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Silver owes Spurs fans an apology
Last summer, Adam Silver gave a speech at the NBA 2K23 Summer League in which he accused the Spurs and RC Buford (in attendance) of being the reason for the load management we see in the NBA today. Fans were not pleased. Silver left out several facts in his assessment of this issue which has undoubtedly become a headache for the league office. But there is documented history, and nuance matters in every circumstance. Thankfully, the internet lives forever, so let's clear up a few things.
Tim Duncan (36) had been struggling with knees issues for multiple years. Manu Ginobili (35) missed half of the previous season with multiple injuries when Pop began load managing his All-Star sixth man. He and Tony Parker (30) also logged heavy minutes in international competition during the offseason while other around the league were recuperating. They were not exactly spring chickens.
But wait, there's more. As a team that made the playoffs every year since Tim Duncan arrived in the league, that workload needed to offset their mileage to ensure longer careers for the Big Three. It is far from an apples-to-apples comparison, but fans may be willing to forgive Silver in exchange for the number one selection.