Patrick Beverley Calls Tactic of Resting Players 'Disgrace' to NBA

Patrick Beverley is not in favor of rest for healthy players, something that has become a trend in the NBA.

"I think that's bulls--t," the Houston Rockets guard said Sunday, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com. "I think that's a disgrace to this league. I think that fans deserve better.

Contending teams have been resting key players more often lately, most notably the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors. LeBron James has missed three games since the All-Star break.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr kept his stars out against the San Antonio Spurs and defended his decision.

"It's my call, and it's the right thing to do in terms of the way the season is playing out and the way the minutes have gone and KD's injury," Kerr said, per Chris Haynes of ESPN.com.

While the coaches are simply looking out for the best interest of the team heading into the postseason, Beverley keeps the blame on the players:

"

I could care less about coaches asking players to rest or not. It's up to you to play or not, and if you don't, you're disrespecting the game. And I don't believe in disrespecting the game, because there was a time where I wasn't playing in the NBA and I was trying to get here. So me resting, I feel like, is disrespecting me, disrespecting the name on the front of the jersey and disrespecting the name on the back of the jersey.

"

Beverley, who has had his share of problems with injuries, has also never played more than 71 games in a season and averaged just 56 games over his first four years.

Still, this has become a big enough issue that NBA Commissioner Adam Silver had gotten involved. He is afraid resting players "can affect fans and business partners, impact our reputation and damage the perception of our game," per Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press (via NBA.com).

He also said there would be "significant penalties" for teams that fail to notify the league office.

Although both the Cavaliers and Warriors have seen their leads in the conference standings dwindle, the last two NBA champions are clearly more focused on the postseason than seeding.