80%99s-tnt/

Column by Buck Harvey

MIAMI

[L.Kizzle]

Benching these players effected all the fans at the live show, u could make the argument that they didnt get their moneys worth. As for every other basketball fan it is a diservice to them that the spurs got fined for what seems to be a logical move. The hypocrisy of this fine is ridiculous
A game down to the wire, and they didn't get there money's worth?
:biggums:

All the ooh's and ahh's I heard and not boo's when the Spurs touched the ball.

[solar.hands]

would be funny if they sent 1M quarters to sterns office :oldlol:

[liquidrage]

Think this fine is shady. Team competing for title thought it was the best thing to do. What possible reason can you fine them and not be all WWE?

[lakerHater]

If the Spurs did a disservice to the league for one night, then some teams have been doing a disservice to the league for years:coleman:
Or how about the Heat org for raisin prices to certain games!

[Haymaker]

Team owners should make a stand and let David Sperm know that they have more power than the NBA. Sperm has become a dictator, and he's worked very hard to give himself more power to control everything. The NBA is like the government, it can be replaced.

[denton420]

So the NBA cites an BOG owners meeting in April 2010 where this very thing was discussed and agreed that resting players like the Spurs did was against the best interests of the League

Found official release

Offiicial Release
Posted Nov 30, 2012 6:05 PM
The NBA announced Friday that the San Antonio Spurs organization has been fined $250,000 for its decision to send four players home prior to the Spurs' Nov. 29 game in Miami. The Spurs' actions were in violation of a league policy, reviewed with the NBA Board of Governors in April 2010, against resting players in a manner contrary to the best interests of the NBA.

NBA Commissioner David Stern stated: "The result here is dictated by the totality of the facts in this case. The Spurs decided to make four of their top players unavailable for an early-season game that was the team's only regular-season visit to Miami. The team also did this without informing the Heat, the media, or the league office in a timely way. Under these circumstances, I have concluded that the Spurs did a disservice to the league and our fans."

This is pretty much the whole story. Business is about interpretation not about rules.

[daily]

Team owners should make a stand and let David Sperm know that they have more power than the NBA. Sperm has become a dictator, and he's worked very hard to give himself more power to control everything. The NBA is like the government, it can be replaced.:facepalm

The owners pay Stern, They put him in power, they make the rules. The NBA is the owners. There's not the league on one side and the owners on the other, this policy the Spurs broke was put into place by the owners themselves, Stern is payed by the owners to oversee their league and implement their policy

Peter Holt the owner of the Spurs is now the head of the Board of Governors the very same group that put this policy into place!

[DMV2]

I think the problem is that Pops told them to stay home; he didn't sit them on the bench. Even when team rest their best player the final two or three games, their players still traveled with them.

I was on Pops' side because I thought he just benched them. He told them not to even travel with them. He did this last year in Utah late in the season, and they still won. LOL

Anyway, the fine was way too steep. $250,000 is way over excessive.

[alleykat]

:facepalm

Peter Holt the owner of the Spurs is now the head of the Board of Governors the very same group that put this policy into place!

did not know that. that's pretty crazy lol. anyways it looks like the penalty was not due to the fact that they rested the players but due to the fact that they did not inform the league of it before-hand. If I paid money to see my favorite NBA players in a game, I would be pissed too.....

whether you believe this policy about not allowing rest for players is fair is one thing, but they should have notified them in a timely manner. the fine is a little over-the-top tho

[NoGunzJustSkillz]

Makes sense to me. :applause:
how many championships does your team have? of course it makes sense to you.

[NoGunzJustSkillz]

:facepalm

That's an NBA press release saying they do have to inform them if the NBA is says they do. You probably spent half of last night on ISH telling us the NBA can't fine the Spurs :lol

Now you going to tell us the spurs don't have to pay it?
i knew around noon that the spurs were probably resting duncan, parker and manu.

[NoGunzJustSkillz]

250,000 is nothing for their owner who's like worth 75 million! he probably spends that much in one night of having fun drinking champagnes! :oldlol:
i hope you never get rich.

[NoGunzJustSkillz]

And as I said in the second part of my post, that's a completely separate thing. Sitting stars heading into the playoffs is not the same thing as intentionally benching them in November just to be a dick. Besides, networks like TNT aren't charging as much for ad time in those later months because their programmers already know that the stars won't be playing. I also wouldn't be shocked if the price the NBA is charging TNT for those games is reflective of that, as well.
what?!?!

