Recently, Gilbert Arenas was seen defending some of the actions of Allen Iverson, on his podcast, Gil’s Arena. He focused on how AI, one of the most skilled basketball players ever, was called out by the media for missing practices. Agent Zero slammed the NBA and the media for criticizing Iverson, while they now allow players to miss games entirely. Iverson had faced a ton of backlash in the past for missing training. He even had an iconic postgame rant back in May 2002, when he said the word “practice” 22 times in an attempt to defend himself for missing the same. He was reportedly even fined $1000 once for his actions. So, understandably, Arenas finds it bewildering just how much the league has changed its stance.
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Gilbert Arenas slams the NBA for fining Allen Iverson for missing practice
With the new rules implemented by the NBA, certain players can now miss games. This has left former NBA star Gilbert Arenas stunned. Taking to his podcast, No Chill Gil slammed the NBA and its players for even considering missing games. He brought up the example of Allen Iverson, and how ‘The Answer’ was shunned for simply missing practices.
Elaborating further, he explained that AI sat out of practice in order to give his teammates a chance to grow. But what did he get in return for his noble act? Criticism from the media and a $1000 fine for his actions. However, now things are different with the NBA’s new Rest Policy.
Back in the day, players used to take pride in playing all 82 games in the season. Load management wasn’t even a concept worth considering at the time, and star players who missed games were looked down upon. Unfortunately, things are different now, and Arenas cannot believe the league is just allowing it to happen.
“Y’all should be apologizing because he missed practice…Played in the GAME…They are missing GAMES and none of y’all are saying sh*t.”
With the new rules, players are now given a considerable amount of time to rest. In fact, a player just needs to play a minimum of 65 games to be eligible for any of the NBA’s prestigious awards. This has left many bewildered, especially some of the old heads like Arenas.
Several players rely on load management, including Kawhi Leonard, who has tried to defend himself
For better or for worse, a number of NBA teams practice load management. Several players like LeBron James, Paul George, and Kawhi Leonard have benefited from the same. However, while it is an acceptable action now, plenty of people have criticized them for choosing to sit out games.
That being said, Kawhi has tried to defend himself. Following the introduction of the NBA’s new policy, the Klaw claimed it does not affect him whatsoever because he does not purposely miss games. He clarified that he does not try to play a certain number of games but rather plays games where in he is not injured.
Either way, it will be interesting to see just what kind of an impact this new policy has on the players. Will it prove beneficial or will it just be a scheme that fans and former players alike find fault with?
