The NBA has had an issue with keeping star players healthy the past several years, but especially so this season. Because of the increased injury risks and how losing a star player can change an entire season — like it has for the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers — teams are incentivized to lighten the burden on their star players.
The Cleveland Cavaliers did just that last week. They rested Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley for their Nov. 12 win over the Miami Heat. Their official injury designation
was “rest” that evening. As such, the league has fined them $100,000 for sitting out both of their All-NBA players.
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This was the right thing to do from a basketball perspective. The Heat play at the fastest pace in the league. They’re a difficult team to go against, especially for stars who typically play heavy minutes.
The Cavaliers had lost in overtime to the Heat two nights before this game, and last Wednesday’s rematch with the Heat was the front-end of a back-to-back. Considering the Cavs were playing the Toronto Raptors, another team that plays at a high pace, and they’re already missing a star in Darius Garland with a toe injury, sitting Mitchell and Mobley made complete sense.
Whether or not hefty, six-figure fines like this help player participation is unknown. I’m not sure how many teams have decided to play their stars in situations like this to avoid the penalty.
What we can confidently say is that things like this are going to keep happening. The pace and speed the game is played isn’t going to come down. Things like this are going to keep happening as long as there are 82-game seasons.
And, it worked out for the Cavs in the end anyway. They won this game thanks to a brilliant performance from their bench and a great showing from Jarrett Allen.
So really, the only loser in this whole thing is Dan Gilbert’s wallet.