[bluechox2]

stern trying to get some holiday vacation money before he retires

[D-Rose]

This is honestly heinous at best. How can the league dictate which players a coach chooses to play? Why the **** should a coach be fined for doing something well within his jurisdiction? There is no law or rule on this, no need for Stern to assert another power grab ffs. Pop will have his own clever way of reacting for sure like calling a timeout right at their first possession of the game and benching his guys the whole game.

[mans1ay3r]

Why rest them all in a nationally televised game? Why a nationally televised game against the NBA champs? Why not against a subpar team? I bet TNT was happy to find out those three weren't playing. :rolleyes:

I can see Spurs play Grizzlies next and that's a much more important game, but the schedule wasn't made yesterday. They could have easily rested or play limited minutes against Orlando and still win. I'm 100% for this fine.

Telling them to not even show up is just another slap to the face of the business and fans.

[jbryan1984]

While I do not agree they should of been fined 250k, I totally see Stern's point. It was a TNT game, the flagship show, millions watching. Now, those people might just change the channel. So now the NBA lost lots of viewers. Which could in return lead to the TNT show losing sponsors, which in return causes the NBA to lose money. If I am in Miami at AAA, I am very pissed off. You are seeing one of the top teams in the league against your home team. You didn't pay the money to see Tiago Splitter and Danny Green or whoever else was playing. You paid to see Duncan, Manu, Parker, etc.

I thought that last year, maybe like the last week of the season, the fans of the Boston/Miami game were ripped off. If I remember it right, LeBron, Wade, Bosh, Rondo, KG and Allen all sat. Ray might of been hurt, but still. I understand they wanted to rest these guys but this is one of the cases you need to think of the fans. They didn't pay to see Mario Chalmers vs. Avery Bradley or Sasha Pavlovic vs. Mike Miller. So yeah, it makes sense to me.

[bluechox2]

stern had to call up miami before tipoff and told them to make sure its a game and not a blowout

[Jasper]

speed bump in the Spurs till...

I would hope that the league would reconsider how they schedule teams and putting so much pressure on the athlete's night in and night out.

Not saying the schedule should be reduced , but fact is the Spurs did not pass on the game , and 'concede'

Would of this conversation and fine occurred if the scrubs of the spurs won the game .....

Stern was Stern , but his same arguement would not hold water if it was at the end of the season and teams were resting for the playoff's ..

If I was a billion dollar owner , I would take millions in fines to rest star layers , just as long as I had a good seeding and better than average chance at the title.

This is big business _____ bottom line.

[daily]

This is honestly heinous at best. How can the league dictate which players a coach chooses to play? Why the **** should a coach be fined for doing something well within his jurisdiction? There is no law or rule on this, no need for Stern to assert another power grab ffs. Pop will have his own clever way of reacting for sure like calling a timeout right at their first possession of the game and benching his guys the whole game.
Try to keep up. There is a rule, the owners themselves voted it in

[ripthekik]

Try to keep up. There is a rule, the owners themselves voted it in
There is absolutely no rule in this. There is simply discretion. Stern made it.

[EnoughSaid]

At the end of the day there were a few reasons as to why Stern fined them. 1) It's a national TV game on TNT 2) It's the only game San Antonio plays in South Beach 2) It's really annoying for the fans and people watching.

[ak47buffalo]

Honestly this fine is a travesty to the NBA. This fine suggests it is no longer about the competition but more about the business.

A coach should have license to do whatever he wants within his team to give them the best chance to win an NBA title and the commissioner of the league should have no say over this. If Popovich feels like the best decision for the team is to rest his star players in a marquee game then that is his decision and no one else's business.

The bottom line is that the NBA is a competition and teams should have free reign to compete in whatever way they see fit. To infringe upon this for business reasons is a bastardization of the sport. Stern has made a grave misstep in this decision.

[Anaximandro1]

disservice to the league ? That's insulting and asinine.

Since 1997,the Spurs have the best record in the four major pro sports.Pop has led the Spurs to four NBA titles....

David Stern runs the NBA like a dictator.It's outrageous :mad:

[iamgine]

Honestly this fine is a travesty to the NBA. This fine suggests it is no longer about the competition but more about the business.

A coach should have license to do whatever he wants within his team to give them the best chance to win an NBA title and the commissioner of the league should have no say over this. If Popovich feels like the best decision for the team is to rest his star players in a marquee game then that is his decision and no one else's business.

