Gator Country

demosthenes · 11-30-2012, 01:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ahab

Pop could have sat his players in any other game during this 5 game stretch and it wouldn't have been a problem. But you don't do it when your game is in primetime. It's bad for the league. I know I would have watched that game if all of the starters had been playing but instead I skipped it.

Disagree. Pop weighed the likelihood of winning at the end of an extended stretch against a formidable opponent coming off significant rest. Looking at pure win/loss probabilities I think he made the correct decision regardless how the game played out.

jmac83 · 11-30-2012, 01:39 PM

Just a personal peeve, but I've always had a problem with sports associations, conferences, fans, commentators who refer to sports and teams as a "product." It's a product in the consumerism sense only in that you pay for entry. Otherwise, it's "sport," which inherently involves risk, variable athlete performances, coaches playing to win over the course of the season and not just that night, and physical and mental errors by participants. You want dependability and predictability in your purchases, go buy a Harley.

NitroSmoke · 11-30-2012, 10:06 PM

Dayum....250 Large.

Singaporegator · 12-01-2012, 02:12 AM

Really really bad idea on Stern's part. He is penalizing one of the few teams that does everything right. Admitting the reality that the NBA has fully transformed into the Nation Entertainment Network. Just another reason not to care about the NEA. No interest at all.

ufhomerj31 · 12-01-2012, 02:18 AM

Has stern stop beating his wife?
He needs to retire now.

**GatorNorth** · 12-01-2012, 08:34 AM

From once great commissioner to tyrannical dick.

Stern wants a good product for his Thursday prime time slot, but his schedulers give SA 5 games in 8 nights and Miami 4 days off? Comical.

Good for Pop, who is easily winning the media battle on this. Resting them was a coaching decision. Giving them plane tickets home was the finger to the league. The Spurs have been the NBAs model franchise for almost 20 years, building and largely rebuilding through the draft process with no drama, Decision or unnecessary "look at me" fanfare. The next time Duncan creates a cloud of hand powder so everyone looks at him will be the first. And they almost won the damn game, which is the ironic part.

MdlGator · 12-01-2012, 09:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gatordd

Stern is just trying to protect their product. It's his job.

And Popovich is protecting his.

G8R92 · 12-01-2012, 02:07 PM

Is Stern still beating his wife?

corpgator · 12-02-2012, 11:14 PM

Popovich did give us the greatest boxscore ever last year.

tupacbiff · 12-02-2012, 11:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by corpgator

Popovich did give us the greatest boxscore ever last year.

Should have started the players. Instructed them to foul immediately and benched them for the game.

your_perfect_enemy · 12-03-2012, 11:34 AM

I love part of sterns reasoning... "They didnt get the league, media or the heat enough notice"... Really? So if they told these people a week before this would have been completely acceptable?

I wish the Spurs had won, then Pop could have said well we felt the guys we played gave us the best opportunity against the heat and our big 4 were going to be a distraction so we sent them home.

Dreamliner · 12-03-2012, 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Emmitto

What about Spurs fans? They pay their money too, and buy all the Spurs merchandise. They likely care about winning. And if Pop is resting players due to the absurd scheduling in order to increase their long term potential, so be it. So be it anyway. It's the coach who decides these things.

The ticket guarantees you entry into the venue (conditionally, at that.) Nothing beyond. I can't count how many games I've been to games where star players didn't play for one reason or another. Tough.

Stern is just puffing up to cover for the bad schedule. And that was indeed bad business.

It is for the fans to obey and pay!

gatorev12 · 12-03-2012, 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GatorNorth

From once great commissioner to tyrannical dick.

Stern wants a good product for his Thursday prime time slot, but his schedulers give SA 5 games in 8 nights and Miami 4 days off? Comical.

