“I think it's a stupid rule, like a lot of guys in the league, but it's what the owners want, so as players we have to do our job and play 65 games if we can.”
With his hamstring strain, Tyrese Haliburtonwho had had an impressive season until then, was caught up by the new rule requiring players to play a minimum of 65 regular season matches to be eligible for the various personal distinctions awarded at the end of the year.
Tens of millions at stake
In wanting to slow down “load management” and thus force players to play as many regular season matches as possible, the NBA is in the process of alienating several superstars. Especially for a story involving very big money.
For the leader of the Pacers who signed a five-year extension for 205.9 million dollars which begins this summer, it is potentially a sum of 54 million dollars which could evaporate, if he were not to be elected in one of three “All-NBA Teams” at the end of the year. With already 13 games missed, he will exceed the authorized limit if he misses another five games, enough to make him wait until next April.
“I'm human like you, I go on the internet too. I completely understand, especially what is at stake financially for me too. But at the end of the day, I also have to take care of my body as best as possible and put myself in the best situation possible. I know I don't have a ton of games left to miss.”, he added.
The other main one concerned is none other than the reigning MVP of the league, Joel Embiidcurrently affected by a knee injury and who sees the same uncertainty looming despite his exceptional first part of the season.
His replacement at the Sixers at position 5, Paul Reed, expressed his point of view on the matter, and the additional pressure that it could generate among the superstars of the league, beyond the purely financial aspect.
“I did not sign for this 65-match rule. I don't remember signing any papers, you know what I mean? » he told the press. “I assume the union has agreed. They probably didn't have a choice, to be honest. Yes it is difficult. This adds a lot of pressure to the players. We were just talking about it. A lot of pressure, especially for a guy like Joel Embiid, who is trying to become MVP again. ».
Money before players' health
Teammate of Joel Embiid and Paul Reed, Kelly Oubre recalls that each player has a different physique, and reacts differently to repeated efforts. Joints and muscles do not have the same resistance depending on the players and profiles.
So many elements and comments which counterbalance the thesis put forward by Joe Dumars according to which there is no correlation between injuries and the sequence of matches.
“There are people who put pressure on him to force himself to be exceptional when he weighs more than 130 kilos and is 2.13 m tall? It's like that “laments Kelly Oubre Jr about Joel Embiid. “This year, people are really going to understand that his whole career he had to make sure his body was okay. It's like a NASCAR car. If the cars aren't running and the mechanics aren't able to do the work before the race, what can they do? Drivers cannot ride. It's about our body. Our body is our bodywork and we must treat it with respect. He weighs more than 130 kilos! I pray he makes a quick recovery, so he can come back and give himself the best chance. But in the end, it doesn't matter. It’s his body and his career that are the most important.”
Did Joel Embiid force his return?
The risk would indeed be that Joel Embiid returns faster than expected to go beyond the limit of 65 games, and be eligible for his succession.
For Draymond Green, this may be what happened during Joel Embiid's return against the Warriors. The Sixers pivot left the field after a clash with Jonathan Kuminga, and his unavailability could be longer than expected.
According to the Golden State insider, this rule is simply “bullshit.” “I have the impression that if Joel played tonight, it’s really because there is this rule of 65 games to play. What I think is that it's a lot of bullshit to say that players have already had to deal with these rules before.”, he confided. “At the end, we have Joel Embiid who played tonight and who forces himself, finds himself in a strange action with Jonathan Kuminga who dives on the ball… Maybe it won't be as serious. But I don't really agree with all that. Now we have one of our best players, the MVP of our league, who could be injured for a long period of time, because he forced his return.”
So many voices that could encourage the NBA to review its arsenal of measures to “boost” interest and participation in the regular season. For Rick Carlisle, president of the coaches union, the question could quickly come back to the table.
“It will be a subject of debate. There are a lot of top players who will be close to the threshold. The other thing is when you get to the NBA Cup Finals, you play a game that doesn't count as a game played. This is also a subject of serious debate. We'll see where this goes with all these guys, Tyrese included.”concludes Rick Carlisle, directly concerned by this problem with his leader.
