Yearning for Jurgen

US Soccer’s mistake in firing its best coach ever cost the country a World Cup berth.

International Soccer

America what were you thinking? You had the best boyfriend for you and you broke up with him. What happened? Couldn’t you see he was great? He was the best man for you but you listened to your jealous friends. They kept talking in your ear that he was no good for you. What did they know? They nitpicked and got you all riled up until you succumbed. After the break up, you made an even worse decision and got back together with your ex. And your ex led you down a hole that you will not recover from for over four years.

The United States Men’s National Soccer Team’s (USMNT) hopeful saga and eventual downfall has been in the works for years. US Soccer hired Jurgen Klinsmann in 2011 as its 35^th head coach of the national team after letting go of a competent Bob Bradley. Bradley was solid, leading us to a Confederations Cup final and top of our group in the World Cup in 2010. But the feeling was that Bradley probably could not to take us to the promise land. In fact, the truth was that we fired Bradley because we had our eye on an absolutely stellar coach. This guy once coached Germany to third in the World Cup and got hired at Bayern Munich. US Soccer had its first chance to corral a world-class caliber coach. We yearned for ultimate success so we turned to the best US soccer investment ever. Yearning for Klinsmann was a reality.

The 5 Biggest Threats to the Warriors Over the Next 5 Years

Who can slay the kings of the NBA?

NBA

The Golden State Warriors are dominant. It appeared as if the Warriors waltzed through the playoffs en route to a 16-1 playoff record. Their three-year run of regular season record-breaking win totals and two championships firmly plants the Warriors in the best team ever conversation. However, what could happen over the next five plus seasons may make NBA history buffs go bonkers. The Warriors’ core four are early in their primes: Stephen Curry (age 29), Kevin Durant (28), Draymond Green (27) and Klay Thompson (27). The only age issue is the Death Lineup’s fifth teammate Andre Iguodala at 33 years old. General manager Bob Myers is a pro at rounding out the roster with guys that complete the team (Shaun Livingston, David West, Javale McGee) but it is those aforementioned five main guys that mold the team into an all-time elite.

So if the Warriors are this good, stay this good and possibly get better, who can knock the Dubs of their supremacy? Money is on the Warriors evidenced by the 5-11 current odds for next year’s championship. But what if we project over several years?

Here are the five biggest threats to dethrone the Warriors over the next five seasons:

5. San Antonio Spurs

Two reasons make the San Antonio Spurs top five on this list and only number five on this list: Gregg Popovich and Kawhi Leonard.

Gregg Popovich

Coaching is huge in the NBA. The Warriors ascended from a first/second round playoff team to a championship with largely the same roster that added Steve Kerr as head coach. Kerr has worked magic thus far, but Popovich has been doing it for two decades. With Pop at the helm, the Spurs finished top three in the Western Conference 16 out of 20 years, made the Conference Finals or further ten times and won five championships. That equates to making the Conference Finals 50 percent of the time and winning 25 percent of the championships. Pop is one of the best coaches ever and the Spurs are championship caliber every year. Pop is the most dangerous matchup for anyone facing the Spurs. If any coach is going to find the secret sauce to frying the Warriors Pop is the iron chef candidate.

However, Pop is 68 years old and NBA coaching takes a toll. Does he have five years left in him to be coaching into his 70s? Only Hubie Brown, Don Nelson and Larry Brown make the short list for septuagenarian NBA head coaches. If Pop retires in the near future the Spurs immediately teeter off championship contention. It does not matter how good of an organization the Spurs are. Pop is a generational talent and the Spurs will not replace him without a drop off.

Kawhi Leonard and who else?

Kawhi is a top-five NBA player that should be fixed in the MVP debate every year. He has evolved from a lockdown defender to adding bona fide bucket getter to his arsenal. Many respect Kawhi as the best two-way player in the game. Any player that good is a threat to beat any team. On the other hand, Kawhi is just one man.

Kawhi certainly can be the best player on a championship winning team, but can the Spurs realistically beat the Dubs in a seven game series when Kawhi is the only elite player? The answer is no, especially given the fact that Kawhi has not yet evolved into a superstar playmaker in the same vein as Lebron James creating easy looks for his teammates. And even peak Lebron needed superstar sidekicks in Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami and Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love in Cleveland.

