New load management rule will help small markets like Pacers
By Joe Lyon
The NBA and the players association have reportedly come to a new agreement on a minimum number of games played before players could be eligible for certain individual awards.
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.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 13, 2023
Full details in The Bounce at @TheAthletic: https://t.co/0BKUBNAkQr
And while many times people think that what has been termed as “load management” is the fault of the players, it often is the teams that are making the decisions on behalf of the players for a variety of different reasons.
The players want to play 🗣
— NBPA (@TheNBPA) March 13, 2023
NBPA President @CJMcCollum and former NBPA President @CP3 spoke on the issue of load management and how decisions to play or not to play are often made by team personnel.
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While the details of the new agreement are not announced publicly yet, many assume that it will have an impact of MVP and end of year awards curbing teams and players from unnecessarily sitting when they are healthy enough to play. So how could this help small markets like the Pacers?
Certain big name players come to town only so often, so if they sit Pacers fans can go years without seeing a player live in person.
Certain players such as LeBron James and Stephen Curry are going to draw a crowd wherever they go. And while I am not advocating for non-Pacers fans to come to Pacers games, there is a bigger draw to events when the biggest names are playing. There is also more opportunity to be put on the national television cycle knowing that players that are of interest nationally are playing the Pacers.
Additionally, fans pay A LOT of money to go to NBA games. In small markets that may not have as much money as bigger ones, going to an NBA game could be something that people have waited weeks/months for. Imagine someone’s dissapointment when star players are sitting out of the game as healthy scratches for something they had saved up months to go see?
Trending. Biggest draft busts in Pacers history. light
Certain awards lean towards popularity contests or historical performance, this rule could curb some of this.
The Pacers will always be at a slight disadvantage when it comes to major season awards. We aren’t talked about in the media as much as other teams, we get fewer nationally televised games than teams much worse than us (cough cough Lakers), and we will subsequently not be in the front of mind for many season award voters (such as All-Star voting). Not allowing players who aren’t playing enough may open up opportunities for voters to really think through who is performing the best and who they just see on national TV the most.
What do you think? Is this a good or bad thing for the NBA/NBPA?
