Phil Jackson discusses LeBron's 'rest'
by John Bena (aka CavsBlogger) on Apr 14, 2010 10:34 AM CDT
in Cleveland Cavaliers in the News
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PrintLeave it to Phil Jackson to have an opinion on League matters. Jackson talked about several topics as his team prepares to face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 1st Round of the Playoffs, including the Cavaliers resting of starLeBron James the past week.
AOL Fanhouse's Tim Povtak drew a comparison between James' willingness to sit and Michael Jordan's refusal to do so even when his teams were in a similar spot. But Jackson opted only to compliment his former player while also seeing the logic in James' move.
"(There) was a decrease in minutes (for Jordan and other stars late in the season back then)," Jackson said. "But unless (the reason for the player sitting) was something significant, people were asked (by the league) not to sit people out. I think there's a point (there), and a real emphasis that players get around the league so fans have a chance to see them."
"Michael was always a person who (thought) people paid a high ticket price to watch me play and I want to perform," Jackson said. "He was great about that. I think that's one of the things that has been great about our stars is that they come out and play.
"There's a fan following. They're watching every game. (There were) a couple times in Michael's career where he was tossed from a ballgame and suspended for the next one, (and) it was a town we only went to one time (during the season). People travel from hundreds of miles to get to this game, and there was quite an (out)cry from the fan core about how the league designates how they do this."
Jackson didn't stop there. He also feels that resting James gives the Cavaliers an advantage heading into the Playoffs -
"I kind of thought that it played kind out into Cleveland's favor to not showcase everything they have against Orlando (in a loss on Sunday), especially when they know that's their threat (in the Eastern Conference) coming down the stretch," he said. "(You) give him a little bit of rest, and let the team work it out without him ... I think it kind of gives your bench a lot of confidence. You see that (Mo) Williams can play without James on the floor. (He can) kind of carry the ball a little bit and do the things that have to be done for his team."
Perhaps it is because the Cavaliers have earned the right to rest their stars that other coaches are annoyed. I could care little about whether Michael Jordan wanted to play. The goal this season is to win a Championship. If LeBron sitting on the sidelines in meaningless games increases the odds of that happening - go for it!
As for the NBA, they are keeping tabs on the situation as well, according to Tim Frank, NBA spokesman -
This is a subject we are monitoring, and we plan to discuss the subject at this week's board of governor's meeting (in New York)
As FanHouse mentioned, there is a precedent for the NBA to take action in situations like this.
As Jackson pointed out, an incident at the end of the 1989-90 season made it harder in that era for teams to rest players leading into the playoffs. Then-Lakers coach Pat Riley was fined $25,000 on April 25, 1990 for not playing Magic Johnson and James Worthy in the final regular season game. The Lakers were preparing for their first-round series against Houston, and they fell to the Blazers 130-88 in a finale that was the most one-sided Lakers loss in franchise history.
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Critics will always have something to say.
All this talk will die down once the playoffs begin anyway. Injuries can happen at anytime, look at Bosh or that nasty cut KG got last night, so why take unneccessary risks? Kobe Bryant sat out last night and probably tonite, for the same reason.
um...
actually kobe’s been playing with a fractured finger since Dec and an ankle spring that costed him a few games already o he’s NOT healthy and should be allowed to rest. he’s situation is totally different from Lebron who is healthy.
by Regulator302 on Apr 14, 2010 5:22 PM CDT up reply actions
so healthy players HAVE to play? who says lebron is healthy anyways? Is he 100% healed from the injury a month ago that cost him a few games? the guy is a tough player but its not unlikely he is as injured as kobe.
Is it lebron’s decision to sit? no. it is the coaches decision. the coach is doing what is in the best interest of his team and his best player. I am GLAD we have mike brown as a coach. before that, lebron was playing almost 43 minutes a game. mike browns handling with him, coupled with a better team, has seen a decrease in minutes…this matters.
I teach good life choices. That’s why I almost didn’t graduate High School.
To your point about Kobe
Now that most of the season is wrapped up he is resting as he should’ve in Dec. Also he has swelling in his knee most likely a side effect of playing on uneven footing from the ankle. And his situation is different. He came back a game and you could see the stiffness in his knee, or at least you could if you’ve watched him as long as I have. He wasn’t making moves as quickly, he wasn’t as sharp inside, and he could barely get off the ground. Hardly something I could say about Lebron from the last time I saw him play. Nagging injuries are one thing where you just sit a little to rest up. Swelling in the knees for an older player is not a good sign that he should still play but I’m sure you’ll think that just because he’s logged min he should sit. Difference of opinion. Agree to disagree.
yes. I am not even arguing that kobe doesn’t deserve rest. he absolutely does. I am arguing that lebron also could use it too. Lebron gets hurt, he is just tough enough to usually shrug it off. The time he missed about 2 games with an injury? That contact on a normal player would make them miss about 2 weeks. it was a brutal collision but he only missed a couple games…the guy is playing with injuries we just don’t know about b/c he can still play at a high level through them at times. just b/c an injury is visible doesn’t mean it isn’t there.
I teach good life choices. That’s why I almost didn’t graduate High School.
Methinks Phil doth protest too much...
