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Philadelphia 76ers legend Allen Iverson has a great idea on how to deal with load management in the NBA, and people are sure to get a kick out of his comments on the topic, as well.
Iverson was asked about load management during an appearance on The Knuckleheads Podcast, and he thinks the best way to rest players is by keeping them out of practice.
“Looking at it back now, and I know people are going to have a ball with this, but if you want to keep me out of something, keep me out of practice man, you know what I mean,” Iverson said.
Of course, this is a direct callback to Iverson's famous “practice” speech all the way back in May 2002, where Iverson questioned how important it really was for a superstar like him to practice amid tension with then-76ers coach Larry Brown.
“And it’s crazy, I think Gil (Gilbert Arenas) said something about it,” added Iverson. “He was like, they gave me hell about practice and you know I would play in any game no matter what. Now you've got guys that don’t play in the game, you try to get guys to play in the game. I look at it now like those (expletive) were just picking on me man.”
Iverson actually makes a very salient point.
NBA coaches and organizations are so worried about players getting injured in games, and yet, they work them incredibly hard in practices.
Perhaps Iverson is on to something here.
It also should be noted that commissioner Adam Silver has tried to diminish load management, but teams still regularly engage in this exercise.
No one played harder than Allen Iverson
Maybe Iverson didn't practice hard. Heck, sometimes, he didn't practice at all. But no one can doubt Iverson's commitment to winning, and no one can question how hard he played.
Iverson was listed at six feet tall and 165 pounds soaking weight. Yet, he fearlessly drove down the lane night after night, challenging massive centers like Shaquille O'Neal, Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning, David Robinson and Dikembe Mutombo. The amount of punishment he would absorb on a nightly basis was almost unparalleled, and yet, he would play through it.
Yes, Iverson missed plenty of time due to injuries throughout his career. But he also played hurt, and it wasn't like he was sitting out just to rest. If Iverson missed a game, you knew something was legitimately wrong with him physically.
The Georgetown product played 14 seasons in the NBA, making 11 All-Star appearances and winning the MVP award in 2001. He also led Philadelphia to an NBA Finals appearance during that MVP-winning 2000-01 campaign in which he averaged 31.1 points per game.
Iverson won four scoring titles throughout his NBA tenure, as well.
So, while superstars like Kawhi Leonard, LeBron James and Stephen Curry have become very well known for missing games due to load management, it seems safe to say that Iverson would not have taken part in such things had he been playing today.
Of course, the game was also very different in Iverson's day. Iverson averaged 41.1 minutes per game during his career and led the league in that category seven times. Playing around 40 minutes per game was essentially standard for the best players in the NBA back then. Now, you never see it. As a matter of fact, DeMar DeRozan led all players with 37.8 minutes per game this season.
