The term “load management” stands as a hot topic of conversation right now across the NBA world.
Simply, load management is defined as a tactic when players are being rested by their teams in order to prevent injuries, preserve their availability and be ready enough to play especially when the postseason time comes.
For years, it has been a polarizing topic in basketball. And just recently, Michael Jordan reopened the discussions in an NBC interview, criticizing load management and claiming that it "shouldn't be needed."
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As one of the league's well-known vocal figures, Steve Kerr always knows a thing or two about load management.
And for the Golden State Warriors head coach, it simply all started with Gregg Popovich.
“He was definitely a pioneer in that regard,” Kerr said about Popovich on Thursday (h/t The Athletic’s Nick Friedell), who ironically saw his Warriors team get outlasted by the Milwaukee Bucks that made Giannis Antetokounmpo a late scratch on the injury report.
“And he was coaching a team that was making deep playoff runs, almost every year. And he recognized the toll on these guys as the game was speeding up. So I think Pop definitely kind of popularized the idea of the rest and the benefits.”
The Hall of Fame coach was indeed way too ahead of his time, implementing load management for his old San Antonio Spurs team from the past decade.
Infamously in 2012, the Spurs were fined $250,000 by late commissioner David Stern after Popovich didn't play Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili during a November regular season game against the Miami Heat. Stern deemed Popovich’s action as "a disservice to the league and the fans."
But apparently, load management made wonders for Popovich and the Spurs. Despite having the league's oldest roster, they made it to the 2013 NBA Finals and went on to win the franchise's fifth championship the following year.
Load management might be problematic for most fans, experts and everyone watching the game. But with injuries becoming more common now, NBA teams will always do whatever it takes to have the best shot at winning it all, even if it means resting their top players at certain spots in the regular season.
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