Why the NBA's load management problem might be unfixable

IT'S JAN. 20, and the Golden State Warriors are making their only visit of the season to Cleveland to face the suddenly formidable Cavaliers. But their biggest stars are all on the bench, sidelined in no small part because of what transpired the night before.

Less than 24 hours prior in Boston, the Warriors fell in a thrilling overtime loss against the Celtics, a rematch of the 2022 Finals. Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson all logged heavy minutes — Thompson with 36, Green 37, Curry 43. After the game, the Warriors flew to Cleveland — landing after 2 a.m. and hitting the pillows around 3 a.m. — to close out a back-to-back set and the last of a five-game road trip.

In an effort to save the Warriors' dynamic but aging trio, Golden State coach Steve Kerr decides to give his future Hall of Famers a night off. It's not an easy decision, and, before facing the Cavaliers, Kerr laments the circumstances.

«I feel terrible for fans who buy tickets expecting to see someone play and they don't get to see that person play,» Kerr tells reporters before the game.

«It's a brutal part of the business.»

The short-handed Warriors eke out a win against the Cavaliers, but the team's absences steal the headlines, elevating the league's «load management» debate once again.

«We have so much more data,» Kerr said before the game, «so much more awareness of players' vulnerability. It's proven that if guys are banged up, back-to-backs, players are much more likely to get injured and miss more games. So that's why you're seeing it leaguewide. Everybody is being cautious when a guy is banged up. You're just playing the long game.»

New Orleans Pelicans guard CJ McCollum, president of the National Basketball Players Association, said