I'm not the kind of crackerjack legal mind you'd have to be to make it airtight, but you should need to have x amount of players accounted for on the premises, whether dressed or scratched. Having four players 100% unavailable by virtue of their being time zones away from the game affects the integrity of the game. Call up D-League bodies if you have to send people home, but you shouldn't be allowed to be that shorthanded. That's what I have a problem with more than the fact that it was Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, et al who weren't there.

I know it's different in hockey, because you have to use the whole buffalo in hockey in ways you never have to do in basketball, but there were a few games in recent NHL seasons wherein the Flames and Devils had to dress fewer than the required 20 players because of salary cap issues. 19 and 17 respectively, if I'm not mistaken. I'm not sure how it was ever addressed that breaking the cap rules superseded breaking the gameday roster rules, but it was a distinct disadvantage, and wasn't fair to the people buying tickets to the game, because essentially not having a fourth line as the Devils did those nights catches up with your legs and yields a poorer product. YES I KNOW THE GAME WAS CLOSE THIS TIME, but you shouldn't be allowed to sabotage yourself so blatantly. There has to be some greater good spoken for here.



You left out the key part of the "slippery slope" phrase, which is that it is a fallacy. Anyone who thinks that playing only 30 minutes could yield disciplinary action is either coloring outside the rhetorical lines or a pure idiot.

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OK, yes we can agree on that. So that much is OK... what about the one before that? Somewhere there the "line" starts of what is considered OK. That line needs to be documented and the proposed disciplinary actions as well. You can even make it a little vague if you want, but as far as I know, there is no rule written down to guide a coach as to what he can and can't do. There's no harm in writing a rule like this -- but, as we've seen, there's harm with the rule not being written yet still being enforced.

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"All crowds boycotting football games shouldn't care who sings or takes a knee because they aren't watching." - Nas

Does there really need to be a rule though? How about a little common sense. These guys all make their money from television broadcasts. Does he really need to be told that he shouldn't sit his starters for the entire game during a national broadcast against the Heat?

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Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

Does there really need to be a rule though? How about a little common sense. These guys all make their money from television broadcasts. Does he really need to be told that he shouldn't sit his starters for the entire game during a national broadcast against the Heat?[/quote]
Yes, I think there does. We obviously have seen on this very board a disagreement about what is common sense on what a coach is allowed to do or not do. Why not just clarify what the position of the league is. At this point, they basically have by setting a precedent, but they need to establish some sort of guideline as to what you can be penalized for. Even if the guideline is something like "if you are resting any regular starter who is non-injured, call the league office for approval" would be something for coaches to base decisions off of.

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"All crowds boycotting football games shouldn't care who sings or takes a knee because they aren't watching." - Nas

I just don't think this happens with enough regularity to worry about it. Popovich knew exactly what he was doing and he knew there would be heat for it. He had to. It seems to me like he was giving a "fuck you" to the league for scheduling him four games in five days. I'll show them.

I would compare it to Repole refusing to race in the Breeder's Cup because he didn't like the rules. The difference being that nobody has the power to reprimand Repole for his short-sighted and selfish actions in a sport that is rapidly dying. I'm sure David Stern doesn't want the NBA to end up like horse racing on his watch.

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Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

It already is with all those big black studs running around.

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Proud member of the white guy grievance committee

It aint the six minutes. Its what happens in those six minutes.

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Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

I think Stern went on a power trip and made up his own rules. I will be interested to see what type of appeal can be made on this one.

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To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

That's how I see it too. And I think Popovich picked the TV game on purpose to make his point. He was angry about two back to backs within five days culminating with the mighty Heat. He showed Stern and the fans who is in charge, didn't he?

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Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

There is a precedent for this.


In 1990 The Lakers were fined for sitting Magic and Worthy in the regular season finale.

How has that not been mentioned?

And not to do it again, but the Red Wings got in trouble for holding Datsyuk and Zetterberg out of an All-Star Game without injury. I think they were suspended a game.

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Everyone knows that all coaches are supposed to subtly treat the NBA regular season as meaningless. NBA fans aren't smart enough to figure it out otherwise as they were ecstatic for the meaningless Spurs-Heat matchup that day.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

And then Magic got HIV a year later. Maybe he could have used a little more rest, and he wouldn't gotten that bug.

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