'Load management' complaints target the wrong people
Charles Barkley criticized NBA players for sitting out games. But it's usually not their decision to make.
NBA agent Nate Jones argued that there's a general misconception in the media when it comes to load management - that is, players sitting out selective games to prevent injury or rest for the postseason.
According to ESPN, NBA teams have a complex calculation when it comes to load management, taking into account rest, team practices, individual workouts, travel, sleep and more. Ultimately, the decision to sit a player comes from "a group consisting of the player, training staff, sports scientists, coaches, management and, often, ownership."
The goal is to avoid injury or chronic fatigue. On "First Take", Barkley said, "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."
But players with high salaries are actually more likely to sit out, because teams consider them more valuable assets. And largely, they're not the ones deciding when they're going to be on the bench in street clothes.
Arguably, the greater intensity and athleticism of the modern game can lead to more injuries. But the simplest explanation is that the more player salaries and NBA franchise valuations skyrocket, the more organizations become conservative when it comes to protecting investments.
Critics like Barkley and Jalen Rose may be more apt to blame players because the load management system simply didn't exist during their careers. If a player's own team doctors, coach and executives are telling them to sit, players won't demand to play simply because retired players are calling them soft.
Steph Curry, who has been rested in multiple games this year, explained in January how it worked, saying that he "campaigns" to play all of the games.
“That’s the misconception about load management and how it goes," Curry told reporters. "It’s never the player that is usually saying, ‘Hey, I want to sit.' For all those people that are worried about that part of our league, it’s usually not the player that is going to the training staff and saying, ‘Hey, I don’t have it tonight.’ It’s usually the other way around."
So the next time Charles Barkley gets upset about a star missing a Thursday night TNT game, he should direct his anger at the true culprit: Some guy in the front office with a spreadsheet.
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