Defensively, it was a delicious matchup a couple years ago when the idea was that Pop could employ Kawhi on Steph. Put the KLaw, the best perimeter defender in the league, on Steph in the fourth quarter and possibly shut Steph down. That was the option. But currently Kawhi must be on KD duty. With KD’s versatile skillset and length, the Spurs have to put the dynamic Kawhi on KD or else the Spurs get torched. Then San Antonio must bank on their defensive scheme execution in chasing around Steph and Klay all day. The Spurs are capable of doing this. But defensive competence is not the sole problem especially when looking at the backcourt.

The backcourt matchup will not be decided on how well the Spurs quell Curry and Klay. The bigger issue is if the Spurs’ guards can match offensive firepower with the Splash Brothers. This is not happening with the current Spurs roster. No combination of Patty Mills, Danny Green, Dejounte Murray or aging stars Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker is staying afloat with the Splash Brothers and Co.

An interesting development would be if the Spurs could land an elite point guard. A superstar guard, particularly a point guard is essential for championship contention in the NBA. There are potential future options in Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, Isaiah Thomas, Kemba Walker and maybe even Mike Conley. (Kyrie would have been ideal but now he is in Boston for the next two years and possibly beyond.)

Theoretically, it could be Kawhi and an elite point guard as cornerstones with LaMarcus Aldridge as the third option. (A free agency addition, a you-never-know discount, losing Green/Ginobili/Parker and/or Pau Gasol and keeping Aldridge is feasible with the Spurs’ salary cap outlook.) Despite Aldridge’s regression since coming to the Spurs he becomes an excellent number three. But that is a big what-if considering the rumored grumblings that Aldridge is not happy being second fiddle to Kawhi. And then the Draymond kryptonite factor has the potential to reduce Aldridge’s offensive production to almost nil while making Aldridge a defensive liability.

The Spurs would need to find enough versatile wings and fleet-footed big men to keep up with the Warriors’ Death Lineup. They once had the cheap tools to do so in Dewayne Dedmon and Jonathon Simmons but unfortunately both are now gone to more lucrative contracts. The Spurs need to find more “Spurs’ system guys” like they always seem to do in the Popovich era.

Their first swing is adding a post-Achilles injury Rudy Gay. Whether the Spurs whiff or connect with Gay is difficult to determine. Many opinions want to veer away from an athletic explosive player recovering from a catastrophic injury. But then again some viewpoints turn back because it is in fact the Spurs and they get the benefit of the doubt.

The Spurs’ current construction is probably not enough to take down the Warriors but there are hopeful puzzle pieces out there and Popovich is a master builder.

4. Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets are fourth on this list because they have the highest upside coupled with biggest uncertainty.

Upside

The Rockets’ upside stems from general manager Daryl Morey and the organization embracing analytics. Morey, the co-founder of MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, and the Rockets are the first NBA team to go full Billy Beane. The “Moreyball” approach constructed their roster and directed their gameplay according to analytics.

Last season, the Rockets were under doctor’s orders to take basically two doses: layups/dunks at the rim and a barrage of threes. They put up historic numbers in offensive production and the tantalizing question is if this is the formula for the future.

Morey make moves as if he is immune to fear from failure. He has no qualms stating that tanking is smart and may be quickest and reliable way to rebuild and ascend to the top citing the Houston Astros as an example. Morey’s focus is to make the best team regardless of how people criticize and squirm when one deviates from the status quo. In the past few years, Morey brought in Dwight Howard (reaching a two-seed and conference finals) and jettisoned Dwight a year later when the Harden-Dwight chemistry went sour.

The offseason Chris Paul move was to add to the superstars’ arms race. The idea is to stack up Team USA players. Get another elite playmaker that can also shore up their mid-range weakness. A CP3-Harden combo reinvigorates the best backcourt in the NBA debate versus the Splash Brothers.

