wolves/nba

If this had happened at Target Center, stern would be keeping his mouth shut.

I can see both sides of this. Perhaps there should simply be a disclosure when fans purchase season tickets or individual tickets that the opposing players they hope to see might not be playing due to injury or a coach's decision to rest them. Then the fans know ahead of time the risk involved in buying a ticket. Of course, the easiest solution would be to simply reduce the length of the ridiculously long NBA season to 70 games or even 66, so that every game would be meaningful, or at least more meaningful than they currently are. But that involves a reduction in revenues, and maximizing revenues seems to be the only true factor in professional sports--not the fans or the quality of the games they are paying to see.

So David Stern decides to fine Gregg Popovich and the Spurs $250,000 for resting players in the game with the Heat last night. I get the outrage. Especially if you happen to be some poor sap who drove to Miami to see your one and only game and paid a couple hundred bucks to sit in a nosebleed seat. And then you get a B lineup, besides. But Popovich did this several times last year and Stern did nothing. You can bet the only reason he's reacting now, is because the almighty TV execs raised a stink about their prime-time game on TNT. How hypocritical is that? The other problem is, how can you possibly legislate against Pop, when there are dozens of other examples in various sports, where players sit for unknown reasons? It's not fair, but when has the common fan ever been at the top of the priority list?

What about the Wolves sitting Garnett at the end of the 2006 season? Will teams now be required to submit lineups to Stern's office for approval? Teams do this ALL the time by calling it the flu, a tweaked ankle, and nobody bats an eye. Stern is teed off because no medical exuse or otherwise was made by the Spurs. Stern needs to get his emotions under control before making decisions. This is a VERY BAD precedent set by the commissioner.