Good for Pop, who is easily winning the media battle on this. Resting them was a coaching decision. Giving them plane tickets home was the finger to the league. The Spurs have been the NBAs model franchise for almost 20 years, building and largely rebuilding through the draft process with no drama, Decision or unnecessary "look at me" fanfare. The next time Duncan creates a cloud of hand powder so everyone looks at him will be the first. And they almost won the damn game, which is the ironic part.

Agree 100%.

I really hope Pop contests the fine and demands arbitration for it.

Go2gtr · 12-03-2012, 03:40 PM

Insufficient reason to hold them out. Injury or family emergency are the only acceptable reasons. They shouldn't be allowed to do that and just flip off the paying fans.

I have to go to work tired sometimes and I'm not paid $175,000 per day like these guys.

demosthenes · 12-03-2012, 05:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Go2gtr

Insufficient reason to hold them out. Injury or family emergency are the only acceptable reasons. They shouldn't be allowed to do that and just flip off the paying fans.

I have to go to work tired sometimes and I'm not paid $175,000 per day like these guys.

It has nothing to do with what the players want but how the team sees fit to get the most productivity out of the players (wins) and therefore best product. Bosses send workers home all the time without forcing them to take leave because they see the benefit of giving their employee that time off. This isn't a new or outrageous concept.

The argument about the fans is weak too. If you buy tickets you are assuming any risk that a player might sprain an ankle before the game, get sick, have a family emergency, need a rest day, etc.

If you are going to expect individual teams to subordinate a major interest to the league then you might as well abandon any pretense of the league being a sports competition and call it for what it is, scripted entertainment WWE style.

These teams are out to win a championship and what San Antonio fans expect of the Spurs.

Go2gtr · 12-03-2012, 05:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by demosthenes

It has nothing to do with what the players want but how the team sees fit to get the most productivity out of the players (wins) and therefore best product. Bosses send workers home all the time without forcing them to take leave because they see the benefit of giving their employee that time off. This isn't a new or outrageous concept.

The argument about the fans is weak too. If you buy tickets you are assuming any risk that a player might sprain an ankle before the game, get sick, have a family emergency, need a rest day, etc.

If you are going to expect individual teams to subordinate a major interest to the league then you might as well abandon any pretense of the league being a sports competition and call it for what it is, scripted entertainment WWE style.

These teams are out to win a championship and what San Antonio fans expect of the Spurs.

I guess fans just have to expect it. Like when players dog it during the regular season and then play hard in the playoffs. Suddenly defense is played. People at home thinking, 'where was that all year'?

This comment doesn't follow logically to me:

"If you are going to expect individual teams to subordinate a major interest to the league then you might as well abandon any pretense of the league being a sports competition and call it for what it is, scripted entertainment WWE style."

"Subordinate a major interest to the league" meaning playing their star players. So if you play your star players it's no longer a sports competition and it becomes like wrestling?

I think just the opposite. If you play the bench players it becomes more like scripted entertainment.

The whole thing is weird to me. These teams dumb down the game through listless play and everyone is okay with that? There's an occasional good NBA game in the regular season but it is the exception. It's a grueling season, but the money is so monstrous for these guys I tend to not cut them slack. The worst thing for them is the players who do play hard every night. Why some and not all?

demosthenes · 12-03-2012, 05:52 PM

No, I mean subordinate a team's interest in winning the most games (in this case via resting players) versus the league's goals. If we follow that model it will be a WWE model of entertainment.

I think most would agree that the NBA needs to reduce the number of games (not that it will ever happen). It makes each game less important, and necessitates players to conserve energy over the year by playing less than 100% or sitting games.

tupacbiff · 12-03-2012, 05:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Go2gtr

Insufficient reason to hold them out. Injury or family emergency are the only acceptable reasons. They shouldn't be allowed to do that and just flip off the paying fans.

I have to go to work tired sometimes and I'm not paid $175,000 per day like these guys.

Who says that they should be compared to you? It sucks that you have to work when you are tired.

If I don't want to work I call my asst and tell her to clear my schedule. It sucks for those who have booked my services In advance but that is the benefit to reaching a certain level of success and working for yourself.