As one of the league’s hottest new trends, load management has gotten a lot of attention this year. As more and more stars resort to sitting regular season games for the sake of resting, the fans and media have gone to increasingly further lengths to condemn it.
Now, the NBA itself could be stepping in with a new rule aimed at rewarding players who consistently show up and play for their team.
“The NBA and National Basketball Players Association are in advanced discussions on a new collective bargaining agreement,” reported Shams Charania, “and the two sides are getting closer to agreeing on a stipulation that a player must play in a minimum number of regular season games to be eligible for major awards, sources tell The Athletic.”
NBA, NBPA moving closer to agreement to establish rule that a player must play in a minimum number of games to be eligible for major awards as part of potential new Collective Bargaining Agreement, sources say.
Full details in The Bounce at @TheAthletic: https://t.co/0BKUBNAkQr
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 13, 2023
We don’t yet know which awards will be affected by the rule, but it’s safe to assume it will count towards every major accolade, from MVP and All-NBA to All-Star eligibility.
“Top league and players union officials held a Competition Committee meeting on Friday to discuss an issue both sides are jointly motivated on: star players playing in more games and staying healthy enough so that the NBA can display its best talent on a night-to-night basis. Both sides are in agreement on tying major awards to games played over the course of the season, sources said, a possibility The Athletic’s Mike Vorkunov first reported on Feb. 14.”
The biggest factor holding this back is the actual number of games. While the NBA has set the minimum to 58 for the scoring title, there are many fans calling for the league to raise that mark.
Load Management Has Come Under Scrutiny From NBA Community
It’s no mystery why the league is trying to change this rule now. Thanks to stars like Kawhi Leonard, LeBron James, and others, the practice has become mainstream, and it’s taking away from the experience for fans.
“I don’t think fans get mad if you’re making $30, $40, $50 million and play basketball every night,” said Charles Barkley. “But you can’t make $30, $40, $50 million, and then sit out games. I think it’s disrespectful to the game, I think it’s disrespectful to the fans.”
Only time will tell how this “load management” saga plays out, but it’s clear that this is becoming a very important issue for the NBA today, and it’s why it has become more important than ever for Adam Silver and the league office to take a stand, one way or another.
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