Durant: Resting controversy is only about 'like 5 players'
Kevin Durant called it like he saw it Wednesday, saying the NBA's displeasure over teams resting players on short notice only involves a handful of superstars.
"The truth about it is, it's only for a couple of players in the league," Durant told ESPN's Chris Haynes. "They don't care if the 13th man on the bench rest(s). It's only for like LeBron (James), Steph (Curry), (James) Harden, Russell (Westbrook). It's only for like five players, so you want a rule just for those five players?"
NBA commissioner Adam Silver sent a memo to league owners last week, raising concerns about the potential impact of resting marquee players on the league's business partnerships. This came on the heels of the Cleveland Cavaliers sitting LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love for a nationally televised game against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Durant, who's been out since Feb. 28 with a left MCL sprain, said breaks are necessary during an 82-game season that often features back-to-backs and irregular travel patterns.
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"Players if anything, need a mental break sometimes," Durant said. "And sorry, they're human. They go through so much every single day. There are so many obligations off the court that you don't know about ... family. ... It might not be a physical break, it might just be a reset mentally and I get that."
At the same time, he sympathizes with fans.
"I also get if I was a fan and could afford to get tickets and I'm circling LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Russell Westbrook on my calendar, I would want to see them play live," Durant said. "I would be disappointed as well. I see it from the fans' perspective and the players' perspective. I'm caught right in the middle."
The bigger issue for the NBA is its TV contracts with ABC/ESPN and TNT. The aforementioned Cavaliers-Clippers game tied the lowest NBA rating ever on broadcast television. While other factors may have been at play, resting big names didn't help.
Durant's correct to assert the concerns are only about superstars on marquee teams: Nobody has admonished the lowly Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns for shutting down Luol Deng, Eric Bledsoe, and Brandon Knight, respectively.
Improvements to scheduling could reduce the frequency of rest games, and the league's expected to shorten the preseason in such an effort.