Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Chris Paul, Derrick Rose, Eric Bledsoe, Al Horford, Deron Williams, Jrue Holiday and Russell Westbrook. What do all these NBA players have in common this season? They all have been out for some time this season because of injuries. It will be a while before some of these players are back on the court.
With big injuries happening to many star players in the last couple of seasons, some teams have no choice but to take precautions with their star players. Last season, the San Antonio Spurs rested three of their star players – Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli – for a couple of games. The Miami Heat is doing the same with Dwayne Wade who has had some problems with his knees. Sitting him out a few games keeps him in tip-top shape and takes the pressure off of him while Lebron James and Chris Bosh pick up the rest of the slack.
Sometimes players get injured out of coincidence and can’t seem to catch a break like Derrick Rose. Rose spent all of last season sitting out to recover from an ACL knee injury.
He made his return at the beginning of the season until he got injured – again. For his sake, they should’ve just eased him back in slowly by having him come off the bench for a while and playing for limited minutes until he was fully recovered.
So the main question is should the NBA reduce the number of games or should teams give some rest time to their star players?
I don’t think it’s necessary to reduce the number of games in a season. Instead, teams should allow rest time for particular star players in order for them to keep up their game, stay healthy and avoid possible career threatening injuries.
After all, it’s a shame when good players have their careers shortened by injuries like those of Tracy McGrady, Grant Hill, Penny Hardaway and a few other players. Plus, nobody wants to see a good star go down so soon in their career but they enjoy seeing someone who can get back up after falling down.