NBA executive vice president of basketball operations Joe Dumars says the league’s data no longer shows the benefits of load management, according to Joe Vardon and Sam Amick of The Athletic. As Vardon and Amick write, the term “load management” has become ubiquitous in recent years, but it generally refers to the practice of resting players — particularly stars — to theoretically reduce the risk of injury.
“Before, it was a given conclusion that the data showed that you had to rest players a certain amount, and that justified them sitting out,” said Dumars. “We’ve gotten more data, and it just doesn’t show that resting, sitting guys out correlates with lack of injuries, or fatigue, or anything like that. What it does show is maybe guys aren’t as efficient on the second night of a back-to-back.”
Dumars added players should be striving to play all 82 games on the regular season schedule.
“Obviously everybody’s not going to play 82 games, but everyone should want to play 82 games. And that’s the culture that we are trying to reestablish right now,” he said.
In September, the league instituted its new player participation policy, which will impact 49 players who have made All-Star or All-NBA teams over the past three seasons. Stars sitting out games when they were healthy, plus the extremely lackluster All-Star game in February, evidently reached a tipping point for the league.
“You get here by not addressing it,” Dumars said. “You get here by slippage, by just slowly – year after year after year…just slowly over time – you see all this slippage in missing of games during the regular season, the All-Star Game devolving into what it did this past year. And none of that happened just like after one year. And so at some point, you have to stop the slide. You have to address it.”
The NBA is also in the process of negotiating a new media rights deal — the current contract expires after 2024/25. Obviously marquee players missing nationally televised games has been an issue in negotiations, as was the poorly-rated All-Star game, which turned off fans and broadcast partners. Dumars admitted all of those things played a factor in the participation policy, which he said the NBPA agreed to.
“Yeah, yes … I can’t [lie],” Dumars said with a laugh, per Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports. “That’s a part of it. To pretend it isn’t would just be dishonest.”
Evan Wasch, the NBA’s executive vice president of basketball strategy and analytics, was also on the call and offered his opinion on the matter.
“I also think we don’t need our TV partners to tell us that when teams sit players and players don’t try in an All-Star Game,” Wasch said, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN. “That makes for worse competition. Right? It’s incredibly obvious to us, and ultimately, we’re trying to serve fans. Yes, it’s the case that because we’re negotiating TV deals in the next year or two here, it takes on an even greater importance because we’re in the middle of those conversations; but we can self-identify that these were issues that need addressing independent of any outside.”
Dumars and Wasch said they’ve been meeting with teams ahead of the 2023/24 season to stress the importance of playing as many games as possible, creating a more competitive All-Star game, and promoting buy-in for the new in-season tournament.
The first thing you learn when it comes to data analysis – you can interpret any data any way if you try hard enough.
This is the expected position of the NBA regardless of the data. It’s stance of revenue stream support.
The solution to all of this is so clear … regardless of injury, fatigue and performance is clearly an issue, so they should eliminate all back-to-backs and shorten the season to somewhere around 65 games. But that will never happen… everyone is too greedy and want to line their pocketbooks as much as possible.
They just copied the NFL playbook on self studies lol
Problem with changing 82 game season is it will ruin the record books. No future player will be able to catch records when they get almost 20 less games a season.
Getting rid of back to backs could be done without eliminating games played, but season would stretch another month and NBAPA (crybabies) would rage that a month of offseason vacation time is cut. Too many sides to make happy to find real solutions.
Because playing more often means you have LESS chance of being injured?! Come on NBA.. this sounds as dumb as the NFL saying their players are no more prone to concussions than anyone else 15 years ago
Employer says breaks are unnecessary. We’re shocked.
The real answer is don’t miss a whole game every 7 games and I stead just as 32 minutes every game vs 38 minutes.
What’s the data on guys that play 37+ minutes a night. It’s dumb, don’t do that and you will be fine.
Not to mention it’s individualized. So.e guys have degenerative injuries and it’s fine for them to take off. But how about just play some instead of not at all.
Too true, too true!!!
Load management is nothing but a load of BS!
I’m all for players playing as much as possible, but putting pressure on players to ramp it up in the All Star game is foolish. In a strange way, being selected is something of a punishment as it is – you don’t get the break that non All Stars get. Asking them to go hard in a meaningless exhibition will eventually lead to a marquee name out for a significant chunk of time because of an injury suffered in a “competitive” All Star game. Imagine the uproar that will cause…
I’m not surprised one of the old heads is interpreting the data this way…
Maybe back to backs need to be eliminated before Joe will take the data seriously…
82 games is far too many anyway… A mid season tournament isn’t going to change the fact that 82 games is 20-30 games too many…
the result will just be the worst quality of NBA Basketball over an 82-game span. unfortunately I gotta say see you in the playoffs’…
Seems like the healthiest way to treat a starting NBA player is like any MLB starting pitcher. They need to consistently be throwing innings – but obviously if you push them beyond their pitch limits (minutes) then their body will break. They have a rest period, but more rest than they need will result in increased chance that they injure themselves when they go 0 to 60 in their next start.
“Load Management” or whatever they need to call it just needs consistency and it definitely shouldn’t come down to a GTD.
NBA players run 2-3 miles per 48 min game, pro soccer players run 5-7 mlies per 90 min game. Man City played 61 games last year and only 5 players played more than 50 games and no one played all of them. 50 out of 61 games equates to 67 out of 82 games in the NBA. NBA needs to let coaches and other staff determine what is best for the players during an 82 game season. Back-to-backs do not provide the proper recovery time and should be done away with.
“Yeah, yes … I can’t [lie],” Dumars said with a laugh, per Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports. “That’s a part of it. To pretend it isn’t would just be dishonest.”
Funny, he just lied by not admitting it’s all of it.
I thought these players were more athletic than the players before them. Every player took pride in playing 82 games. They also get paid way more than the players before them. The old heads are so much better. I understand kids now a days don’t want to work hard. I am really disappointed with the players (cry babys) today. I think everyone across the world should stop watching and worshipping these uneducated athletes. Sports and celebrities are the most important people ever. Pay them alot less of they cannot play 82 games a season. LeBron started this taking days off not the Spurs. Play 82 games like EVERYONE did before you. Privileged lives. Even scrubs would play 82 back then. Maybe they are just scrubs in today’s game. James Harden-Freemon Williams