Clippers rested Kawhi Leonard again, but at what cost?

By Tom Ziller Nov 7, 2019, 7:07am EST

Kawhi Leonard sat in the Clippers’ Wednesday ESPN game against the Bucks, a potential NBA Finals preview. Per usual for highly anticipated games in which stars sit for rest purposes, there was much gnashing of teeth. This technically wasn’t a case of load management: Kawhi is apparently nursing a knee injury, and the Clippers communicated enough medical data with the NBA to get them to pre-clear LA to rest Kawhi on account of the knee without sanction.

It’s totally rational for the Clippers to selectively rest their best player, who has a history of serious leg problems, amid back-to-backs. The Raptors did this last season with this very player and won the championship! Isn’t that the goal?

It’s totally rational for fans to be upset when they pay high prices for tickets and the best players are in street clothes more by choice than by necessity. The new movement toward regularized rest for top players may be a factor in flat league attendance. League attendance and falling league TV ratings do eventually catch up with everyone as local and eventually national broadcast deals are negotiated and the total revenue from basketball operations goes into figuring future salary caps, which dictate future maximum contracts. It’s a slow domino chain, but it does exist. Fans really do have a say in this, eventually.

It’s totally rational for the league to be concerned about teams resting stars for those reasons. The league previously instituted rest rules around national TV games — that’s why the Clippers reached out beforehand with Wednesday’s affair. It is in the league’s interest to have its marquee players available for its marquee games. That means regulating load management to some degree, and it also means giving teams the freedom to do what’s necessary to improve the odds of those stars being healthy for the playoffs, which are the most marquee of games.

So what’s the solution? Short of shortening the regular season to eliminate back-to-backs, teams should probably focus on sitting stars for road games only. Most back-to-backs include at least road game. Pick that one. This situation happened to be a home back-to-back for the Clippers: Kawhi will play at home Thursday against the Blazers, also on national TV. The NBA did this to themselves, in a way, by giving the Clippers no good options with a home back-to-back on national TV both nights.

With road-only rest, the loss of a chance to see a visiting star is balanced by the increased odds of the home team winning — as a diehard fan, would you feel better after paying $200 for your family to watch Kawhi destroy your team, or for your team to beat the mighty Clippers? Probably the latter. Can the NBA push teams toward using load management only on the road? It’s unclear, but the league should try it. That might leave everyone more satisfied.

Until then, we should probably acknowledge everyone’s feelings and commit to dealing with the consequences of the anger, whenever it may be realized.

Scores

Knicks 102, Pistons 122
Wizards 106, Pacers 121
Bulls 113, Hawks 93
Kings 120, Raptors 124
Warriors 112, Rockets 129
Timberwolves 121, Grizzlies 137
Magic 106, Mavericks 107
Sixers 104, Jazz 106
Bucks 129, Clippers 124