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Golden State Warriors F Kevin Durant takes issue with NBA commish Adam Silver

By The Sports Xchange
Golden State Warriors F Kevin Durant speaks to the media. File photo by Larry W. Smith/EPA
Golden State Warriors F Kevin Durant speaks to the media. File photo by Larry W. Smith/EPA

Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant took issue with NBA commissioner Adam Silver's bid to get team owners involved in response to marquee players sitting out games during the regular season.

"The truth about it is, it's only for a couple of players in the league," Durant told ESPN. "They don't care if the 13th man on the bench (rests). It's only for like LeBron (James), Steph (Curry), (James) Harden, Russell (Westbrook). It's only for like five players. So you want a rule just for those five players?"

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Silver issued a memo last week to the league's owners, stating that resting marquee players has become "an extremely significant issue for our league."

"Decisions of this kind do not merely implicate issues of player health and team performance on the court; they also can affect fans and business partners, impact our reputation, and damage the perception of our game," Silver stated in the memo. "With so much at stake, it is simply not acceptable for Governors to be uninvolved or to defer decision-making authority on these matters to others in their organizations."

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Durant, who is recovering from an MCL sprain and tibial bone bruise, knows all too well that players often need a rest as they battle both injury and mental fatigue.

"Players, if anything, need a mental break sometimes. And sorry, they're human," Durant said. "They go through so much every single day. There are so many obligations off the court that you don't know about ... family. ... It might not be a physical break, it might just be a reset mentally, and I get that.

"And I also get if I was a fan and could afford to get tickets, and I'm circling LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Russell Westbrook on my calendar, I would want to see them play live. I would be disappointed as well. I see it from the fans' perspective and the players' perspective. I'm caught right in the middle."

The NBA plans to stretch the regular season over seven more days in 2017-18 to accommodate players. Preseason game schedules were also tightened.

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