The bottom line is that the NBA is a competition and teams should have free reign to compete in whatever way they see fit. To infringe upon this for business reasons is a bastardization of the sport. Stern has made a grave misstep in this decision.
Wrong, the business is just as important as the competition. Without the business, there will be no competition.

[Timmy D for MVP]

@SpearsNBAYahoo: NBA states Spurs' actions violated league policy (reviewed with Board of Govs '10) against resting players contrary to NBA's best interests.

So who determines what's the NBA's best interests?

I really think Stern isn't going to win unless we all let it go away, and for some reason I'm doubt this will just go away.

[iamgine]

So who determines what's the NBA's best interests?

I really think Stern isn't going to win unless we all let it go away, and for some reason I'm doubt this will just go away.
The team owners I would think. Stern work for the owners.

[Sarcastic]

LMAO @ people encouraging tanking. Imagine an NFL team tanking in September. The coach would be ostracized for doing that.

[BMOGEFan]

LMAO @ people encouraging tanking. Imagine an NFL team tanking in September. The coach would be ostracized for doing that.

you cannot compare a league with 17 games that plays once a week to a league with 82 games that play almost 4 games a week.

[bdreason]

Ridiculous fine. I hope the Spurs dispute the penalty. I'm not a fan of what the Spurs did, but the NBA and Stern can't just start making up rules and fines on the fly.

[Sarcastic]

Ridiculous fine. I hope the Spurs dispute the penalty. I'm not a fan of what the Spurs did, but the NBA and Stern can't just start making up rules and fines on the fly.

There is precedent for what Stern did. The Lakers were once fined for benching Magic and Worthy.

[bdreason]

And all this means is that the Spurs, or whoever wants to rest players, will just have to lie about it in the future.


"Duncan, Parker, Ginobili, and Green all came down with a case of the flue today and will miss the game against Miami"

[Sarcastic]

you cannot compare a league with 17 games that plays once a week to a league with 82 games that play almost 4 games a week.

Why not? We compared the leagues every day during the lockout, as to why the NBA is not as profitable as the NFL.

[bdreason]

Why not? We compared the leagues every day during the lockout, as to why the NBA is not as profitable as the NFL.


The NFL benches players all the time in anti-competitive ways. The Philly Eagles are currently in full tank mode; benched their starting QB despite him being fine, benched their starting RB, benched their star Receiver, and straight up cut two of their best Defensive players. Of course they are lying about it and claiming most of these players are "injured", but their strategy is transparent.

[IamRAMBO24]

Ridiculous fine. I hope the Spurs dispute the penalty. I'm not a fan of what the Spurs did, but the NBA and Stern can't just start making up rules and fines on the fly.

ummm ... yes they can.

[ak47buffalo]

Wrong, the business is just as important as the competition. Without the business, there will be no competition.

It is in fact the opposite. Without competition there will be no business.

To elaborate, I actually disagree with the Spurs' decision to sit their stars versus the Heat. I feel like a top team should be able to comfortably play a full season without resting every second game of a back to back or playing limited minutes all the time.

With that said, it is and always should be the coach's and thus the team's decision on who to play, not the commissioners. If you no longer treat the NBA as a true competition then the business will inevitably decline as well. It is a ludicrous decision by Stern.

[Haymaker]

Peter Holt the owner of the Spurs is now the head of the Board of Governors the very same group that put this policy into place!

Well, this is pretty fukcing ironic. I guess Pop will be told to behave then.

[Sarcastic]

The NFL benches players all the time in anti-competitive ways. The Philly Eagles are currently in full tank mode; benched their starting QB despite him being fine, benched their starting RB, benched their star Receiver, and straight up cut two of their best Defensive players. Of course they are lying about it and claiming most of these players are "injured", but their strategy is transparent.

The Eagles aren't in tank mode. Vick cant pass concussion tests. Andy Reid doesn't want to lose his job.

[NuggetsFan]

The Eagles aren't in tank mode. Vick cant pass concussion tests. Andy Reid doesn't want to lose his job.

Actually agree with you for once. Why would you tank in the NFL? Coaches need to win games to keep their jobs. It's not like the NBA. Not to mention the benefit of tanking in the NFL is nowhere near the NBA.

[iamgine]

It is in fact the opposite. Without competition there will be no business.