The next target is Carmelo Anthony. Many want to question the merits of Melo as a championship contender, but the consensus is that Team USA Melo, where he rains open corner and wing threes, is the best version. Melo as a Moreyball third option seems like a good fit. The hump for Morey is extracting Melo from the New York Knicks.

What if Morey can snag an impactful big man in the coming years? Clint Capela looks good with Harden and is still developing but he is not exactly a big problem for Draymond and KD. How about a DeAndre Jordan or Andre Drummond? Nothing is outside the realm of possibility in this new era where stars congregate and winning priorities can trump money.

Uncertainty

The CP3-Harden saga could be a really good Zoolander or an atrocious Zoolander 2. The backcourt pairing is an attempt to hit a bomb like Aaron Judge with a higher strikeout potential. Both players are so ball dominant that maybe they cannot exist together. Will Paul’s fiery and critical demeanor clash with Harden or other teammates? Add isolation king Melo and will that mix blend smoothly or bubble out like baking soda and vinegar?

           

What about the balance between offense and defense? Coach Mike D’Antoni is offensively outstanding, but defensively deficient. Can defensive assistant coach, Jeff Bzdelik, mold the Rockets into an elite defensive team the way guru Ron Adams has done for the Warriors? The Rockets will not beat the Warriors in a playoff series if Houston’s defense is lacking. The Rockets’ defense needs to improve, especially Harden. Harden must give maximum effort chasing Klay around the court or be able to hold his own on a mismatch switch.

On paper, the other personnel moves actually look pretty good for a defensive mindset. CP3 is a top defender at the point. P.J. Tucker, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, and Trevor Ariza seem to be the type of versatile wing players to afford a lot of switching. The Warriors thrive on ball movement and player movement and the opposition has to be schematically defensively sound more so than just pure one-on-one defending. That means good coaching leading to defensive communication, continuity, and commitment.

The Rockets defense can get better, but will it ever be good enough? Houston now has good defensive players, not necessarily defensive studs. Their defense projects as less stalwart than the Warriors’ defense, who have all-defensive team talents in Klay, Iguodala, Durant and Draymond. The Dubs have proven they can turn off the faucet while the Rockets may only be able to slow the flow.

The Rockets are assembling their army but they may need Morey to snag more Olympians to take down the champs.

3. Milwaukee Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks’ outlook depends not on where they are now, but where they can be over the next five seasons. They have a budding roster with oozing potential the way Golden State’s roster looked pre-Kerr.

Why it is possible: The Giannis Effect, Length, and Thon Maker.

           

Giannis Antetokounmpo, aka the Greek Freak, aka the Alphabet, is a beast. He became the first player in NBA history to finish top 20 in the league in all five major statistical categories: total points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks. He also became the fourth in history to lead his respective team in all five categories. Versatility is the most sought after trait to thwarting the Warriors and Giannis has got it all.

Giannis is scarily only 22 years old. In his first four seasons in the league, every year he has increased all five of those aforementioned stats, plus field goal percentage. Last season’s strides were the greatest as Giannis took home the Most Improved Player award. The hottest Giannis topic is discussing not if but when he will win MVP. NBA championships are predicated on superstar players and Giannis has the most out of this world potential in the entire league. What can he become and when he becomes it who will be able to stop him?

Equally important in assessing the Bucks potential in this ranking is the rest of the Bucks complimentary roster. Milwaukee has length and athletes. The wingspans according to DraftExpress for the Bucks’ key players include: Giannis (7’3”), Thon Maker (7’3”), Greg Monroe (7’2”), Tony Snell (6'11"), Jabari Parker (6’11”) Khris Middleton (6’10”) and Malcolm Brogdon (6’10”). That bests the Warriors who are considered around the league to have long and athletic strengths: Durant (7’4”), Draymond (7’1”), Iguodala (6’11”), Klay (6’9”), Shaun Livingston (6’11”) and Steph Curry (6’3”).

The Bucks’ length has caused the Warriors fits the past two seasons. The Dubs’ offense feels more stagnant against Milwaukee than against most teams. Deflections seem more prevalent against the defensive versatility and length. Passing windows look smaller and shots are more contested.

