James Harden, Mike D'Antoni Discuss NBA's 'Load Management' Trend

The Clippers' decision to rest Kawhi Leonard against Milwaukee on Wednesday sparked a flurry of debate across the league regarding Los Angeles' use of "load management," for their marquee offseason addition. Clippers head coach Doc Rivers was fined $50,000 for the move (as well as his pregame comments) and last year's take-cycle concerning Leonard returned in full force.

So how do Mike D'Antoni and the Rockets feel about load management? Houston's head coach addressed the trend on Friday, as did Austin Rivers and James Harden.

D'Antoni was non-committal in his load-management comments, largely highlighting his semantic issue with the phrase.

"I don't like the term, it's a universal term people can use," D'Antoni said at the Toyota Center on Friday. "Now there are certain players you have to manage. Maybe they can't play back-to-backs, that used to be a factor, injuries could be a factor, it could be time of the year. ...Every training staff has to make their own determination."

D'Antoni gave Russell Westbrook a night off against Memphis on Monday after Sunday's loss to Houston, and Houston's point guard could continue to miss back-to-backs throughout 2019-20. But don't expect a similar schedule for Harden after missing just 15 games in the last four seasons.

"Even if I'm a little banged up, I try to push through to a certain extent," Harden said. "Have you ever seen me not play because of load management?"

James Harden won’t be taking the Kawhi route anytime soon

“Have you ever seen me not play because of load management?” pic.twitter.com/cCEaLOmY4h
— Michael Shapiro (@mshap2) November 8, 2019

Austin Rivers was more sympathetic to the load management trend, citing Leonard's championship run with the Raptors last year after a regular-season littered with nights off. While national television outlets may cringe at Leonard or other superstars sitting, Rivers argued their worries are ultimately secondary to a team's run to the Finals.

"Do you want TV ratings, or do you want to win a championship," Rivers said.

Westbrook may sit again next week as Houston has a back-to-back against the Pacers and Timberwolves. As for Harden, expect the Beard on the floor every night in which he's healthy. A full 82 is in play in 2019-20.