The recent trend of load management has had fans and players up in arms, while many coaches and executives have supported the belief of its merits. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban falls on the latter side of this discussion, arguing it would be “dumb” to ignore the years of research that has been used to come to this preventional function:
“It's all data-driven,” Cuban told ESPN. “We're not going, ‘OK, let's just mess with the league and our meal ticket to fans to do something just because it might be interesting. We spend so much money, not just on analytics for predictive reasons, but also for biometrics so we know how smart we can be.
“The dumb thing would be to ignore the science.”
The grueling 82-game schedule is a part of why players need a few games off during the season, and while the league has ensured that there are less back-to-back scenarios for each team in each of the last three seasons, there are other parts that are simply out of the league's control.
LeBron James recently opened up about how AAU programs could be the cause of so much mileage that is put on players' bodies by the time they hit their mid-20s. Players coming off injuries and others approaching their 30s are now starting to get days off for load management due to that built-up strain on their joints, which often lead to surgeries.
As for Cuban, he prefers to get the most out of his players when it counts the most:
“You actually get more of your stars [in the playoffs],” Cuban said. “You get shorter rotations of more of the guys playing in the playoffs, which is what you want to see anyway, right?”
Load management is far from a perfect science, but players, coaches, executives, and fans need to be on the same page and understand it's now a necessary measure for the longevity of a player's career in the league.
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