Throughout the last few years, load management and prolonged absences from the game have been a huge problem for the NBA. There are plenty of guys out there who aren’t injured but still miss games for a myriad of reasons. Whether they are missing games as a way to stay fresh for the playoffs, or simply sitting out as a way to yield leverage for a trade, there is no doubt that fans have felt cheated out of seeing the best players on the court.
Recently, NBA commissioner Adam Silver spoke about this new reality and whether or not the NBA had any way of combatting this. Silver did say it was a concerning trend, however, he mainly wants teams to have better resources for treating injuries that could require a player to load manage out of fear of re-injury.
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“I’m not standing here saying I have a great solution,” Silver said. “Part of the issue is injuries. One of the things we have focused on at the league office and we’re spending—we had begun to spend a lot of time on pre-pandemic—are there things we can do in terms of sharing information, resources around the league to improve best practices, rehabilitation?”
For now, load management is here to stay, whether the fans like it or not. The players are in control, and for them, load management appears to be the best way to not burn yourself out before the playoffs.
[Via]