Photo: Thearon W. Henderson
Rob Parker: “Adam Silver is the enabling commissioner who is babying these players into not wanting to play an entire season. It’s the worst of the worst. Have you ever thought you’re not supposed to play for 20 years? Maybe you’re only meant to play for 13-15 years and call it a career. Other players in the past have put their blood, sweat and tears into the game, and they didn’t have the same access to better doctors, misuses and all of the other technologies players these days have access to. This whole notion that they can’t play back to backs and that’s the reason they get injured is nonsense. Lopping 10 games off the schedule won’t prevent guys from getting hurt, it’s unfortunate, but injuries are part of the game. The 82 game schedule works, and it’s about making these guys earn their keep. Baseball plays 162 games through the middle of summer, and albeit, not every player plays every day, but they play much more than NBA players.”
Chris Broussard: “I’ve longed felt like the NBA should go to a 68 game season, and it has nothing to with load management, or injuries, but more to do with the intensity and value of each game. The level of play would be better, the drama would heighten. But Rob, your point about players back in the day having shorter careers, is a great observation. Players like Isaiah Thomas, Larry Bird Magic Johnson only played 13 seasons, while LeBron is going into his 20th season, same with Vince Carter, Kevin Garnett, Jason Kidd and Reggie Miller. They’re proof it can be done. However the money they are earning, which we aren’t against, is making today’s players primadonnas.”
The Odd Couple’s Chris Broussard and Rob Parker react to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver’s potential initiative to shorten the NBA season. While Rob has a strong stance against lowering the number of games in an NBA season, Chris is open to the idea, and feels that the quality of the game would increase with it!