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San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich was asked prior to Wednesday's game versus the Boston Celtics whether or not he thought that he deserved to be recognized for his contributions in the uptick of “load management” cases around the league.
Popovich was nonplussed with the praise, or the negativity:
“I think it's become kind of silly, actually, I didn't do any kind of load management,” Gregg Popovich said, via Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News. “If there's credit in that, I don't deserve it. If there's the opposite, I don't deserve that either. I [sat players out] because I wanted those guys to have longer careers. I never did load management. I never took out a sheet of paper and said ‘He's going to do this, he's going to do that.
“Load management today is kind of farcical to some degree.”
https://twitter.com/JMcDonald_SAEN/status/1215048553241960449
Whether Popovich bears responsibility for it or not, load management is definitely on the rise around the league and it does not appear to be slowing anytime soon. In his statement, the Spurs coach makes reference to Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker — three players whom the head coach would periodically monitor minutes with throughout their careers.
Of course, Popovich also coached the new figurehead of the load management movement, Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard. The reigning NBA Finals MVP had an unceremonious exit from the Spurs, where his knee/thigh injuries began and continue to this day.
The league has attempted to institute rules as it pertains to resting key players during nationally televised games. The effectiveness of those measures, and how seriously they are taken by organizations, remains to be seen moving forward. However, if you ask Popovich, he is not to blame for any of it.
Besides, the Spurs can't afford to load manage their players this year as they fight for a playoff spot in the tough Western Conference.
