The Nets have been fined $1,000 by the NBA on Thursday for violating the league’s Participant Participation Coverage.
Brooklyn’s violation got here throughout its loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Dec. 27 at Barclays Middle. In that sport, starters Cameron Johnson, Nic Claxton, Spencer Dinwiddie and key reserve Dorian Finney-Smith have been all inactive.
Different key gamers like Mikal Bridges (12 minutes), Royce O’Neale (10 minutes) and Cam Thomas (12 minutes) have been benched early within the contest.
“Following an investigation, together with evaluation by an impartial doctor, the NBA decided that 4 Nets rotation gamers, who didn’t take part within the sport, may have performed beneath the medical commonplace within the Participant Participation Coverage,” learn a memo launched by the NBA on Thursday.
The coverage, which was adopted previous to the 2023-24 season, was enacted to advertise participant participation within the common season. In different phrases, to fight “load administration.”
Coach Jacque Vaughn cited the crew’s workload when explaining the crew’s determination.
“My thought was getting a really feel and pulse of the sport,” stated Vaughn. “Mikal performed 40 minutes final evening. And so, the thought was it would not be clever of me to proceed and go down this path within the sport after which have him play 40 minutes once more. So you might have these choices in the midst of the sport.
“Ran Cam and Royce and Mikal fairly lengthy within the first quarter, and simply envisioned that, on the finish of the evening, I did not need them touching 40 minutes once more. That is actually what it boiled all the way down to.”
Bridges, the crew’s star participant, didn’t agree with the choice saying, “Did not like the selection and no matter that was, however it’s no matter. Undoubtedly was not a fan.”
The Nets (15-20) have misplaced each sport for the reason that sport in opposition to Milwaukee.
