Kendrick Perkins, Robert Parish Forcefully Join NBA ‘Load Management’ Debate

https://nesn.com/2019/11/kendrick-perkins-robert-parish-forcefully-enter-nba-load-management-debate/



Kendrick Perkins, Robert Parish Forcefully Join NBA ‘Load Management’ Debate



by Marcus Kwesi O'Mard

on Thu, Nov 7, 2019 at 6:02PM



Despite having played in vastly different NBA eras, Robert Parish and Kendrick Perkins agree on “load management” in the association.

The former Boston Celtics centers have offered their opinions on the raging load-management debate in the aftermath of the Los Angeles Clippers’ decision to rest superstar forward Kawhi Leonard in their team’s highly anticipated, nationally televised matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night. While Leonard’s DNP has divided opinions among NBA observers, Perkins and Parish fall firmly on the healthy-players-must-play side.

Perkins, 34, aired his views Wednesday night via Twitter, first blaming San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich for resting Leonard for most of 2017-18, as he recovered from a quad injury.

“We all should give a big Thank You to the Greg Pop for starting this load management BS,” Perkins wrote in a Tweet.

Kendrick Perkins @KendrickPerkins We all should give a big Thank You to the Greg Pop for starting this load management BS. 1,447 11:29 AM - Nov 6, 2019


“Man stop this Kevin!!!” Perkins continued. “Kawhi should be playing tonight! It’s to early In the damn season for this load management BS! Matter of fact ho about giving the season ticket holders there money back when he don’t play?”

Kevin O'Connor
@KevinOConnorNBA  · Nov 6, 2019
Kawhi Leonard has dealt with a chronic quad problem for seven years. Kawhi said he wouldn't have gotten to the Finals without load management. Yet we're debating if he should rest? Maybe Kawhi, the person dealing with the issue, and his actual doctors know better than we do.


Kendrick Perkins
@KendrickPerkins
Man stop this Kevin!!! Kawhi should be playing tonight! It’s to early In the damn season for this load management BS! Matter of fact ho about giving the season ticket holders there money back when he don’t play? 641

1:41 PM - Nov 6, 2019



“TV deals, ticket prices and the fan experience connected to merchandise is a big reason why players get paid what they do,” Perkins concluded. “Players have to hold up on their end of the deal by giving fans what they pay for. This load management stuff is getting out of hand!”

Kendrick Perkins
@KendrickPerkins
TV deals, ticket prices and the fan experience connected to merchandise is a big reason why players get paid what they do. Players have to hold up on their end of the deal by giving fans what they pay for. This load management stuff is getting out of hand! 3,446
1:54 PM - Nov 6, 2019


Parish, 66, is the NBA’s all-time leader in games played, and the opinion on load management he shared Thursday morning on SiriusXM NBA Radio shouldn’t surprise anyone.

“I’m not a fan, personally, of taking games off,” Parish said. “I think that’s where the mental toughness comes in because it’s not just about the physical toughness. You’ve got to be mentally tough because everybody nurses injuries, suffering from fatigue. You’ve got to fight through that, push through that.

“… You’ve got to push through the soreness, the aches and pains, ‘I don’t feel like playing tonight,’ you’ve got to push through that because … the guy you’re playing against feels the same way. He doesn’t want to be out there either. So it just boils down to how much you want it (to win).”

SiriusXM NBA Radio
@SiriusXMNBA
Nobody has played more games in the @NBA than Robert Parish The Hall of Famer tells @JoelMeyersNBA & @bwood_33 what he thinks about "load management"
https://twitter.com/SiriusXMNBA/status/1192479835735699457


Leonard’s experience with the Toronto Raptors last season belies Perkins’ and Parish’s beliefs, as the All-Star forward credits the fact he played just 66 games in the regular season for the freshness he demonstrated in the team’s triumphant run through the NBA playoffs.

If the Raptors’ and Clippers’ handling of Leonard will set a trend in the NBA, we’re certain Perkins, Parish and other old-school types won’t like it.



bob


.

But if Kawhi gets hurt, then he can't play in the games that fans expect him to participate in. It also means that the Clippers lose out on their investment. And then the narrative wouldn't be why he was taking games off, but rather why the Clippers weren't doing a better job managing his health.



