ChosenOne Posted November 30, 2012 Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is paid to win championships, not regular-season games in November. NBA Commissioner David Stern won't stand for it. Popovich took that decree to a new level, allowing Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Danny Green to skip Thursday night's game at the defending NBA champion Miami Heat in favor of flying back to rest fo Saturday's home game against the Memphis Grizzlies. The Heat game is the 12th road game of the month and sixth in eight days for San Antonio. Stern released a statement before the nationally televised game."I apologize to all NBA fans," he said. "This was an unacceptable decision by the San Antonio Spurs and substantial sanctions will be forthcoming.'' With small forward Kawhi Leonard out because of a left knee injury, the Spurs will lack their top five scorers for the 8 p.m. ET game on TNT. Should the Spurs/Greg Popovich be hit with "substantial sanctions"? Thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRV Posted November 30, 2012 Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 I mean, he has the right to do it....but its like raising the white flag. He could have just easily rested his players before this game, knowing this game is kind of interesting...its on national television. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lkr Posted November 30, 2012 Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 Stern is showing once again why he is a joke Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Feelgood Posted November 30, 2012 Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 Well, the Spurs bench is keeping up with the Heat...haven't been paying too much attention to the game, so I'm not sure if Miami has played their bench more than usual... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teletopez Posted November 30, 2012 Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 Seems like every time my opinion changes about which commissioner is the worst, something happens among the other three to compete. I will be thrilled if the Spurs pull off this win. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChosenOne Posted November 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 Seems like every time my opinion changes about which commissioner is the worst, something happens among the other three to compete. I will be thrilled if the Spurs pull off this win. That would so be awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DunkinDerozan Posted November 30, 2012 Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 I can understand why he would be mad. But at the same time, Stern would be stupid to punish/penalize the Spurs for this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish7718 Posted November 30, 2012 Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 Only reason he is saying anything is because its a TNT game.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nitro Posted November 30, 2012 Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 Only reason he is saying anything is because its a TNT game.. Bingo. Ultimately, all 82 games in the regular season have equal value, so there really isn't any difference between this and top seeds sitting their best players at the end of the season. But, because this is on TNT and against Miami, it is an issue. I don't blame Pop, though, since their next game is against Memphis, who is a serious threat in that division. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redneck Posted November 30, 2012 Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 I normally think Stern is a jack wagon but this makes sense and I am kind of in favor of this. This just pisses off the two main sources of revenue for the league. The broadcasters who have paid billions to air the games biggest stars and the fans who pay a lot of money to see these teams play. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teletopez Posted November 30, 2012 Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 Basically, Stern feels Pop is supposed to satisfy the national viewing base at the risk of his own increasingly fragile talent. Pretty sure Stern should keep his mouth shut after seeing how effectively the idiotic 66-game condensed schedule last season injured half the league. You would think that would teach the moron a lesson about overworking guys, young or old. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teletopez Posted November 30, 2012 Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 I normally think Stern is a jack wagon but this makes sense and I am kind of in favor of this. This just pisses off the two main sources of revenue for the league. The broadcasters who have paid billions to air the games biggest stars and the fans who pay a lot of money to see these teams play.So Pop should give precedence to satisfying the league executives' wallets over doing what he can to ensure a healthy and successful run for his own team? I'm sure Spurs fans would rather their stars be in optimal condition in games after the winter. Popovich has used this system at varying degrees for several years now. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Make It Naaaashty Posted November 30, 2012 Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 Don't blame either really. Pop has the right to do it and Steen has the right to be upset. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JYD Posted November 30, 2012 Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 I understand why Stern would be upset, I think we all do. But should he have the right to fine/give penalties for a Coach deciding which players he's going to play? What if Duncan, Parker, Ginoboli, and Green were playing poorly and carelessly, and Popovich wanted to send a message? Would Stern fine him then? I think it's a ridiculous proposition to have the NBA commissioner telling you who you can/can't play and in which games. That's what a Head Coach is for. Sorry game 15 is not going to be as important as game 85 for San Antonio. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crabbylion Posted November 30, 2012 Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 C'mon!!! Is he the head coach, or what? So what if Popovich would've playedhis key guys and one of them comes down with a bad injury. What if the injurycosts them in the post season. Then they'd be wanting Coach Pops head! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gooner Posted November 30, 2012 Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 Spurs fined $250,000. What a joke. There's a 15 man roster for a reason, Pop has every right to play whoever the hell he wants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lkr Posted November 30, 2012 Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 [expletive] this. Stern is doing a disservice to the fans. He's not getting any money from me this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owner Real Deal Posted November 30, 2012 Owner Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 LOL he fined the Spurs $250,000 for THIS??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redneck Posted November 30, 2012 Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 The Spurs do have the right to do what they want with their roster, and had they sent Duncan home I don't think there would have been an our cry. The issue here is that they're basically giving away a game and that hurts the league in the long run. Now, there are tons worse tanking than this done at the end of the year by the bad teams. But this kind of thing hurts the NBA's public image and than in turn hurts the bottom line. Fact is everything is about money. David Stern's job as commissioner is to see that the league operates smoothly and that the business of basketball is taken care of. But now that the presidence has been set the NBA is going to have to step up and start fining the lottery tankers for this as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lkr Posted November 30, 2012 Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 The Spurs do have the right to do what they want with their roster, and had they sent Duncan home I don't think there would have been an our cry. The issue here is that they're basically giving away a game and that hurts the league in the long run. Now, there are tons worse tanking than this done at the end of the year by the bad teams. But this kind of thing hurts the NBA's public image and than in turn hurts the bottom line. Fact is everything is about money. David Stern's job as commissioner is to see that the league operates smoothly and that the business of basketball is taken care of. But now that the presidence has been set the NBA is going to have to step up and start fining the lottery tankers for this as well.Kinda like stern did with his own hornets team last year? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owner Real Deal Posted December 1, 2012 Owner Report Share Posted December 1, 2012 Kinda like stern did with his own hornets team last year?Ha...yep. Stern should write himself up for that one. If I was Popovich, I'd suit them up for the Utah/SA game on ESPN December 12th...and then play the big three just one minute into the first quarter, call a timeout, then sit them the rest of the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChosenOne Posted December 1, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2012 $250,000 is alot of money. Personally dont like this but he really did have to stick with his word of "serious sanctions" I understand both sides, but all pop is going to do next time is claim they are a bit banged up. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lkr Posted December 1, 2012 Report Share Posted December 1, 2012 Is stern going to pay the fans in the stadium last night or what? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Check my Stats Posted December 1, 2012 Report Share Posted December 1, 2012 Ha...yep. Stern should write himself up for that one. If I was Popovich, I'd suit them up for the Utah/SA game on ESPN December 12th...and then play the big three just one minute into the first quarter, call a timeout, then sit them the rest of the way. That would be amazing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teletopez Posted December 1, 2012 Report Share Posted December 1, 2012 Would Stern have done this garbage if the Spurs won yesterday? They were leading with less than a minute remaining. How do you fine a team for doing something totally within the rules without giving any warning? That's utter stupidity. It makes me livid seeing this nonsense happen, and I don't even care for the Spurs. Is Pop supposed to plan his rest days based on when his team is on national television? This isn't a Broadway show where entertaining viewers is the only objective. You have to win games. And if you put yourself in a position where you force guys to tire themselves out in the midst of a crucial road trip with huge games coming up, you are doing a disservice to the team if you believe they are too old to handle it. It's November. Teams have to be in good health for many more months. Since Stern cares so much about satisfying all the groups with whom the NBA has relations, shouldn't he be understanding of the fact that it would be awful if the Spurs had guys injured long-term, therefore (allegedly) ruining nationally televised San Antonio games anyway? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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