The key to Milwaukee’s potential defensive dominance is Maker. Their roster has guys that that can be quite good and solid defensively but Maker could be stellar. When you watch the Bucks play, you can observe how Maker hunts on the defensive end. He helps quickly and swats furiously. With Maker there are the Kevin Garnett comparisons and even KG himself had high praise for the young player in his rookie season. Maker played sparingly in the beginning of his rookie campaign then earned good time with an entrenched starter’s role. His deep shot is already decent, putting him in the potential to have a Draymond-type impact defensively and offensively.

What needs to happen?

The biggest need is having a point guard worthy of a championship team. Brogdon was solid in his first year and won Rookie of the Year, but he is far from Steph stratosphere. The Bucks need an aggressive Brogdon development or plug in a microwave-ready point guard off the market. The good thing about their point guard future is that the Bucks have Jason Kidd as their head coach. Kidd, an all-time great, would seem to be the perfect basketball mind to develop a point or else convince an elite one to join.

A healthy Jabari is always an X-factor to add to the offensive efficiency. Monroe is also a solid role player option that scores with his back to the basket. These type of players are valuable against the Warriors a kin to how the Memphis Grizzlies have presented problems for the Dubs over the past few years. The Bucks have the core roster. They just need to reach their sky-high potential.

2. Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics are the number two threat to the Warriors because the Celtics present the strongest amalgam of coach, general manager, and roster.

Brad Stevens

Outside of Pop, Brad Stevens is the best coach on this list and has room to grow. In Stevens’ first four years as coach he has lead Boston to a seventh seed in year two, a fifth seed in year three and one seed and Eastern Conference Finals berth in year four. Stevens’ coaching has gotten better every year and shines the brightest in the playoffs. So far he simply outcoaches others in the Eastern Conference.

Stevens has imposed a mix of high quality offensive execution and discipline with an equally impressive defense. The Celtics have been the best defense on the Warriors the past few seasons. Their perimeter play has kept up with the fast-paced Warriors better than anyone else. The Celtics match up well. There is a chance that former Celtic Avery Bradley was the cog that kept the Dubs at bay and losing Bradley may hurt greatly. But a lot of the Celtics’ success has to do with Stevens’ defensive schemes.

Stevens has the insight to think progressively when it comes to basketball. He recently claimed that he does not categorize players in terms of the traditional positions (point guard, small forward, center, etc.). He sees three types of players: ball handlers, wings and big men. It is this type of simplistic yet flexible perspective that a coach needs to beat the Warriors. To extinguish the Warriors you need a coach that mixes and matches and a team that has the players to meet such demands.

Danny Ainge

Danny Ainge, the general manager of the Celtics, is the brain trust behind developing a roster to compete with Cleveland in the East and eventually topple the Warriors. Ainge makes savvy moves and Ainge makes ruthless moves. The guy pulled the trigger trading Celtics legend Paul Pierce for assets and most recently getting rid of fan favorite Thomas for what hopes to be an upgrade in Irving. He has the green light to make any move and is not afraid to take off. His infamous will-trade-his-own-mother approach is exactly the competitive advantage the Celtics need in order to compile a championship contender. Much like Morey is an asset in Houston, Ainge makes a huge impact for Boston.

                                   

Roster

In order to compete with the Warriors a team must have a complete roster laden with star power. Stevens landed the most prized free agent of the 2017 summer, reuniting with his college superstar Gordon Hayward. Hayward has developed into an all-star, capable of carrying his Utah Jazz team’s offensive load into the second round of the Western Conference. He has flashed playmaking in his repertoire and now it is time to take the next step on a more complete Boston team.

If the Kyrie Irving trade goes through, the Celtics have two top offensive threats. Kyrie has proven he can go toe-to-toe with Steph on the biggest stage. It is conceivable that Kyrie, at 25, could eventually surpass Steph. Kyrie was unstoppable at times against the Warriors. His unbelievable finishes and ball handling strikes fear in Warriors’ faithful, even with the prospect of Klay shadowing Kyrie. A Hayward and Kyrie pairing places the Celtics as one of the most formidable point guard/small forward matchups that can hang with the Dubs.

