Mike D'Antoni calls for NBA rules curbing road-game rest
HOUSTON -- Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni isn't a fan of resting players.
Without judging or calling out any teams, D'Antoni said the NBA needs to look into some kind of uniformity regarding players getting rest, particularly on road games.
"My thought on holding people out in mass, I'm not really for it," D'Antoni said before the Rockets' 132-98 win over theSacramento Kingson Wednesday. "You think of the kid that travels three hours to see somebody and they don't show up, it's tough. So it's complicated. I know every coach is trying to do the best for his team and trying to win. He has to do what he thinks is right to win. The league may a have to look at it and figure it out."
The subject of rest came up Wednesday as the Kings elected to sit power forward DeMarcus Cousins.
Kings coach Dave Joerger explained Cousins was sitting to get a break after playing four games in six days. During that span, Cousins averaged 34.5 minutes while scoring 24.8 points and grabbing 13 rebounds.
"There's just different points in the season, it looks like he's carrying quite a load, and I don't mean by weight, I mean by just playing," Joerger said. "He's getting [36] the other night, 15, 16 rebounds, he's got to do this, he's got to do that, he's got to take care of all this and that. Sometimes it's just good to get a break. When you have the opportunity, in this case, three days of rest [before their next game]. There are opportunities to do it when you can maximize the number of days of rest and give guys a chance to recharge mentally and physically."
The Cleveland Cavaliersalso sat LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love for Wednesday's game at Memphis, the second night of a home-road back-to-back against the Grizzlies. Cleveland's starters average 31.9 minutes per game, third in the league.
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban defended the Cavaliers' decision.
"Look, on the one hand it seems unfair to the Memphis fans, but on the other hand the science is all there that says guys need rest," Cuban said, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "The one thing worse than a visiting team not getting to see a star player is the home team's fans missing a lot of games from that star player.
"As we get more scientifically driven, you'll see teams trying to play guys fewer minutes and fewer games because it protects their body. If you protect a guy's body, fans get to see them in more games overall."
The Rockets do rest backup center Nene for health reasons for the second of back-to-back games. However, James Harden, who led the NBA in minutes per game last season at 38.1, is second in total minutes played this season at 953. Houston is also seventh in the league in starters minutes at 31.0.
Houston has an excellent strength and conditioning staff that charts players' minutes and movements during practices with a device attached to the jersey.
"Maybe the science is a little bit ahead of the regulations of the NBA," D'Antoni said. "So they'll get together and look at it, and hopefully we'll do what's right for the game. I'm not here to say I know any better."