KJ

Didn't the NBA say he's got patella tendinitis; and since that only responds to rest and gets worse with play it seems he's just managing through a nagging type injury.

The problem that I have is that he played the first of B2B games and then took the night off against the Bucks.  He should have played against the Bucks and rested against Portland.

I understand the whole argument about fans wanting to see the greats out on the court on a nightly basis; but on the other hand, fans wants titles, too. This is the entire reason for playing. When you win, you aren't going to care about the fact that your main superstar wasn't playing in back-to-backs.


KJ

I am with Perk and Chief. Another example of coddled modern athlete, and why you cant compare eras.

Imagine Larry Bird or MJs stats if they rested like these guys?

mrkleen09 wrote:I am with Perk and Chief.  Another example of coddled modern athlete, and why you cant compare eras.

Imagine Larry Bird or MJs stats if they rested like these guys?

Just because they did these things in the past doesn't mean they should now "because tradition." KL is definitely not a soft player by any means. I think it's the right decision if he's having chronic quad and knee problems. These things obviously impact his mobility and explosiveness.


KJ

If a guy is injured then he is injured, but if he just needs a rest, he should be rested in home games. Lots of Milwaukee fans payed their money to see Leonard play the other night. Let's see how the Clippers fans feel if he sits out some home games due to 'load management".

And remember the difference in number of games played back in Russell's 1st year back in 1956 vs 2018-19.
1956-57,,,, regular season plus playoffs = 87 game potential
2018-19,,,, regular season plus playoffs = 110 game potential

swish

Health comes first. If the Celtics had managed Bird's back and not played McHale with a broken foot, they might have lasted longer and won another championship or two.

wideclyde wrote:If a guy is injured then he is injured, but if he just needs a rest, he should be rested in home games.  Lots of Milwaukee fans payed their money to see Leonard play the other night.  Let's see how the Clippers fans feel if he sits out some home games due to 'load management".

wideclyde

As a spectator - just an inherent risk you take - especially late in the season when teams tend to use the bench in favor of late season rest for highly used vets.

swish

jrleftfoot wrote:Health comes first. If the Celtics had managed Bird's back and not played McHale with a broken foot, they might have lasted longer and won another championship or two.

Impossible to argue against this one.

+1

swish wrote:And remember the difference in number of games played back in Russell's 1st year back in 1956 vs 2018-19.              
1956-57,,,, regular season plus playoffs = 87 game potential
2018-19,,,, regular season plus playoffs = 110 game potential

 swish

swish,

I think you went back too far, perhaps by nearly 30 years. I think comparing 1985-86 is more apt than the 50's, since Parrish played in the 80's and he is giving his opinion on the subject. I don't think the difference would be so big as 23 games.

Another thing to consider is preseason. Now they play only 4 games. Back in the 50's and 60's, they played all over New England, barnstorming I think they called it. They even played on my high school court (I was in grade school then).

Games are games. For a true comparison, you need to add up preseason, regular season and playoffs to come up with the real total game potential number.

Just a thought.

gyso

swish,

I completely understand your thoughts on resting players late in the year, but this season is not even 10 games old yet.

wideclyde wrote:swish,

I completely understand your thoughts on resting players late in the year, but this season is not even 10 games old yet.

wideclyde

It's a comparitively new concept in player minute management - time will tell as to its validity.

swish

Not buying it. If you are hurt fine, go take time off to heal. But otherwise, I call bullshit.

You think Leonard plays a more physically demanding brand of basketball than KG, Kobe or Paul Pierce?

The players run the league now - and this is the outcome. Sad.

If I paid the premium prices that come with a specific game to see a particular player and/or team (Steph Curry/GSW, for instance) and he took the game off for "load management" purposes, I would be extremely pissed off. It is already too expensive to go to the games, it definitely would be the last straw.

If the players want the money, they should go out of their way to keep the fans happy.

swish,

I again see your point, but I would guess that any fans in Milwaukee who paid to see a game with Leonard playing the other night will not accept your point.

It is a new concept, and we will see how it turns out, but teams who want to "rest" their stars need to rest these guys at home games.

Am I alone in saying I have no problem with Doc if he decides to load manage Leonard when they play the Celtics.

jr,

Rivers will very unlikely rest Leonard against the Cs even if the player is past his "load management" numbers unless it is late in the season and/or the game does not matter for whatever reason.

I was just kidding Clyde.