With the NBA regular season almost wrapping up the talk has turned to allowing players to sit out games. This started quite a few years ago when the San Antonio Spurs would let their stars take a game off. I believe pretty much every NBA team has know taken to doing this with their top players. It’s a difficult situation for commissioner Adam Silver to try and navigate, but I remember San Antonio being fined for doing this for a nationally televised game. I don’t truly believe these guys need games off, but there’s no rule against or probably even a way to make a rule against it. This is going to become an issue when it’s starts to hit the NBA in the pocket book. Now they just signed there new television contract about a year ago; so they won’t have to deal with that for a little while, but they will have to deal with the companies that buy their commercial time. On Saturday the nationally televised game was the Los Angeles Clippers hosting the Cleveland Cavaliers. This was the first of back to back games for the Cavaliers as they where facing the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday. Cavaliers coach Tyron Lue decided that LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love needed the night off against the Clippers; so they would be rested to face the worst team in the Western Conference the Lakers. What I’m always confused by when teams do this is why do they all have to sit out the same game? Couldn’t one or maybe two of them sat out Saturday’s game against the Clippers and then the ones that played Saturday could sit out Sunday’s game. Now the Cavaliers aren’t the only team to do this, but they’re the latest team and it seems as someone may have finally noticed. Now some how the NBA got ESPN along with TNT to greatly over pay for the rights to broadcast their games in this last contract. If you’re building your primetime line up around an NBA game your going to need those top players who are healthy to be in uniform and play. If the television provider isn’t happy and then the ratings drop and the advertisers aren’t happy; what do you think this is going to lead to? If the money from the television contract comes way down the next time the deal comes up and if the advertising revenues come down do to the ratings dropping; how do you think the players will feel about smaller salaries? The NBA salary cap took a huge jump this season because of that new television deal; so it could just as easily come down if the next television deal isn’t so lucrative. It will be interesting to see if the commissioner will be able to work with the owners and the players union to come up with a solution for this issue. Teams aren’t doing anything against the rules by keeping these players out, but if a fan from a non-playoff team has bought a ticket to see one of these top guys play and they sit out because they’re resting it’s a huge disappointment for that fan and there’s a chance you’ve just lost a ticket buyer. Now a team can easily cover this by saying the player has a minor injury and he’s taking that game off, but I think a fan would rather hear that then dealing with a millionaire not playing because he needs his rest. To me it’s a bit of a joke that these guys can’t play because they need rest. It’s an game season and players can’t seem to handle that. You would think there are plenty of blow outs during an NBA season where you can find the time to give these players the rest they need. Maybe I’m just to old to understand how guys who get to play a game for a living and are very, very well paid to do it can’t handle an 82 game schedule. What would these players do if they actually had to work five days a week like most of the fans who go to their games and watch them on television do. Maybe there’s someone out there who can this explain this to me. If you can please feel free to leave it in the comments; I need the help.
During the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres last night Sidney Crosby came up behind Ryan O’Reilly and put his stick between his legs and pulled it up. It was an incredibly dirty play and while the cameras caught it the referees didn’t and there was no penalty called. Now Crosby is one of the NHL’s top stars, but after this play you have to ask the question; should he be suspended? The video is already online; so you can take a look at it and judge for yourself, but I think I’d like to see the NHL give him a one game suspension. I don’t think that’s over reacting and on the other side of it if the NHL does nothing will people see this as favoritism because of the name involved. I’ve heard different experts and writers weigh in on this and the majority of then believe there should be no penalty at all for Crosby’s actions. I wonder how they would be feeling this morning if it was O’Reilly who did that to Crosby. The Penguins have 10 games left in the regular season. Pittsburgh also has 101 points and have clinched a playoff spot. If the NHL did decide to suspend Crosby for just one game they might actually be doing Pittsburgh a favor by giving Crosby a day off before the Penguins try to defend their Stanley Cup championship. Go out and hunt the video down online and take a look at it. Then please feel free to leave your opinion in the comments. Do you think Crosby should be suspended or should the NHL just fine him or is just letting this go the right thing to do.
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