Mike Conley was at home relaxing when he saw his Timberwolves teammate Anthony Edwards take a verbal sledgehammer to the concept of load management at the NBA's All-Star Game festivities.
Edwards' blunt comments gave Conley a sheepish reaction, like someone who just passed gas in church.
"Oh shoot, I took a few games off here and there the last few years," Conley said, smiling. "But I'm 35."
Edwards is 21 and full of vigor. He hasn't missed a game this season and leads the NBA in minutes played.
The hope here is that his passion for the game never dims, that Ant remains the player who wants to play forevermore — so passionate about basketball and accepting of his status as a star that he wants to be in the lineup every night.
Refreshing concept, eh?
Edwards likely earned a legion of new fans when he verbalized his own annoyance with players missing games when healthy, a strategy that irritates league followers.
"Just play, man," Edwards said at the All-Star Game media session. "If you 80 percent, you gotta play. I don't like all the sitting, missing games stuff …"
The second half of his comment hit the bull's-eye:
"These people might have enough money to come to one game. And that might be the game they come to and you sitting out. I take pride in trying to play every game because there might be one fan who has never seen me play and I'm trying to play."
Bravo.
Both his timing and message were pitch-perfect.
Edwards was making his All-Star Game debut. He was surrounded by the NBA's biggest names, veterans with clout and first-name recognition, LeBron and Giannis, et al. That Edwards had the guts to call out players for skipping games in that setting was further proof that the Wolves have something special in their young star.
Edwards' quote gained considerable attention nationally because it was forceful and genuine — Just play, man – but also because an All-Star was articulating what so many fans feel.
"I agree with a lot of what he said," Conley said. "When I was his age, even going to 26 or 27, we didn't miss games unless we were hurt. We just played until an ankle rolled and you just couldn't [play]. Or you just played through it."
The debate over the use of load management isn't new. As analytics and sports science have evolved, teams find value in scheduling days off for players. Their comeback to criticism is that their ultimate job is to protect the health of players and put the team in the best position to compete for a championship.
If a player is injured, he shouldn't play. But the league and teams should find alternative ways to avoid load management rest days because it damages credibility and undermines the very thing that makes the sport popular with fans, particularly young fans.
The NBA markets its individual players better than any league. Kids become fans of specific players, not necessarily the teams they play for. My oldest son's favorite player growing up was Chris Paul. He didn't care if he played for the Clippers, Rockets or Suns.
It's common to see families with young children arriving at Target Center with the kids wearing jerseys of a star player on the opposing team. My first reaction is always: I hope that guy plays tonight.
Imagine their disappointment if that player sits out for "maintenance."
That's a problem, whether the NBA wants to admit it or not.
No, fans won't be scarred for life and that's the assumed risk when buying a ticket — a player might be sidelined by a real injury as well — but as Edwards stated so perfectly, there must be consideration of fan investment.
"We're very proud of Ant and that he wants to play every night," Wolves coach Chris Finch said. "He loves to play the game. Sometimes you'll find that not everybody loves to play the game like you think they should or would. He's certainly not that way."
Let's hope that he still feels this way when he's 31 years old. My gut says yes.