To elaborate, I actually disagree with the Spurs' decision to sit their stars versus the Heat. I feel like a top team should be able to comfortably play a full season without resting every second game of a back to back or playing limited minutes all the time.

With that said, it is and always should be the coach's and thus the team's decision on who to play, not the commissioners. If you no longer treat the NBA as a true competition then the business will inevitably decline as well. It is a ludicrous decision by Stern.
It's both. Business is just as important as competition. Neither can survive without each other. That's why while Pop isn't wrong in sending his players home, Stern is also very correct in punishing them.

What if the Miami Heat, Lakers and OKC decide to not play their starters every away games since they already make playoff? What if the bottom teams just tank games? Those are very reasonable basketball decisions but obviously the NBA wouldn't survive if all the teams do that.

[monkeypox]

They can fine players for not making themselves available for post game press conferences without a good reason. You guys really think it's a crime for them to fine them for not showing up to an actual game? You know... the very thing they get paid to do?

[monkeypox]

Honestly this fine is a travesty to the NBA. This fine suggests it is no longer about the competition but more about the business.

A coach should have license to do whatever he wants within his team to give them the best chance to win an NBA title and the commissioner of the league should have no say over this. If Popovich feels like the best decision for the team is to rest his star players in a marquee game then that is his decision and no one else's business.

The bottom line is that the NBA is a competition and teams should have free reign to compete in whatever way they see fit. To infringe upon this for business reasons is a bastardization of the sport. Stern has made a grave misstep in this decision.

Wait... so fielding a non-competitive team is considered being competitive. Fining a team for doing that is anti-competitive? Also most Spurs fans seem to think Pop did this as an FU over the schedule. Yeah... so not about competition, he did it because he wanted to bitch about something. So if you want to complain about someone not making it about competition, look to Pop.

[Sharmer]

Are teams contractually obliged to put their best team on every game? If so, before the playoffs, most teams rest their best players, which means that such a obligation is arbitrary enforced, which isn't fair.

[All Net]

Well, this is pretty fukcing ironic. I guess Pop will be told to behave then.

yeah DAMN :lol

[LJJ]

"The Spurs' actions were in violation of a league policy, reviewed with the NBA Board of Governors in April 2010, against resting players in a manner contrary to the best interests of the NBA.""

That's a very weird and arbitrary policy. More importantly: enforcing this policy is way more harmful to the NBA than anything Popovich ever did.


It's policies like these that make people say the NBA is moving closer towards providing "sports entertainment" (like the WWE) than legitimate sports competition.

[bmulls]

Honestly this fine is a travesty to the NBA. This fine suggests it is no longer about the competition but more about the business.

A coach should have license to do whatever he wants within his team to give them the best chance to win an NBA title and the commissioner of the league should have no say over this. If Popovich feels like the best decision for the team is to rest his star players in a marquee game then that is his decision and no one else's business.

The bottom line is that the NBA is a competition and teams should have free reign to compete in whatever way they see fit. To infringe upon this for business reasons is a bastardization of the sport. Stern has made a grave misstep in this decision.

So what happens when a team decides that they just don't want to play a game, that it would be in their "best interest" to forfeit and not even make the trip?

You have to draw the line somewhere. Benching starters for the last few games of the season is one thing. Sending 4 players home for a nationally televised marquee match up in November is ridiculous. If he thinks his players are playing too much he should manage their minutes better. Essentially throwing a game, which is what Pop did, violates the unspoken good faith between the league and it's fans.

[Pointguard]

Pop got beyond himself.

Tim makes 250,000 per game (price of the fine)... He gets paid indirectly by people who probably average $30.000 a year (Average American makes $32,000 but most Bball fans are younger). Pop sat down over $600,000 worth of players per game on a selective give-em-rest gesture. That's like 20 years worth of average fan salary. The NBA absolutely can't let Pop cheapen the quality of its product. I don't care what his team goals are. Pop should have been fined 1/82 of his salary just to let him know and another $10,000 for doing it nationally, another $10,000 for doing it with his three stars. This is on top of the team should have been fined $600,000 (instead of the Duncan salary fine) since they need to understand the value of fans, who have to go to work even when they are tired.

