The NBA has fined the Cleveland Cavaliers $100,000 for sitting Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley in Miami last Wednesday. The league released a statement on the matter on Tuesday evening.
“The NBA announced today that the Cleveland Cavaliers have been fined $100,000 for violating the league’s Player Participation Policy. The violation occurred when the Cavaliers held Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley, who are both star players under the Policy, out of the team’s game against the Miami Heat on Nov. 12 for rest. The Policy, which was adopted prior to the 2023-24 season, is intended to promote participation in the NBA’s regular season.”
Though likely disappointing to fans in South Beach that night, it wasn't surprising to see the Cavs rest two of their stars in a rematch with the Heat. For one, they were coming off an overtime spectacle that ended on a buzzer-beating alley-oop from an inbound pass. Mitchell played 41 minutes and Mobley logged 39 minutes, both game-highs.
Additionally, Cleveland had to fly back home the next night to host the Toronto Raptors; the team didn't get into town until 3 a.m. ET. It was a brutal turnaround for a road-home second night of a back-to-back that the wine and gold wound up dropping with Mitchell and Mobley active, anyhow.
The Cavs have already played in 15 games to this point. Entering Tuesday, only the Milwaukee Bucks, Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks, and Oklahoma City Thunder could say the same.
After Wednesday night's tilt against the Houston Rockets, Cleveland will have played its fifth game in seven days. Following that, the wine and gold will have games on Friday and Sunday vs. the Indiana Pacers and LA Clippers to finish the longest homestand of the year before Thanksgiving. There hasn't been a single practice yet.
Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson passionately stated his case for fewer games at the beginning of the season, and Warriors head coach Steve Kerr brought it to light again on Tuesday. Clearly, there's a disconnect between the teams and the league regarding what constitutes a fair workload.