And perhaps is a little envious that Lebron and others had the luxury of sitting out while his club was embroiled in trying to clinch the West until last weekend. What players did 20 years ago is all well, fine and good, but if it is within the rules for coaches to opt to let people sit during the last game or games, then them’s the rules.
by AncientMariner on Apr 14, 2010 11:27 AM CDT reply actions
It wasn't critical
he was just saying that Jordan didn’t sit and the league told them not to sit players if they could play. He also said where he thinks it benefits the Cavs in having done so. Phil does mindgames with opponents like not playing the best players the whole time all the time. He talks about the confidence because its something he could see himself doing to improve bench confidence. Its why he talked Kobe into resting his body and rehabbing instead of playing so the less-than-stellar bench could get some good burn and minutes to increase their confidence. He limited the starters at the end of last year too. Its nothing new. He just doesn’t agree with completely sitting them. Its a difference of opinion from a coaching standpoint.
Also, the Lakers still have something to play for even now
because if they win tonight and Orlando loses, the Lakers would have home-court in a possible Finals rematch with the Magic…so resting, for his team, is not much of an option.
by AncientMariner on Apr 14, 2010 11:39 AM CDT reply actions
Phil Jackson talks too much and never says anything worth listening to.
Close. It only counts in Horseshoes, hand grenades and Penn State football.
by SouthBayBuckeye on Apr 14, 2010 1:43 PM CDT reply actions
Let lebron get his rest.
In his career, he has played (including the atlanta game where he will sit) 548 of 574 games. that is over 95% of possible games played. During his 7 seasons, kobe only played in 496 games. that is 7 less games a season. Lebron for his career averages playing 78.3 games a season. that is a ridiculous number. I like this team now b/c we have the opportunity to give him a rest. he only used to get a rest when he was injured.
Kobe in his first seven seasons played 16,908 minutes. (34 mpg, 2,415 min per season)
Lebron played 22,108 minutes in his first seven seasons (3,158 min per season 40.4 mpg)
Jordan played 22,324 minutes his first 7 FULL seasons ( 3,189 min per seson 39 mpg)
Jordans first 7 seasons (he missed most of his 2nd) 19,673 min ( 2,810 min per season 38 mpg)
Howard first 6 seasons 17,436 minutes (2,490 per season 35.7 mpg)
Someone please find me a player who has played more minutes and more per game played than lebron in his career. you can’t.
I teach good life choices. That’s why I almost didn’t graduate High School.
Iverson actually played
over 40 mpg every season except one for his first seven seasons. and since 00-01 he hasn’t played a season under 41 mpg, except the past two years when he’s been traded to different rosters. Only problem is that due to his playing style he has often had seasons where he played 70 games or less in that period, but when he played he didn’t rest.
AI actually did rest at times. He played 70 games or less due to being banged up AND due to actually occasionally needing rest. He did get banged up but don’t even try to say that 100% of games missed were for a true injury where he absolutely couldn’t play. Lebron plays in a way where he gets hurt too, he is just tough as nails.
He played 40.8 minutes a game. Lebron has played 40.4 minutes a game. if mike brown wasn’t so committed to resting lebron, he would play similar minutes (if silas was still coach). Lebron is the hardest working player right now in the NBA and never takes a game off and gets tons of flack for resting for 2 games…
by the way, lebron also goes all out in practice…Has AI Heard of that?
I teach good life choices. That’s why I almost didn’t graduate High School.
wth
how you going to use mins played as a way to justify not playing lebron? kobe did not even get off the bench his first 2 seasons. your argument is flawed. the point is you play with your healthy. it should be simple as that. you can play only the first quarter or so for the fan and sit. have you ever been to a real life game before? if not, you have no right to tell people who paid to see their star to stfu.
A) Reply fail.
B) it is a totally valid argument.
Look at ALL the stats. lebron played more per game than Michael did when healthy.
I can even take away kobe’s first 2 seasons and I come up with: 477 games played (only 83% of possible games compared to 95% for lebron) 18,184 minutes played (less minutes in 7 seasons than howard has played in so far), 2,597 minutes a season, 37 minutes a game. A Kobe in his third year was getting less playing time than a Rookie lebron (who played almost 40 mpg). kobe also got to rest much more.
So we should just play lebron every time out unless he is seriously injured? the guy will need some rest every once in a while. no one plays in games at the clip he does. no one rests less games in the NBA than he does…no one has played more minutes a game in their career. looking at that, he doesn’t deserve a rest every once in a while?
I can use any group of statistics and each one shows that lebron is a workhorse at a level of no other player in the NBA. he IS human too and its hard to be that kind of workhorse for your whole career. If sitting a game or 2 this year, saves 4-5 games when he is 35, I say do it in a heartbeat.
I HAVE been to a real life game before…so stop trolling and insulting people because it seems like you just missed out on seeing him play. I have been to cavs games BEFORE lebron…yes the team DID exist back then…not many people know that.
I teach good life choices. That’s why I almost didn’t graduate High School.
Um...
Lebron is probably one of the hardest working individuals on the court and off the court, let the guy rest some games for crying out loud. We will get to see plenty of him in the playoffs and beyond.
"minds sharpens minds, like steel sharpens steel"
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