Last week, the NBA instituted new and stricter rules on how organizations like the Los Angeles Lakers rest their top stars, and it’s a new stance that the Lakers’ top decision-maker Jeanie Buss is supportive of despite the notable effect it could have on her team.
The term “maintenance days” has become an ugly phrase for some in the NBA offices and with fans around the United States. The tactic is used by many elite teams to try and preserve their stars during the grind of the regular season and playoffs. But it has come at the cost of ticket buyers who miss out on seeing star players in person and national television audiences expecting world-class athletes facing off on their TV screens.
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NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has made it well known he is not a fan of the practice, and in trying to curb it the league formulated a new policy last week to penalize teams that use the strategy often. Under the new policy “stars” are defined as players that have been on an All-Star or All-NBA in the last three years. They are now not allowed to sit for national television games, and multiple stars on the same team can’t sit without a serious injury or they could incur a fine of as much as $1 million.
It is something that could have a major effect on the Lakers. A team that has a 39-year-old star in Lebron James, and another elite talent in Anthony Davis who has a long injury history and just signed a massive $186 million extension this summer.
Los Angeles Lakers President supportive of new stricter NBA resting policy
However, despite the influence it could have on her current roster, Los Angeles President and Controlling owner Jeanie Buss is supportive of the new policy for several reasons.
“I think Adam Silver addressed it very well [and] it’s important to the fans to see the big names,” Buss told Sportsnaut. “I think we will never compromise a player’s health and safety, but rest has not been proven to be a reason why a player does or doesn’t get an injury.
“… And they’re damaging themselves if they’re taking nights off because they have endorsement contracts with their shoe company and with other sponsors,” she added. “And for the sponsors, it’s important to them that the player is playing on the large platform. So I think it’s something that has been addressed by the league and we will abide by those rules. “
Yet, while Buss is understanding of the new policy and isn’t a devoted believer in maintenance days, she does see some positives in it that will be lost via the new rules.
“On the other hand, when playing time becomes available, a player like Austin Reaves rises to the occasion,” said Buss. “Playing time is so valuable in the NBA that if a star player decides they want to rest, somebody else is going to shine in that spot.”
Austin Reaves landed a sizable max deal in the Summer due to becoming a major part of the Los Angeles Lakers roster over the last two seasons. A pair of seasons where James and Davis played no more than 56 games in either year due to injuries and rest days.