Just rest the starters Kerr

[Sportsguy9695]

The team is obviously exhausted. Who cares about 73 if you can't make it through the playoffs. The Bulls could do it because they had Jordan and he could will a team 90+ games. There's no Jordan on the bulls.

I agree and now at this point they would need to win out and that will put the ultimate toll on the players. Going 100 percent from now till the end of the year. You could play it safe and rest the players for the rest of the season and not go for the record or go for the record and take the risk of your players being fatigued at the start of the playoffs

 

[trojanfan12]

Really? I didn't know that. Anything pre-90's I only know from history. Always hear "back in the day players never rested games. If they could walk, they played"

They did play more when hurt. Back then, that was the general rule, if you could walk, you played. It was still that way for most of the regular season.

But, at the end of the season, when they had the playoff seeding pretty well set, Riley would rest his starters as much as an injury precaution as anything else, especially as they got older. Plus, he also used to put them through some pretty intense practices between the end of the season and the beginning of the playoffs. It was almost like a second training camp.

So, he didn't do it to the extent that some coaches do today, where players are rested at different times throughout the season. But he did rest them before the playoffs.

 

[purguy12]

Now that they are just 1 game off from the record and still have to play the spurs twice I would rest the starters.

 

[Lakers+USC=#1]

LeBron dos not start this trend. You need to thank Popovich for that.

Pop started doing this, by resting his "old players".

I should've been more clear. I don't like superstars resting during the season, and that's what I don't like about Lebron. Resting your players at the end of the season, is ok and normal.

 

[Lakers+USC=#1]

Goes back farther than Pop. Riley did this with the Showtime Lakers.

I wasn't around. Was Pat resting his players a lot, through out the season, or just towards the end?

 

[trojanfan12]

I wasn't around. Was Pat resting his players a lot, through out the season, or just towards the end?

Just towards the end. But prior to that, it wasn't really done. Once playoff position was secured, he'd start resting guys. Then, between the end of the regular season and start of the playoffs, he'd put them through private, sequestered practices that were practically a 2nd training camp, to make sure they were sharp when the playoffs started.

 

[Lakers+USC=#1]

Just towards the end. But prior to that, it wasn't really done. Once playoff position was secured, he'd start resting guys. Then, between the end of the regular season and start of the playoffs, he'd put them through private, sequestered practices that were practically a 2nd training camp, to make sure they were sharp when the playoffs started.

That's what I thought. I hate that superstars do it throughout the season, ala Lebron.

 

[trojanfan12]

That's what I thought. I hate that superstars do it throughout the season, ala Lebron.

Yeah, I don't mind so much when it's older guys like Timmy, for example. But I don't care for it when it's younger guys.

 

[Montalban]

The team is obviously exhausted. Who cares about 73 if you can't make it through the playoffs. The Bulls could do it because they had Jordan and he could will a team 90+ games. There's no Jordan on the bulls.

They aren't tired. They are arrogant, cocky and over confident. They got caught show boating the past two losses and got exactly what their sorry asses deserved.

 

[gohusk]

They aren't tired. They are arrogant, cocky and over confident. They got caught show boating the past two losses and got exactly what their sorry asses deserved.

I wouldn't say that. They're out of sorts for some reason. This is a huge amount of pressure on them right now. I just think that Kerr needs to make the point that the title is more important than the record in one way or another.

 

[Montalban]

I wouldn't say that. They're out of sorts for some reason. This is a huge amount of pressure on them right now. I just think that Kerr needs to make the point that the title is more important than the record in one way or another.

They were lazy and over-confident once again last night. The most telling thing about how lackadaisical their effort was is that they did not attempt a single free throw in the entire second half; not one! They were content to just sit outside and flip up three-point attempts.

 

[Rockinkuwait]

That's what I thought. I hate that superstars do it throughout the season, ala Lebron.

Hasn't Lebron played more minutes of basketball than ANYONE over the past 6 or so years? Seriously, over the past 6 years he's played 2500 more minutes and started 32 more games than ANYONE else in the entire league. And that's his problem, not playing enough? He can't do at age 31 what Pop was doing with Ginobili in his late 20's???

This year he missed what? The Heat game where he was coming off the first game of a back to back trip where he played 45 minutes? That's the only rest game in his first 57 this year.

The year before he missed a slew early on with injuries.

Year before that. missed a couple late season games with strains (groin and back) and didn't have a rest game until the last two of the year.

Year before that 72 straight before resting.

Year before that 1 game out for injury before resting 3 of the final 4 of the year.

Year before that he missed two games with a sprained ankle early in the year, last game of the season was his only rest game.

Year before that, missed two games with a sprained ankle late in the season and rested the last 4 games of the season.


Sorry but when you look at the actual facts, I think the thing you don't like about Lebron is that he is Lebron, not that once he rested in that game early in the year.

 

[trojanfan12]

Hasn't Lebron played more minutes of basketball than ANYONE over the past 6 or so years? Seriously, over the past 6 years he's played 2500 more minutes and started 32 more games than ANYONE else in the entire league. And that's his problem, not playing enough? He can't do at age 31 what Pop was doing with Ginobili in his late 20's???

This year he missed what? The Heat game where he was coming off the first game of a back to back trip where he played 45 minutes? That's the only rest game in his first 57 this year.

The year before he missed a slew early on with injuries.

Year before that. missed a couple late season games with strains (groin and back) and didn't have a rest game until the last two of the year.

Year before that 72 straight before resting.

Year before that 1 game out for injury before resting 3 of the final 4 of the year.

Year before that he missed two games with a sprained ankle early in the year, last game of the season was his only rest game.

Year before that, missed two games with a sprained ankle late in the season and rested the last 4 games of the season.


Sorry but when you look at the actual facts, I think the thing you don't like about Lebron is that he is Lebron, not that once he rested in that game early in the year.

6 years ago, Kobe was 31, coming off of 3 straight finals trips and had also logged more minutes and played more games than anyone else. He wasn't sitting out games throughout the season.

Nothing wrong with missing games due to injury, even ones they could technically play with, if it were an important game. We've all heard the "if this were the playoffs, he'd be out there" line. I actually wish Kobe had sat out more of those kinds of games. It may have helped keep his body from breaking down on him like it has the past few years. But players under about age 34, shouldn't be sitting out for rest until closer to the end of the season when playoff seeding is more or less set.

In fact, considering what the Cavs record is without Lebron, you could make the argument that the Cavs could have locked up the #1 seed earlier if he waited until now to sit out games.