NBA's Newest Rule Will Cost Cavaliers Star Donovan Mitchell All-NBA Recognition
Load management is considered one of the biggest challenges facing the NBA today. Which is why the association rolled out a new rule at the start of the season that required players to play at least 65 games to qualify for any of the league's end of season honors.
The rule was implemented with the best of intentions. Like the Darth Vader's Death Star though, the rule comes with one major, unintended flaw: players who are actually hurt may lose out on an opportunity to be recognized after the season. The Cavaliers found that out first hand after ruling out star guard Donovan Mitchell for a seventh straight game.
His absence means the maximum number of games he can play this season is capped at 64, one short of the required number to be considered for postseason accolades. That means Mitchell will miss out on All-NBA honors, despite the fact that Mitchell is averaging 28 points for a second consecutive season and averaging career highs in assists per game (6.2) and rebounds (5.4).
"He's obviously deserving," said Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff before the team's meeting with Phoenix. "I think I understand where the league is coming from, as far as trying to get guys to play games. [But] I mean in Donovan's case, these aren't rest games. If there was a limit or number of rest games or something that the league could come up with, I think it would be better."
Fans often circle specific matchups on their local team's schedule, then fork over a small fortune to attend, hoping to catch the league's biggest stars. Bickerstaff, like many others around the league, understands that and agrees with the overall premise of the rule, which is strictly about the business of basketball.
That doesn't mean the rule, in its first iteration, is perfect though.
Feb 15, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff talks with guard Donovan Mitchell (45) during a break in the second quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
"It's a tough one," he said. "But, everybody knows Donovan Mitchell is an All-NBA player and he's had an All-NBA season. I don't think you should be punished for injuries. I think there's a way around it with the rest games and those types of things."
This is hardly the first time the new rule has inspired some vocal push-back around the league. At the end of January, 76ers star Joel Embiid suffered a displaced flap of the meniscus in his left knee and has been out indefinitely ever since. While the reigning MVP is closing in on a return to the floor, like Mitchell, he's out of the consideration when it comes to postseason awards.
Some around the league suggested that Embiid suffered a more serious knee injury because he pushed himself to play, knowing he was closing in on missing the 65-game threshold. Fortunately, both Embiid and Mitchell are expected back soon, but their inability to take home any sort of accolade after the season is a tough pill to swallow.
"I don't know if the numbers the right number," Suns head coach Frank Vogel said prior to Monday's game. "But I do think there's value in having a cutoff. It seems like the right thing to do. But then when you see guys like Donovan and Embiid being left out that does not feel right. So it's just one of those things, I'm sure the league will look at it. They do a great job trying to make the best decisions with these things."
Don't expect the rule to go away entirely anytime soon. League commissioner Adam Silver said during the All-Star Break that they've seen an uptick in the number of games players have participated in this season. That means the rule is here to stay. Silver could, however, revisit the parameters of the rule and perhaps reconsider the number of games a players must play, or distinguishing between players sitting out for actual injuries and those simply executing load management.
In the meantime, guys like Mitchell and Embiid will have to earn more career accolades until next season.
