Photo Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Taking A Game Off? James Harden Won’t Sit Out Voluntarily!

Teams (Cavaliers, Spurs or Warriors) resting players is a hot topic these days. The fans who pay money to see the stars in action aren’t happy, the league’s TV partners aren’t thrilled about it either, just like NBA comissioner Adam Silver. In a memo to the teams Silver said:

“Resting players is an extremely significant issue for our league. If teams don’t follow league rules for reporting player injuries and illnesses, they will face significant penalties. Decisions of this kind do not merely implicate issues of player health and team performance on the court; they also can affect fans and business partners, impact our reputation, and damage the perception of our game. With so much at stake, it is simply not acceptable for Governors to be uninvolved or to defer decision-making authority on these matters to others in their organizations.”

 

Meanwhile MVP candidate James Harden isn’t a fan of taking a game off either, saying he can rest when the season is over.

“I’m a hooper. I just want to hoop. I’ll rest when I’m done. I feel like my teammates and organization need me to go out there and do what I do. I get obviously paid for it, but it’s something I love. I enjoy the grind. I enjoy how hard it is. I think that makes you tougher. That makes you who you are.”

Harden was asked if his coach Mike D’Antoni knows that he doesn’t want to sit out games, and Harden responded:

“Mike knows not to come at me with that.”

Harden has only missed one practice all season (first one after the All-Star break). He has played in every game, and his plans are to keep it that way.