[NoGunzJustSkillz]

The Eagles aren't in tank mode. Vick cant pass concussion tests. Andy Reid doesn't want to lose his job.
LOL, Reid is gone bro, bank on it. he always does something toward the end of the season to make the owners think twice about canning his assss. not this year :no:

[Pointguard]

If we messed up the integrity of our organization's product on national TV by withholding your biggest assets we would be fired. Stern had to do it. Stern can't let it go because its embarrassing and disrespectful to fans, the game and the product. If Pop did it for the sake of competition then he would have rested his players the previous game because playing the best is what makes your team better.

[NoGunzJustSkillz]

Any word on the Spurs appealing the fine?

[JellyBean]

:applause: I will give David Stern props on this bold move. The Spurs were thumbing their noses at the league, the Miami Heat, and the fans of the NBA. Oh an I love the excuse about playing 4 games in 5 days part by Pop as his reason for resting his players. I am sure it is tough for those guys. I mean packing their own bags, having the managers load those bags on the team bus, and getting on the team bus. Then the long line to get to the team bus that drives them to the team plane, which in turn flies them across country where they will stay in some cramped five star hotel. Yeah I feel your pain Pop and Spurs owner.

[Pointguard]

Any word on the Spurs appealing the fine?
No chance whatsoever. If they know what's good for them they should fine Pop as well. It was a major bonehead move.

[Grey Dawn]

Pop got beyond himself.

they need to understand the value of fans, who have to go to work even when they are tired.

Like Derrick Rose did last year right?

[Doranku]

So if a team benches their starters against a quality opponent in order to give their bench players more experience and a taste of what the playoffs will be like, they're subject to being fined because they're committing a "disservice to the NBA"?

:roll:

Ridiculous.

[Pointguard]

Like Derrick Rose did last year right?
LOL, guys like KG and Rose need the team doctors to stop them from playing. What is your point?

[BuffaloBill]

@DanWetzel
Stern was going to fine the Wizards 250K for their starting five tonight until he realized that was their starting five



:lebronamazed:

[bagelred]

:applause: I will give David Stern props on this bold move. The Spurs were thumbing their noses at the league, the Miami Heat, and the fans of the NBA. Oh an I love the excuse about playing 4 games in 5 days part by Pop as his reason for resting his players. I am sure it is tough for those guys. I mean packing their own bags, having the managers load those bags on the team bus, and getting on the team bus. Then the long line to get to the team bus that drives them to the team plane, which in turn flies them across country where they will stay in some cramped five star hotel. Yeah I feel your pain Pop and Spurs owner.

:oldlol: Exactly. All of a sudden playing basketball 4 out of 5 nights, for maybe 35 minutes a night, taking chartered planes, eating catered food, and sleeping in 5 star hotels, is the equivalent of working in a coal mine every day for 12 hours a day. "But but but but.....they need REST!" :oldlol:

Let's call this wht it is....Pop forfeited the game. REGARDLESS if the backups played well. This was a forfeit in NOVEMBER. A forfeit on national TV against the World Champs. There is no way Stern can allow that.

[Pointguard]

So if a team benches their starters against a quality opponent in order to give their bench players more experience and a taste of what the playoffs will be like, they're subject to being fined because they're committing a "disservice to the NBA"?

:roll:

Ridiculous. Where did you get that craziness from? Pop never said that. You Doranku said that and it came from the dark regions of your imagination.

You worry about those things when you are already in the playoffs and know your team has the endurance to pull it off. Pop doesn't go that deep on the bench in the playoffs and if his elder players have endurance issues 15 games in they won't fair well anyway. You don't do nonsense like that when the NBA has you in the showcase. You don't do it this early in the year. You don't do it with all of your star players together. You don't do it when you when people are paying $200 and $300 a ticket. You don't do it when there is a tanking issue in the sport. You don't do it because you think you are above such things (as Pop did). You don't do it because it looks bad. You don't do it because tiredness is never a good enough excuse to play a game after you played only 15 games. You don't do it because it could start a trend. You don't do it because all of the four players were healthy.

[SCdac]

I applaud the decision by Pop. No fine will take away the rest/respect he gave his best players and extra playing time/experience he gave his other players. Was a great game and I'm sure chemistry amongst the Spurs has only gotten better since. Spurs don't take a game off, even if it's the bench. More people than ever are sticking up for the Spurs and as a longtime fan it's nice to see. :cheers:

[Pointguard]

Bagelred, Gin plays 24 minutes a night. All the others are at 30 minutes per game. TP deviates at 32 minutes per game. The team has the most spread out minutes per player than any in the league. 10 players that average over 17 minutes per game. And 14 players that average over 10 minutes per game.

