
After most of the season, OKC Thunder superstar Russell Westbrook is showing no signs of needing a rest.
After having a couple of week off, Matt’s Monday Musings is back for the OKC Thunder! Topically resting has come up as an issue thanks to the Adam Silver press conference.
The Playoffs are around the corner and most players bodies are banged up. Player management is a top priority for teams aiming at the championship and naturally every team left thinks they have a chance for the whole box and dice.
Lets be honest though, only a few teams are favorites to take it out. In the West the teams would have to be the Golden State Warriors and the San Antonio Spurs.
Must Read: The Ultimate Guide To Steven Adams
In the East, last years Champions the Cleveland Cavaliers look strong. They do, however, face stiff competition from the Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors. Even the Washington Wizards look like possibilities.
Resting
However, as I have watched the season unfold I have seen something that continues to annoy me: the resting of stars. I am aware that everybody deserves time off during their work schedules. Casuals can decide to say no to a shift, full time employees can put in for annual or sick leave.
So why does this phenomenon annoy me so much then in the NBA? To put it simply, there is an expectation that as a fan I can go and see the players that I am paying money for. The ticket price does not change if LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love are all out resting. I still have to pay my hard earned cash.
NBA players are paid a small fortune every year to perform over 82 games plus Playoffs. If I pay my hard earned money I expect that the stars will be playing unless they are hurt or have personal issues.
I use the Cleveland stars because they have sat out games for rest together. When you listen to the press conference, you will note that Adam Silver does not want stars to rest on the road or for national televised games.
Um, sorry, what? You don’t want the stars to rest on the games where the NBA stands to gain the most. Really? I used to think that it was about player welfare. This appears to not be the case.
It appears that the NBA does not want the stars to rest because they want more ratings. Silver did go on and say that he has looked into the sports science and it is not as clear cut as people think.
Seriously, how on earth did Robert Parish play 1,611 regular season games? Certainly not by being rested.
The OKC Thunder Factor
As a writer for Thunderous Intentions I am blessed to be able to follow the OKC Thunder. Why is that? Because the Thunder play hard every night and no one rests.
Russell Westbrook
Russell Westbrook has had one game off for rest in the past two seasons. This was a home game at the end of last season when the third seed was sewn up. I do not believe that Westbrook would have wanted to take the game off.
This season, even when Westbrook is sitting on the bench, he is up and cheering for his teammates. Westbrook is making others in the NBA take notice of what a superstar is meant to be and do. In the process he is creating history:
I keep hearing the NBA media as a whole asking how he keeps the intensity up. How is he playing hard every minute of every game? My question to the NBA media and players as a whole is why are other players not playing as hard as this every night? The opportunity you have been presented with to play in the NBA is a blessing. Do not take it for granted.
Steven Adams
Every time I watch the OKC Thunder I am watching Steven Adams give his all for his team. This man breaks his hand and keeps playing. The only games that he has missed this year have been due to a protocol in place by the NBA to prevent further issues for concussion.
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It took DeMarcus Cousins, a hardwood floor and an NBA protocol to keep the man out. That is passion to play and represent your team. It appears that Adams does not believe in rest.
I am not going to say that the NBA governing body needs to over regulate player resting. However, what I am going to say is that the NBA needs to remember their roots and players need to play, not be rested for what might come.
Hopefully, now that I am back, I will be cleared of my minutes restrictions and start writing more. Watch this space for more musings next Monday or download the FanSided app and select Thunderous Intentions. Visit the app store or link here.