With an established top two, it comes down to the rest of the Celtics to tip the scales against the Warriors. Al Horford is an excellent big man. He does not get enough credit anchoring teams. He is decently mobile for a big man making him perimeter capable, a necessary feature to take on the Warriors. Horford exhibits all the championship level intangibles and does all the little things. Since Lebron has returned to Cleveland only two teams in the East finished higher than the Cavs in the regular season standings. The 2015-16 Atlanta Hawks with Horford and the 2016-17 Boston Celtics with a newly acquired Horford. He is a good big man on good teams and a Horford-Zaza Pachulia matchup favors the Celtics.

           

The what-ifs are rookie Jayson Tatum and second-year Jaylen Brown. Tatum has enough hype for Bostonians to wish for a second coming of Pierce. Brown was one of the most serviceable rookies last year and he could develop into a solid NBA player both defensively and offensively. Add in Marcus Morris and rookie Semi Ojeleye and the Celtics are executing the anti-Warrior blueprint by collecting versatile wing players.

Ainge and assets, Stevens as the puppet master and a talented roster make the Celtics capable of taking down the Warriors over the next five seasons. A Beantown game changer would be if Ainge and Stevens find a way to corral Anthony Davis or Demarcus Cousins to the Celtics.

1. Lebron James

Lebron James and the retooled Cleveland Cavaliers.

Or Lebron and a new cast of Los Angeles Lakers.

Or how about Lebron and the dysfunctional New York Knicks?

Or possibly Lebron back in Miami sunshine.

Or even Lebron and an expansion team.

Lebron is the greatest threat to the Warriors. The only team Lebron is not public enemy number one to the Warriors is if Lebron is on the Golden State Warriors.

It is not necessary to deeply analyze the merits of a Lebron threat that is well documented. He is one of the greatest players ever and always elevates his teammates to championship level heights. Lebron can only be slowed by time, age and eventual retirement. With Lebron spending $1.5 million per year on his body, his commitment to rest and peaking during the playoffs, he may play at late age championship levels à la Tom Brady.

Lebron is a Warriors’ problem and Lebron hopes to be the ultimate solution to cracking Golden State once again.

The Russell Westbrook MVP Fallacy

Voters' misconception handed the MVP to the wrong guy.

NBA

Russell Westbrook should not have won the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award. I am Mugatu and “I feel like I’m taking crazy pills!” Why are so many so blind? Why are people watching bad basketball and thinking it is good basketball? What the hell is going on?

The MVP crowning that was inevitable since the end of the season was doomed from the beginning. At the outset of the season I predicted a Westbrook-Thunder implosion. While I watched an implosion of team basketball, the masses, paid professional pundits and writers instead watched a one-man explosion and awed at the theatrics while disregarding the rubble. I said the Thunder were at best-case scenario a first round playoff exit. Everyone was aware of this ceiling at the end of the season, but nonetheless nearly 70% of voters still anointed Westbrook MVP.

An already selfish player turned up his ball hogging tendencies more and he was rewarded with the highest trophy. Westbrook made himself more prominent and his team worse for it, but people did not care because he looked really good doing it. I felt like I was back in youth soccer watching the best player on our team dribble the ball to oblivion every possession. And at halftime when we had zero goals we did not tell the kid to move the ball but instead we all congratulated him for juking out five guys.

I think Westbrook honestly believes that his brand of basketball is the best way to win. He must truly believe it is all him or nothing. And now he is reaffirmed in that belief. Westbrook received the greatest individual award in a team sport by being the least team-oriented player. All because people got drunk on statistics and thought a bad idea was a good idea.

This triple-double garble was the problem. Westbrook did in fact reach an arbitrary measuring mark only seen once before. I get it, but I also see through it. His usage rate went sky high and he became the sole focal point of the Thunder offense. So he scored more points on more field goal attempts. Yet he had the same true shooting percentage as last year and had the same assists per game as last year. He did not play better. He played the same, more often and without Kevin Durant. No KD means all the looks and all the attention. That is what he wanted. But achieving the same heights while losing a top caliber teammate is a factor, not the factor.

