“Sacramento played the Bulls on a January night in 1992… it’s 2 degrees outside, Jordan played the game” - Chris Russo says he has a problem with load management in the NBA
One of the NBA's biggest problems is load management. That's when players for the likes of the LA Clippers and others take nights off, picking and choosing when to play. It's been happening over the last couple of years, angering many fans.
On ESPN's "First Take," sports radio personality Chris Russo said he hates the concept of load management. He said players engaging in the practice are making the regular season lose its credibility. Russo said:
"When Sacramento played the Bulls on a January night in 1992 and he had he championship and it's 2 degrees outside, Jordan played the game. (Larry) Bird played 81 games a year, bad back, concussions the whole nine yards. Magic (Johnson) played, Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar) played 82 games every year.
"Wilt (Chamberlain) played every minute of every game every year. And these guys playing 50-60 games, and they're gonna take a blow. How about the fans who spend a fortune to go to the games?"
Russo continued:
"I have a major problem with it, and I personally think it really hurts the credibility of the regular season. What are you telling us? I hate it. I think that's a major problem. I think the commissioner should ... do something about it."
Load Management in the NBA
Load management in the NBA is a topic that divides opinion and is a sure-fire conversation starter among fans. It is a whole lot more prevalent in the modern game. In years gone by, the league never engaged in sitting players throughout a season.
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One of the biggest arguments for load management and possibly the only one is to avoid players picking up injuries. Teams want to ensure a player of utmost importance to its chances can stay healthy and can perform at a peak level. The Golden State Warriors have rested their three superstars on the second night of back-to-back games this season.
Kawhi Leonard was the poster boy for load management, and it has been justified to an extent given his history with injuries. Anthony Davis, on the other hand, has never really engaged in load management, and that has possibly resulted in him picking up injuries often.
The league has shifted its schedule to lessen the amount of back-to-back games. It's also changed schedules so teams remain in one city to play games twice in three days at the same venue.
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The argument for the fans is that they pay a tremendous amount of their hard-earned money to watch their favorite players live only for them to sit that night. This leaves fans furious and could come back to haunt the NBA as lesser priorities will be placed in the 82 games of the regular season.