New NBA Load Management Rules Should Only Affect Jimmy Butler On Miami Heat

NBA commissioner Adam Silver plan to combat the league's load management issue should have little impact on the Miami Heat.

This week, Silver said the new Player Participation Police was created to appease fans who spend hundreds of dollars each season to watch their favorite players. The league plans to limit how teams rest players, especially All-Stars, by eliminating them from postseason awards if they don't play enough games.

“This is ultimately about the fans,” Silver said. “And that we’ve taken this [load management] too far. This is an acknowledgment that it has gotten away from us a bit.”

Last year Heat forward Jimmy Butler missed 18 games, most of them for "rest" purposes. He is only the Heat player likely affected by the new guidelines. Their other All-Star, Bam Adebayo, considers playing 82 games a badge of honor so he rarely takes nights off.

The NBA has long had a problem of players sitting too often, upsetting fans. It also happens in other sports, with soccer star Lionel Messi expected to miss a game in Atlanta.

Silver reiterated he doesn't expect players to participate when they need rest.

“That doesn’t mean we were turning the clock back, that players are expected to play through injuries or that players never need rest," Silver said. "But there’s a statement of a principle in this league that, if you’re a healthy player, you’re going to play.”

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