[daily]

Bagelred, Gin plays 24 minutes a night. All the others are at 30 minutes per game. TP deviates at 32 minutes per game. The team has the most spread out minutes per player than any in the league. 10 players that average over 17 minutes per game. And 14 players that average over 10 minutes per game.Good post, Add that during the brutal 4 games in 5 nights the Spurs had probelms with, of the 4 sent home only Parker had averaged more than 30 minutes a game

[IamRAMBO24]

The most disturbing part of this is Pop's lack of competitiveness. Here we have the only chance they will have to play the world champs and instead of treating it like a Finals game, they caved in like a little b*tch.

I was actually looking for to this game; the Spurs were doing well; the Heat looked like ECF champions, and overall, it would of been a good test for Pop and the stars.

He didn't compete. This poorly reflects on the organization and him as a coach. It doesn't matter if he's pissed off at Stern (which is the true reason why he pulled his starters), he should of let his team go out there and PROVE THEY ARE BETTER.

He is a punk b*tch for not wanting to compete. Bottomline.

[IamRAMBO24]

I applaud the decision by Pop. No fine will take away the rest/respect he gave his best players and extra playing time/experience he gave his other players. Was a great game and I'm sure chemistry amongst the Spurs has only gotten better since. Spurs don't take a game off, even if it's the bench. More people than ever are sticking up for the Spurs and as a longtime fan it's nice to see. :cheers:

I hate this stupid hypothetical excuse about how they are somehow better for resting up against the Heat and this decision will lead to a gazillion of games won.

What a load of bullsh*t.

How do you know?

My hypothesis is had they played the Heat, they would of gained a plethora of more experience in dealing with the new additions in Ray and Lewis. Winning that game would of provided a ton of confidence to win many others.

Streaks begin with confidence, not resting. In fact, resting usually stops the movement.

[Sarcastic]

Imagine if Phil Jackson ever tried to send Michael Jordan home for a big game.
:yaohappy:


I'm pretty sure Phil would be the one that was sent home after that.

[SCdac]

I hate this stupid hypothetical excuse about how they are somehow better for resting up against the Heat and this decision will lead to a gazillion of games won.

What a load of bullsh*t.

How do you know?

My hypothesis is had they played the Heat, they would of gained a plethora of more experience in dealing with the new additions in Ray and Lewis. Winning that game would of provided a ton of confidence to win many others.

Streaks begin with confidence, not resting. In fact, resting usually stops the movement.

:sleeping ..... Dude, Pop knows his team better than any of us.

Also I'm assuming the players themselves wanted/didn't mind having the night off. It's been a dense schedule of game in the month of November, and I don't blame the team and it's staff for wanting to pace out the marathon of a season.

[Whoah10115]

Does Popovich realize that this doesn't help his team? Applaud the decision if you like but it doesn't help the Spurs. There's no reason these guys can't play 40MPG and that's the truth (at least Parker and Ginobili)...but to rest ALL of them in one game, during the season? This isn't soccer. You don't need a rest every now and then. This is not baseball, where -even tho it's not as tiring- it's played every single day.


He sent them back home. There's intent there. And it's also completely unfair to what the game is about. And while Pop should be trying to win, he shouldn't be bullshitting to get it.


The Spurs won in 2007 because of the suspensions. That sucks for Spurs fans to hear but it's the truth. And it's relevant because -by then- the Spurs had gone the Shaq route in the regular season route. Duncan played like a cog and not like a Duncan. They got thru it that year and they haven't been near the same juggernaut since. And for as long as they keep up this petty shit, they won't be. Killer instinct, they don't have.

[9erempiree]

The most disturbing part of this is Pop's lack of competitiveness. Here we have the only chance they will have to play the world champs and instead of treating it like a Finals game, they caved in like a little b*tch.

I was actually looking for to this game; the Spurs were doing well; the Heat looked like ECF champions, and overall, it would of been a good test for Pop and the stars.

He didn't compete. This poorly reflects on the organization and him as a coach. It doesn't matter if he's pissed off at Stern (which is the true reason why he pulled his starters), he should of let his team go out there and PROVE THEY ARE BETTER.

He is a punk b*tch for not wanting to compete. Bottomline.

How exactly did they cave in?

They almost beat them. If anything Pop's a good coach.

[IamRAMBO24]

How exactly did they cave in?

