Long seasons wear and tear (NHL & NBA)

External Since: Dec 18, 2006 Posts: 98

There has been a lot of discussion with Carmelo Anthony about how he
hurt the team with his 15 game suspension.

But in the NBA and the NHL, the wear and tear of a season can really
be seen by the time the regular season is over - especially for a
player that played all summer (as Anthony did).

I've seen players injured in the spring coming back rested for the Cup
run in the NHL, and expect similar cases happen in the NBA.

It may be advantageous for a playoff caliber team to lose a few games
- if it gives their stars a chance to rest and heal and be refreshed
before crunch time.

External Since: Nov 24, 2006 Posts: 85

Howard Brazee wrote:
> There has been a lot of discussion with Carmelo Anthony about how he
> hurt the team with his 15 game suspension.
>
> But in the NBA and the NHL, the wear and tear of a season can really
> be seen by the time the regular season is over - especially for a
> player that played all summer (as Anthony did).
>
> I've seen players injured in the spring coming back rested for the Cup
> run in the NHL, and expect similar cases happen in the NBA.
>
> It may be advantageous for a playoff caliber team to lose a few games
> - if it gives their stars a chance to rest and heal and be refreshed
> before crunch time.

Probably. I was also thinking. If Carmelo does not throw that punch
then he is not suspended and if he is not suspended then the Nuggets
will probably not have traded for Iverson. So does that mean that punch
was a good thing? Also Carmelo had a chance to rest up. Kind of ironic.