This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Tim Duncan remained an all-star caliber player until the final few years before his retirement as the best power forward who played the game.
Know how he did it? Well, natural talent for one thing. He also took terrific care of himself. And he had a coach in Gregg Popovich, who was ahead of his time. Pop had the foresight to preserve Duncan during the final 10 seasons of the his career by routinely holding him out of regular season games for rest purposes.
As a result, Duncan remained a centerpiece of the San Antonio Spurs through the end of his 30s. And the Spurs remained title contenders, and were able to seamlessly pass the torch of the franchise from Duncan to Kawhi Leonard, who is now one of the best players in the league.
All of those games Popovich rested Duncan, as well as Manu Ginobli and Tony Parker. All of those injury reports that listed Duncan out, with "old" as the official reason. There wasn't a peep from the larger NBA. Oh, there was some blowback, but it was minimal. Popovich was hailed as a genius for preserving Duncan, allowing him to remain an impact player, almost to the end.
Now that Ty Lue is doing the same exact thing with LeBron James in Cleveland, it's quite interesting to see the criticism James and the Cavs are drawing.
To wit: After James rested on the tail end of a back-to-back, TV analyst Dan Dakich took to Twitter with a pointed rant directed James' way.
When James rested earlier in Memphis, the cries of foul on social media were heard loud and clear. And national sports talk shows had a new subject to talk about.
There's nothing wrong with James resting. There's nothing wrong with any star taking games off during the grind of an 82-game NBA season. The goal isn't to be fresh in January, especially in James' case. The goal is to be fresh for the postseason. And if that means taking 10 games off, well, you take those 10 games off.
What about the fans? They pay their money and have a right to be angry if they plunk down cash to see James sit on a bench. The ire was palpable in Memphis because it was the Cavs' only appearance there this season. Jazz fans surely would have been unhappy had James sat out Tuesday's game at Vivint SmartHome Arena.
Yet, this isn't Ty Lue's problem. Lue's job is to coach Cleveland to another title. And if that means resting James, he should be rested. The minute he panders to fans, much less opposing fans, he's doing his franchise and his players a disservice.
James is 32 years old and has played the most minutes in NBA history for a player his age. Remember Kobe Bryant at 34? In 2013, he played a brutal load of minutes in trying to get the Los Angeles Lakers to the playoffs. In game 80 — against the Golden State Warriors — Bryant tore his Achilles tendon. He would rehab the injury and return to basketball, but his career as a great player essentially ended on that moment.
Is there correlation there? Maybe, maybe not. Players can suffer major injuries at any point in their careers. But in the NBA, the belief in controlling what you can control is a strong one. Resting Tim Duncan at age 31 clearly helped make him a better-than-your-average 38-year-old.
If Ty Lue wants to use that same experiment with LeBron James, he's within his rights. Especially since most of us never said a word when Gregg Popovich was doing the same thing with Tim Duncan.
Twitter: @tribjazz NBA Power Rankings
1. Golden State Warriors • Blew out the Pistons on Thursday. Rematch against the Cavaliers looms Monday.
2. Cleveland Cavaliers • Almost dropped them a spot because of losses at Utah and Portland, but LeBron never beats them on road.
3. San Antonio Spurs • The NBA's version of the Terminator. They never die, and never stop coming after you.
4. Houston Rockets • Finally lost one, to Minnesota. But they've been the hottest team in the league.
5. Los Angeles Clippers • Have won five straight. Moral of the story: They need Chris Paul healthy to be good.
6. Boston Celtics • Behind Toronto in the standings, but they look like the second best team in the Eastern Conference.
7. Toronto Raptors • Not as good defensively as last year. In related news, Bismack Biyombo now plays in Orlando.
8. Utah Jazz • Really favorable schedule over the next 10 games. Can the Jazz take advantage?
9. Memphis Grizzlies • As Grit N' Grind as they have ever been. Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph never seem to age.
10. Oklahoma City Thunder • Russell Westbrook wracked up more triple-doubles this week. He's the modern day Oscar Robertson.
11. Atlanta Hawks • Traded Kyle Korver, put Paul Millsap on the block, took Millsap off the block. Through it all, fourth in the East.
12. Milwaukee Bucks • A bunch of teams lumped in here. But Giannis, plus Jabari Parker = young talent that others can't match.
13. Indiana Pacers • Were on a roll, until Denver scored 140 points on them on Thursday.
14. Charlotte Hornets • Kemba Walker for #nbavote. ... yes, he should be an all-star.
15. Washington Wizards • John Wall is playing at an MVP level to get the Wizards out of the early hole they dug for themselves.
16. Portland Trail Blazers • They've been playing better of late to regain the eighth spot in the West.
17. Sacramento Kings • Staying in playoff contention because of DeMarcus Cousins. He's been that good.
18. Chicago Bulls • Looks like Rajon Rondo's string of DNP — CDs has come to an end.
19. Denver Nuggets • Can score with the best of them. And defend with the worst of them.
20. New Orleans Pelicans • Suddenly, they are squarely in playoff contention. Getting Tyreke Evans back has been big.
21. Detroit Pistons • In the middle of a brutal trip through the Western Conference. They must find a way to maintain.
22. New York Knicks • Derrick Rose disappears for an entire game. Yep, the Phil Jackson era is going swimmingly.
23. Orlando Magic • Aaron Gordon is playing the best basketball of his young career.
24. Minnesota Timberwolves • Beat Houston for the kind of quality win is enough to jump them a few spots from the bottom.
25. Los Angeles Lakers • Starting to play their worst basketball of the season. San Antonio obliterated them.
26. Philadelphia 76ers • For the first time, trusting the process is starting to pay off on the court. And Ben Simmons hasn't played yet.
27. Dallas Mavericks • Playing better, but the hole is so deep, it's tough to climb out of.
28. Miami Heat • The bottom has fallen out. But if anyone can rebuild quickly, it's Pat Riley.
29. Phoenix Suns • Devin Booker continues to impress with his shooting and playmaking.
30. Brooklyn Nets • Can you say hapless? They've lost eight straight, are 1-17 on the road and Boston can swipe their No. 1 draft pick.