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Look at any NBA billboard, commercial, or social media post and you'll see players like LeBron James, Steph Curry, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, and Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant, among others. These superstars are the engine that has turned the league into a global phenomenon.
The NBA is stacked with more high-end talent than ever before. Fans line up outside arenas and spend hundreds on inflated ticket prices months in advance for a chance to see one of these superstars play. Notice the word “chance” there. With load management more prevalent than ever, the sad reality for NBA fans has become: when you circle that date and buy a ticket, you better cross your fingers and hope that star plays.
Frustrations from fans who lost that gamble was on full display at Monday's Nets-Lakers matchup. LeBron James and Anthony Davis both sat with Los Angeles scheduled to play the Knicks on a back-to-back Tuesday.
For many, the game was their opportunity to see arguably the greatest player of all time. Instead, they wound up paying upwards of $300 to watch Patrick Beverley, Wenyen Gabriel, Thomas Bryant, Troy Brown Jr, and others. No disrespect to those players, but there is something to be said when the price of admission has so often become disproportionate to the quality of the on-court product.
One fan I spoke with traveled from Puerto Rico to see LeBron play Monday:
“It is what it is,” he replied when asked about James sitting.
Another frustrated fan left a sign on his seat that read, “Load Management = Rip Off, Shorten the Season!”
A sign left at Barclays Center after tonight’s game. pic.twitter.com/QDz3tBZofl
— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) January 31, 2023
The load management debate has taken off as the NBA's regular season product continues to be watered-down with stars sitting on pre-determined rest plans. These off days serve as safeguards for teams seeking to protect hundred-million-dollar assets. The Golden State Warriors drew heavy criticism early this month when they rested Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Andrew Wiggins for their lone trip to Cleveland. Head coach Steve Kerr called the decision, “a brutal part of the business.”
Steph Curry weighed in on the debate Monday, clearing up a common misconception.
“I campaign to play every game,” Curry said via Anthony Slater. “That's the misconception about load management and how it goes. It's never the player that's saying, ‘Hey, I want to sit.' So for all those people worried about that part of our league and all that, it's usually not the player that's going to the training staff and saying, ‘Hey, I don't have it tonight.' It's usually the other way around and there's a lot of science involved.”
Nets guard Kyrie Irving was the lone star to play Monday in Brooklyn, depending on how you view Russell Westbrook at this point in his career. Irving, who serves as vice president of the NBA players association, said the union has had conversations with the league regarding the issue.
“We're definitely taking the necessary steps to have the conversations with the NBA about what it looks like for the quote-on-quote star players missing games,” the Nets standout said. “It's a long season, it's a grind-it-out season, 82 games, it's a lot on our bodies… There's a figuring out process from the NBA side and NBPA side on how we can reconcile some of these issues that the fans bring up.”
“I see it from both sides. And I have to sit in the middle and just say we have things in the works right now that we talk about, but all in all, everybody's body is different, everybody's will to play is different and everybody's desire to be out there is different. I just think those that are available to play will play and those that are not, you just got to respect their bodies and respect what they do.”
Kyrie on load management and fans missing out on watching stars play:
“I see it from both sides… We have things in the works right now that we talk about, but all in all, everybody’s body is different, everybody’s will to play is different.” pic.twitter.com/a6Axzr5B3T
— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) January 31, 2023
Many have proposed shortening the season to 72 games to eliminate back-to-backs, which are when stars most often miss games. However, there is skepticism as to whether the league's owners would ever agree to this due to the loss in revenue.
Kerr has been vocal that the shortened season is the correct path. And while the coach admitted fewer games will equal less revenue in the short term, he believes a greater regard for the overall product will pay dividends in the long run.
“I feel terrible for fans who buy tickets expecting to see someone play and they don't get to see that person play,” Kerr said following his team's trip to Cleveland. “It's why I'm going to continue to advocate for 72-game seasons. I know that means less revenue, but at some point, I think there needs to be an awareness from everybody involved – the league, players, coaches, performance staff. Let's be really smart. Let's take care of these guys and play fewer games and the overall quality of the game will be better, and if that's the case revenue is going to go up anyway.”
It's a recurring issue across the league and Nets fans weren't happy Monday.
