What Can Adam Silver Do About The Resting Players Epidemic?

With the NBA wide strategy of resting players taking full effect, commissioner Adam Silver is at a crossroads

The Cleveland Cavaliers resting their Big Three Sunday night caused quite the uproar. But it wasn’t this single occurrence alone that caused the stir. The “resting players strategy” has been a trend for quite some time, and this was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

A strategy implemented by Gregg Popovich in seasons prior, the “resting” tactic is now sweeping the NBA. While a smart move for the team and its players, it’s an awful pain in the neck for the fans and the league alike.

Which is why Adam Silver is taking action. Or, at least trying to. In a memo sent out to all 30 teams, he spoke on the “severity” of the issue.

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But what exactly can he do about it? The truth is, not much.

Adam’s Options

In the memo, he said that teams who fail to abide by the league’s current “resting rule” will be subject to punishment. But didn’t specify what said “punishment” would be. And the rule that he cited has inherent gaping holes.

The rule states that teams need to give notice to their opponent, the league office, and the media immediately upon deciding that they’re going to be resting players. But the fact is that there’s no way that the NBA office can determine whether a team is lying. The team could say that the decision was made just before tip-off, and there’s no way it can be proven otherwise.

But he can still try and fine teams who he feels violate the rule. It’s how David Stern addressed the issue. But Stern’s situation was different. Only the Spurs used the resting strategy back then. Now every contender does.

Stern’s Precedent

And it’s not like David Stern didn’t try and fine the Spurs, because he did. He just didn’t do it very often. In fact, the only time he did was when he dropped a $250,000 fine on San Antonio because they didn’t let anyone know of their resting tactics until just before the game. In his own words, Stern said that the act was a “disservice to the league and the fans.”

But legal experts met this punishment with harsh criticisms. Most predicted that an ugly legal battle would ensue had the league continued the fines.

This puts Adam Silver in a tough position. He wants to enforce the rule. But the rule is flawed, as are possible punishments.

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For now, he should just hope that his stern (no pun intended) rhetoric on Monday’s memo scares teams into abiding by the “rule.” He doesn’t have any other cards to play.