In recent years, a trend of load management has taken over the NBA, with numerous players sitting games out to get rest. The reasons why load management has become commonplace in the league varies depending on who's asked, but if the question is addressed to ESPN analyst Jalen Rose, it would be very clear who he believes is behind the trend.
Speaking on ESPN's NBA Today, Jalen Rose had a “blame pie” ready for why load management is here (probably to stay), with the biggest slice saved for the players.
.@JalenRose reveals who is to blame for load management across the league 👀 pic.twitter.com/FlB4b8lAWC
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) February 22, 2023
As mentioned earlier, there are other factors, such as analytics, Rose singled out as reasons. With that said, there was a vast majority of the blame pie thrown at today's players.
While there are many people upset with the load management ear, we can't forget it's about the demographics. If a person played basketball 20 or 30 years ago (like Rose did), things were different back then. Players played through just about anything, and it was look at as a badge of honor if someone played all 82 games in the regular season.
Now, the value is placed on rest and being as healthy as possible when the playoffs arrive. There are teams, such as the San Antonio Spurs years ago, that are pointed to in terms of results. The Spurs used countless rest days to make sure their older players were fresh for the playoffs, and it resulted in a title in 2014.
Rose also said if a player is going to rest, they should do it during home games. Universally, fans get upset when they save money to see their favorite player come to their town, only to find out they're not playing due to rest.
It's a slippery slope, but we're in the load management era, and Rose isn't missing anyone in laying blame.
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