By sitting LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love for Wednesday’s game at the Grizzlies, the Cavaliers created a small firestorm. It seems any of the stars – especially LeBron – could have played, but rest took priority.
That didn’t go over well with old-school observers and fans in Memphis.
Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue addressed one of those groups.
Lue, via Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com:“Of course you want to see LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love play,” Lue said. “But we have 11 other professionals in the locker room that are also professional players and will also give you everything they got. So hopefully they will give you a good game. Those guys in there are NBA champions also.
“So, I understand the fans’ reaction, but it was nothing toward the Memphis fans or the organization, or (Grizzlies coach David) Fizdale, who’s my guy.”
There’s a reason teams – especially those, like the Cavs, gearing up for a long playoff run – rest players. All the medical data indicates additional rest helps players and teams in the long run.
But stars like LeBron also help the league draw revenue, and by sitting him, the Cavaliers essentially emphasize their own interests and leave it to other teams to maximize revenue (some of which is shared).
There’s no easy answer here, but I appreciate Lue acknowledging the unintended effects of his decision and the people it harmed. If it makes Grizzlies fans feel any better, Memphis won by eight.