NBA coaches are skeptical of league's new stance on 'load management'

Adam Silver reversed years of support for the medical value of resting players last month, introducing a stricter policy of player rest. That's the opposite of what Silver said at his annual State of the League address at All-Star Weekend in February, where he contended that "medical data" supported team's resting efforts.

Now, the league says that there's no data supporting load management, which one coach called "PR," telling The Athletic, "There are plenty of other studies that prove load management makes sense from an injury and recovery standpoint." The league hasn't released the studies that apparently changed their minds between February and September.

One piece of data that could be affecting the new anti-rest efforts, which include a 65-game minimum for players to qualify for awards and large fines for teams that sit star players, is the estimated price for the league's new television deal. Silver and the owners have been hoping to at least double their existing $2.66 billion package, but there are complicating factors.

Cable subscriptions are dropping this year, down 1.73 million in the second quarter. Disney CEO Robert Iger wants to sell off a portion of NBA broadcast partner ESPN due to declining profits. With an uncertain media landscape, Silver and the owners are understandably concerned about anything that might jeopardize their TV money — and that includes players sitting out.

But that's also why coaches and players are dubious about the league's medical claims. While many love restoring the idea that "every player should want to play 82 games," that doesn't mean they're ready to abandon all their sports science research. The NBA's medical data could be sound, but it's awfully convenient that it dovetails with their television interests.