The two main arguments for Westbrook to win MVP were that he averaged a triple double and he does it all for his team that is not very good. One is meaninglessly true and the other is a product of Westbrook’s gameplay.

If we look at the statistics there was a comparable player: James Harden. Here are the statistics for points per game (PPG), true shooting percentage (TS%) that takes into account efficiency of 2-pointers, 3-pointers and free throws, assists (AST) and rebounds (REB).

Russell Westbrook:             31.6 PPG, 55.4 TS%, 10.4 AST, 10.7 REB

James Harden:                    29.1 PPG, 61.3 TS%, 11.2 AST, 8.1 REB

So people want to choose the guy that scored 2.5 points more per game? But Harden had almost an assist more per game, which is worth two or three points. So combining points and assists it was basically a wash. “Don’t forget about rebounds.” That is correct. So the whole thing swings on 2.6 rebounds per game by the point guard? (We do count those extra rebounds where Westbrook crashes hard on defensive free throws, right?) While grabbing those boards were essential for all those patented one-man fast breaks, the overall efficiency was not drastically better. So Westbrook can have the 2.6 extra rebounds and Harden will take the true shooting percentage difference of nearly six percent. Harden was a more efficient scorer on 18.9 shots per game while Westbrook fired up 24.0 shots per game. The other guy actually has the better stats.

OK, maybe some really love rebounds? Like how they really love Andre Drummond? They are not impressed by the 2.6 rebound difference. What they really are impressed with is the “shiny round number” of 10+ total rebounds and the accompanying triple-double buzzword. That benchmark allows them to package all the statistics into a digestible happy meal where they are more impressed with the marketing than the actual taste. It is fool's gold. They are being seduced by cheap food. There are better options out there that are tastier and healthier.

In order to truly choose the Westbrook platter over the Harden dish one had to listen to the pro-Harden arguments and not care despite their truth. These were the intertwined arguments: 1) Harden actually made his teammates better and 2) Harden’s team won more games.

First, Harden elevated the play of his teammates. If you watched any part of a Rockets game this was readily apparent. As the Harden engine went the rest of the team fueled off of it. He broke down defenses, created space and found the open man for the open deep three or the easy look at the basket. His gameplay created all the action that allowed all the others to excel. Everyone played better and looked better because Harden facilitated this.

The Westbrook car drove at a different pace. Westbrook went full throttle and took over the entire game for the Thunder. He was really good at it and single handedly won games. Again, those Westbrook-only fast breaks were killer but the half court offense was stagnant. Westbrook is so good at being a one-man show that his team made the playoffs in the Western Conference playing this style. But this style did not maximize the team. The style amplified Westbrook while dampening the other players. There was no rhythm for the team. There was Westbrook hanging on to the ball while the other players could never get it going. People incorrectly harangued the other teammates when they should have pointed fingers at the lack of winning basketball that was played.

There was a reason why John Wooden never went all Kareem: 

“I believe, for example I could have made Kareem the greatest scorer in college history. I could have done that by developing the team around that ability of his. Would we have won three national championships while he was at UCLA? Never. Besides, he wouldn’t have wanted that. He was a very unselfish player, the best kind of player, one who put the welfare of the team ahead of his own personal glory.” (Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections on and off the Court, pg. 78)

Second, Harden’s Rockets won eight more games this season than Westbrook’s Thunder. That should count in the MVP calculation. And people counter with the argument that Harden had better teammates. That is not entirely true. Bill Simmons framed the better teammates argument best: If you pooled the Thunder and Rockets players in a schoolyard pick’em whom would you choose? You would have taken Steven Adams and Victor Oladipo of the Thunder over Patrick Beverly/Eric Gordon and Clint Capela of the Rockets. Houston had better depth, but the perception of teammates’ abilities did not truly heavily favor Houston. Harden’s teammates played better because of Harden and Westbrook’s teammates played worse because of Westbrook. It is that simple. Yet people act mystified with how bad the other Thunder teammates play without focusing the lens on the glaring reason.

