Tyrese Haliburton is in the midst of a breakout campaign. The Indiana Pacers guard is averaging a league-high 12.5 assists along with 23.3 points per game. Despite being a strong contender to get selected to the All-NBA Team, there could be a possibility that Haliburton misses out on the feat due to the NBA’s new 65-game rule. Sympathizing with the All-Star, Gilbert Arenas and Rashad McCants explained why they believed the Player Participation Policy was a “stupid” addition.
Advertisement
Haliburton is currently in the midst of a five-year, $204.5 million contract. As a reward, if he gets an All-NBA Team selection, his contract increases by $41 million (from 25% of the salary cap to 30%).
However, according to the NBA’s newly introduced Player Participation Policy, one must play 65 games to be considered for major accolades. 48 games into the season, Hali has already missed out on 13 games due to a hamstring injury. Considering that he can only miss out on 4 more games, there could be a possibility that he isn’t eligible for any major accolades. Goes without saying, the youngster expressed his dissatisfaction with the new rule.
“I think it’s a stupid rule, like plenty of the guys in the league, but this is what the owners want, so as players, we gotta do our job and play in 65 games if we’re able to,” Haliburton said. “So, that’s what I gotta do, take care of my body to be able to play in those games.”
The panel of Gil’s Arena sympathizes with Haliburton. While Brandon Jennings is in favour of the new rule, Rashad McCants and Gilbert Arenas don’t agree. McCants stated how harsh it would be if the All-Star starter missed out on $41 million due to a possible tweak in his hamstring.
“So, imagine if he re-tweak the hamstring… he gotta sit out another 10 games, that’s $41 million out of my pocket, bro,” McCants said.
Arenas agreed with his co-panel member. He also tried suggesting an alternative plan – the league considered the totals for every major stat instead of the average per game.
“It’s a stupid rule because there’s an easier way to do it. If you just do totals then you don’t have to worry about how many games somebody plays because it’s totals,” Agent Zero claimed.
The Washington Wizards legend’s idea does have merit to it. This way, players would not rush into returning to the lineup and putting their health at risk by reaggravating any injury. Currently, Tyrese Haliburton and Joel Embiid are two players who are facing this issue, playing without being fully fit, to become eligible as per the new criteria.
Joel Embiid is also facing the same issue as Tyrese Haliburton
Joel Embiid is the frontrunner to win the 2024 MVP. The Philadelphia 76ers star has been unstoppable, averaging 35.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game. But, due to the injuries that he’s sustained, there could be a possibility that he isn’t rewarded for a historic campaign.
Embiid sat out during the contests against the Nuggets and the Blazers due to a knee injury. However, he did play against the Warriors even though he didn’t seem to be in a healthy condition.
Draymond Green voiced his opinions regarding the same issue. On his podcast, he blamed the Player Participation Policy for being the reason Embiid reaggravated his knee injury.
“You get Joel, who comes out there tonight because he’s three games from not qualifying for MVP. And he forced it. And freak play when JK (Jonathan Kuminga) and him dived for the ball, but it’s not as bad as the knee isn’t already banged up,” Green said.
So far, Embiid has missed out on a total of 12 games this campaign. To compete for the major accolades, the big man can only miss out on five more games. But, with the knee injury seeming to be pretty horrific, there is a huge chance that the 2023 MVP will miss out on many more games.
