Load management is one thing old players throw against today’s players. The NBA tries to address this by fining teams who deliberately rest their stars for no reason. The latest to get fined are the Cleveland Cavaliers. Will they do it again? Head coach Kenny Atkinson’s latest statement suggests he does not feel he’s in the wrong.
Cavs, who’s already dealing with injury to Darius Garland, decided to not play Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley in their game against the Miami Heat last week. It was the first night of a back-to-back and Atkinson’s team failed to get the victory. They lost in the next game which was against the Toronto Raptors when both guys were present.
The league said it was a violation of the player participation rule since both stars are qualified as star players.
The following has been released by the NBA. pic.twitter.com/m0rZeD5SlW
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) November 18, 2025
The pair hasn’t missed a game since the fine.
Kenny Atkinson defends rest decision
The league declared it as a violation but Atkinson is not backing down. He said he did it to take care of his players in a very long season.
“Fifteen games in 27 days, let that sink in to everybody. We’re sitting here in our seats. But three back-to-backs. We’re going into a fourth back-to-back,” he said.
“I think my No. 1 job is to continue to protect the health of our players. So, [it’s] kind of that simple.”
As for the penalty, he also has some words to say.
“We get penalized for it? I don’t know if that makes sense to you guys; it doesn’t make sense to me,” he continued.
“I understand the league has their policies, but again, I’m just looking at it from my perspective and my team and our organization. I’m sure the NBA doesn’t agree with everything I do. It’s a great league, it’s a great product. I’ve gotta [look out for] our guys.”
Players’ health has been a major discussion this week with some coaches like Steve Kerr thinking the guys are more prone to injury in this era.
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