When did we lose sight of winning? We had it right even in the year Oscar Robertson averaged a triple-double when Bill Russell won the MVP. Winning matters. James Harden should have won MVP. And the cases for Kawhi Leonard and Steph Curry should have been listened to more.

Now both Harden and Westbrook will have help. We will see if Harden can keep the team chemistry when it mixes with another ball dominant player in Chris Paul. I believe it will work because despite being ball dominant they are each very unselfish. They prioritize setting up their teammates for good shots rather than taking bad shots (that they can make) themselves.

We will see if Westbrook can co-exist with another top-notch small forward. While the Thunder now have the talent, I believe Paul George will be headed to Hollywood faster than you can say “Lonzo loves to dish the rock.”

Rest is Not the Devil

The hoopla over player rest needs to calm down.

NBA

Hey Sports Media, stop whining and wailing to NBA players and coaches for resting. They did not slight you. It is overused to hear pundits complain about what they want. Instead accept what you deserve from players, which is nothing. Players and coaches owe you nothing, they do not work to serve you or the fans.

The sports world is fussy about the recent trend of resting NBA players. Every television and radio host has issue with Steph Curry, Lebron James or any healthy player taking a night off. There are a myriad of complaints and arguments why resting is so egregious. All are wrong. The objective is not to spurn the fans and media and you need to stop taking it this way. Players rest because they have one job and one goal. That is to compete for a NBA championship.

Some coaches, the ones ahead of the curve, rest players at the advice of trainers and physicians. The coaches seek rest to better the team for peak performance when it counts, the playoffs. This is the simple fact from a better understanding of health and science. The “back in my day” comments do not trump science. Stop bringing up alternative facts to fit your narrative.

The players are not softer, weaker or less manly than previous generations. They are more educated and more informed and are acting accordingly. This nonsense citing of Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, or other legends never resting when healthy is dumb. You bring an outdated NFL mentality that “toughness” prevails. Superior healthy tactics replace your machismo perception.

Statements that players get paid millions of dollars to work 36 minutes a night are stupid. The amount of preparation and work ethic these players exhibit is world class. Their rare talent and the nature of their business are why they get paid so handsomely. Radio hosts and television personalities need to stop crying and drawing the ridiculous parallel that they show up to work everyday and have only taken one day off for sickness. Your job is not the same. Delivering your one to three hours of rhetoric is not the same as playing in the NBA.

Stop clamoring with the argument that players are there to entertain and therefore must play. That is not what they do. Players compete to win. And to win a championship, not every single insignificant-in-the-bigger-picture regular season game. The by-product is that they entertain because they compete to this end. We as fans choose to watch for our own entertainment and passion. Our viewership and loyalty do not shift the players’ and coaches’ responsibility to serve us over their own personal goals.

ESPN or Turner paying big money for these games is irrelevant. Every purchase or investment carries risks. The companies risk that on any given game the marquee players might be injured. That same risk applies to rest. The investment to broadcast certain national games does not give these companies leverage to determine coaching decisions. The players and coaches are not at fault for reacting to the schedule. Any fault lies with the league for scheduling games on a back-to-back.

Stop evoking the imagery of disappointed fans, especially young children. It is a cheap emotional tug to demonize teams, coaches and players. Again the goal is not to appease everybody, but to win a championship. Fans of all ages and demographics assume the same aforementioned risks when buying a ticket.

How do we eliminate those risks? The solution is to demand league accountability in its scheduling. If the schedule allows players to play all 82 games on adequate rest, they will play all 82 games on adequate rest. The league should spread out the season (or reduce the season, which will not happen) and eliminate jam-packed scheduling. Call out the league for accountability, not coaches and players.

Stop promoting faulty solutions such as fines or making a rule requiring healthy players to play. These are directed towards the wrong parties. The answer is not to make laws or hand down rulings that are unenforceable. It is frivolous and does not get the job done. Players will play a minute and exit. Coaches will list a possible injury or strain. Do not lead us down a path of antagonizing the talent.

Your job is to report the sport news. You educate the public with your point of view. You create progress with your power. First accept disappointment over inciting outrage. Then calmly and collectively direct your efforts to pushing for change to the correct responsible parties. End your mob mentality.