Report: NBA Expected To Approve Rules Limiting Teams From Resting Healthy Players
by Cutter Hicks, Sports 1140 KHTK
USA Today's Jeff Zigglitt reported Thursday that the NBA is expecting to approve rules meant to limit teams' ability to rest healthy players during regular-season games.
This concept goes back to 2012, when the NBA fined the San Antonio Spurs $250,000 for benching four starters during a nationally televised game against the Heat. It was the team's fourth game in five days but the NBA felt it was unnecessary due to the game being an early-season match up.
Last year, the Golden State Warriors and the Spurs both sat their star players during a nationally televised game in March. This followed up one week later with the Cavaliers resting their stars in prime time game against the Clippers.
"There is an expectation among partners that teams are going to act in appropriate ways, (and) find, as I said, that right balance between resting on one hand and obligations to fans and partners on the other," NBA commissioner Adam Silver told reporters at his April news conference.
The rules are expected to be enforced during the 2017-18 season.