San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, the innovator behind the periodic rest of veteran and star players will not stop his proven roster management tactics despite commissioner Adam Silver‘s memo, addressing the business/contractual end of the NBA.
Silver implored owners to become more involved in everyday roster decisions, especially when it comes down to games that are nationally televised, where the league makes a vast amount of its revenue.
Popovich's job is to coach and that is exactly what he plans to do — give his team the best possible chance to win championships — a plan that has worked out for the man at the helm, making the playoffs for 20 consecutive seasons after clinching a playoff berth earlier this month.
“I will continue to make those decisions,” Popovich said Tuesday, according to Tom Osborn of the San Antonio Express-News.
Silver's memo comes after two straight ABC Saturday matchups where a team sat all of their star players to rest for the game — directly damaging the league's product and affecting TV ratings.
Popovich claimed he's just as conscious about these issues and isn't ignorant of the business side of the league, but they must be able to face the reality that science has laid out about the NBA schedule and the measures teams need to take to carry out a long season.
“I think just because we are coaches and GMs doesn't mean we don't understand or know what is going on with the business side. We are a little bit more sophisticated than that,” Popovich said.
“But, at the same time, the league has to understand that the science of what we do is a whole lot more sophisticated than it used to be, and we have definitely added years to people. So, it's a tradeoff: Do you want to see this guy in this one game or do you want to see them for three more years of his career? And do you want to see him through the playoffs because he didn't get hurt?”
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