They almost beat them. If anything Pop's a good coach.

Sitting all your best starters is the same thing as saying you are not going to compete.

The bench playing that close was just out of sheer utter luck; let's see if they can even come close to that performance in more than just one game.

It's a fluke. The Heat did not know what to expect and was not properly prepared for it, which is excusable.

[SCdac]

How exactly did they cave in?

They almost beat them. If anything Pop's a good coach.

Not only is he a good coach, he was unanimously voted the best coach in the league recently.


COACHES

Who is the best head coach in the NBA?

1. Gregg Popovich, San Antonio -- 80.0%
2. Doc Rivers, Boston -- 13.3%

Also receiving votes: Rick Adelman, Minnesota; Erik Spoelstra, Miami

Last year: Gregg Popovich -- 42.3%

Doc, the next best coach, said he didn't like the fine and understood Pop's perspective.

[solar.hands]

why do you guys care so much about the old boring spurs? go watch your own team and stop complaining bout pops decision.

[solar.hands]

the well rested champs arent prepared? and thats excusable?:hammerhead:

[IamRAMBO24]

the well rested champs arent prepared? and thats excusable?:hammerhead:

Yes absolutely. The dream team with Jordan, Bird, Magic also lost to a bunch of unknown college players in their first game because they did not know what to expect, what they were dealing with, and even the names of the players themselves.

This aint jungle ball; preparation is key. Let's see these scrubs pull off the same thing in game 2 and we'll talk.

[solar.hands]

Yes absolutely. The dream team with Jordan, Bird, Magic also lost to a bunch of unknown college players in their first game because they did not know what to expect, what they were dealing with, and even the names of the players themselves.

This aint jungle ball; preparation is key. Let's see these scrubs pull off the same thing in game 2 and we'll talk.
in a practice game. let's see them play an official game then we'll talk

[bdreason]

And how ironic that the NBA is accusing the winning-est team of the last decade of being anti-competitive.

[rmt]

Sitting all your best starters is the same thing as saying you are not going to compete.

The bench playing that close was just out of sheer utter luck; let's see if they can even come close to that performance in more than just one game.

It's a fluke. The Heat did not know what to expect and was not properly prepared for it, which is excusable.

If there is one thing the Spurs do is compete - they always play hard. That's why they've been such a good regular season team the past few years and fall in the playoffs (when everybody plays hard and then the Spurs' lack of talent/age shows).

It is ironic with all the tanking and such that goes on in the NBA that Stern should choose the "model" franchise whose players don't act up, where there's never any drama, nobody's complaining about minutes to fine. Teams rest their players all the time - be consistent, make a rule and enforce for all teams all the time.

[daily]

And how ironic that the NBA is accusing the winning-est team of the last decade of being anti-competitive.When did the NBA say that?

oh wait they didn't NVM

[Sarcastic]

I don't get why people are so :mad:. The NBA is just trying to make sure teams don't tank games, and using this as an example. They are in the process of negotiating a new TV deal, and they can't have teams sitting stars and expect to get the maximum amount of money from the networks. How is that hard to understand?

[Dro]

I don't get why people are so :mad:. The NBA is just trying to make sure teams don't tank games, and using this as an example. They are in the process of negotiating a new TV deal, and they can't have teams sitting stars and expect to get the maximum amount of money from the networks. How is that hard to understand?
I don't know, I guess the 94% of people who think this is absolutely ridiculous are just too incapable of understanding this completely biased and utter bullshit ruling...Trying to make sure teams don't tank games, rofl..Yes, because the Spurs, the most successful franchise in the NBA for the past decade just loves to tank games...

[BuffaloBill]

The most disturbing part of this is Pop's lack of competitiveness. Here we have the only chance they will have to play the world champs and instead of treating it like a Finals game, they caved in like a little b*tch.

I was actually looking for to this game; the Spurs were doing well; the Heat looked like ECF champions, and overall, it would of been a good test for Pop and the stars.

He didn't compete. This poorly reflects on the organization and him as a coach. It doesn't matter if he's pissed off at Stern (which is the true reason why he pulled his starters), he should of let his team go out there and PROVE THEY ARE BETTER.

He is a punk b*tch for not wanting to compete. Bottomline.


Pop's lack of competitiveness? Do you even know who Pop is? :facepalm

[Legends66NBA7]

Pop's lack of competitiveness? Do you even know who Pop is? :facepalm

He wants some nasty.