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Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson not apologizing after team fined $100,000 for resting stars
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- Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson not apologizing after team fined $100,000 for resting stars
CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers became the first team to be fined for resting too many star players , but it doesn't mean the league is going to get an apology out of coach Kenny Atkinson .
The Cavs recently chose to sit All-Stars Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley for their Nov. 12 game in Miami . They didn't hide the reasoning, listing both as out due to "rest."
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The concept of load management and teams resting their best players has become a hot-button topic around the NBA. Teams argue they are more focused on keeping their players healthy. The league wants fans to be able to see its stars as much as possible. Too many times, fans buy tickets to games to see specific players, only to have them sit due to rest.
As such, the league implemented a new rule stating a team cannot sit more than one "star player" — meaning an All-Star or All-NBA player in any of the previous three seasons — in an individual game if there is no other listable injury. Mitchell and Mobley both qualify, and the Cavs became the first team around the league to be fined $100,000.
Atkinson said he doesn't exactly agree with the league's reasoning here.
"Can I be frank? No," Atkinson said when asked if he accepted the NBA's ruling. "I gotta look at the Cavs' best interest."
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Cavs sit Donovan Mitchell , Evan Mobley amid heavy stretch, leading to NBA fine
When Mitchell and Mobley were given the night off to rest, the Cavs were in the middle of playing 15 games in a 27-game stretch. The Nov. 12 game in Miami was also the first night of a back-to-back, with the second game coming in front of the home fans in Cleveland. They've already dealt with a series of injuries, most notably to All-Star guard Darius Garland .
"I think my No. 1 job is to protect the health of our players," Atkinson said. "Obviously, we'll have a discussion with the organization [about] what that looks like going forward, but that's a big part of my job and how we manage that. … Personally, I'll rock with their decisions."
Here's the other thing: the Cavs won that game 130-116. Atkinson said he understands the league's point, but there are other factors to consider.
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"You throw that [we won the game] on top of it and it's like, wait a second, are you discrediting the guys that played that night?" Atkinson said. "Is that a weird way to look at it? … We helped develop guys and we won the game and then we get penalized for it? I don't know if that makes sense to you guys, it doesn't make sense to me."
The entire discussion brings into consideration the physical nature of today's NBA, and the speed at which it's played. NBA teams are playing at the fastest collective pace since the 1988-89 season, and players have combined to travel 34.3 miles per game, according to an ESPN report. It's the longest average distance since player tracking began in 2013.
Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr recently expressed his concern that the league's ever-increasing pace and intensity of play is leading the uptick in significant injuries around the league. The East had three star players wiped out by Achilles injuries during last year's playoffs, and a few more recently went down with their own injuries, particularly soft-tissue ailments.
Atkinson said he doesn't think "pace" is quite the correct term, but the increase — in just about everything related to anything physical — has teams erring on the cautious side when looking at not only an 82-game season but, then, if all goes well, a lengthy playoff run that could tip the number of games to more than 100.
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"Everyone talks about pace, but it's the intensity of a lot of things," Atkinson said. "It's not just running up and down the court. Teams are pressing farther up the court, which means what? Cover more ground. The offensive rebounding rate is higher than ever, so now, physically, you gotta go crash [the boards], and then you gotta get back. It used to be you just had to get back."
Atkinson understands what the league is trying to do. But in terms of how the rule is implemented? He views his position clearly.
"I'm sure the NBA doesn't agree with everything I do," Atkinson said. "It's a great league, it's a great product, but I have to stick up for our guys."
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson disagrees with logic for NBA fine
