Michael Jordan appalled by ‘load management’ in NBA
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Michael Jordan, NBA Hall of Famer, feels players should play unless they are unable to.
PHOTO: AFP
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WASHINGTON – Michael Jordan offered his unflinching thoughts on National Basketball Association (NBA) players taking games off for “load management” in his latest appearance on NBC’s coverage of the league on Oct 28.
Chicago Bulls legend Jordan, appearing for the second time on the Insights To Excellence segment, aired after the Milwaukee Bucks-New York Knicks broadcast, said he is not buying the need for players to rest for the sake of rest.
“It shouldn’t be needed, first and foremost,” Jordan said. “You know, I never wanted to miss a game because it was an opportunity to prove – it was something that I felt like, you know, the fans are there that watch me play.
“I want to impress that guy way up on top who probably worked his ass off to get a ticket or to get money to buy the ticket.”
Jordan played 70-plus games in nearly every season for the Bulls.
The only exceptions were his second professional season in 1985-86, when he suffered a broken foot, and in 1994-95, when he made a comeback after his first retirement.
At the height of his popularity, Jordan and the Bulls were a travelling circus and a virtually impossible ticket at home and on the road.
“You have a duty that if they’re wanting to see you and as an entertainer – I want to show, right?” Jordan said. “So if the guys are coming to watch me play, I don’t want to miss that opportunity.
“Physically, if I can’t do it, then I can’t do it. But physically, if I can do it and I just don’t feel like doing it, that’s a whole different lens.”
Jordan was also visibly perturbed when discussing other players sitting out during the recording of the documentary The Last Dance, a Netflix production that captured the final seasons of the Bulls’ dynasty.
Kobe Bryant, the late Lakers star, shared a similar position on “load management”. He played through injuries and told teammates to rest on days when the team are not scheduled to play because “it’s your job to perform”.
However, Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr believes “we are asking way too much of our players”, adding “the game has never been more difficult to play at a high level”.
Kerr, Jordan’s former teammate in Chicago, did not miss a game for four seasons between 1993 and 1997.
He said previously: “Back then, you played the game at a very small circumference. Now, it’s a big, wide circle and you have to cover the entire court.
“Everyone is playing faster. The numbers do show that our players and the NBA are covering way more ground than they were 15, 20 years ago.”
Meanwhile, in on-court action on Oct 28, Jimmy Butler put up a game-high 21 points without shooting a free throw as Kerr’s Warriors blitzed the Los Angeles Clippers 98-79 in San Francisco.
Elsewhere, the reigning NBA champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, fuelled by 31 points from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, rallied to beat the Sacramento Kings 107-101 to improve to 5-0 in the season.
The Philadelphia 76ers also remained unbeaten, erasing a double-digit deficit to improve to 4-0 with a thrilling 139-134 overtime victory over the Wizards in Washington.
In Milwaukee, Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 37 points with eight rebounds and seven assists as the Bucks beat the New York Knicks 121-111.
In Miami, Jaime Jaquez Jr scored a season-high 28 points off the bench, leading the Heat to a 144-117 win over the visiting Charlotte Hornets. REUTERS, AFP
