NBA All Star Game 2012: Tom Thibodeau Wise to Wear Down His Competition

While it isn't unprecedented for the head coach of the Eastern or Western Conference All-Star team to give lots of playing time to those players not on the team he coaches in order to wear them down, Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau was wise to give his Bulls players rest while heavily using stars like LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard and Dwyane Wade.

Those four starters all played at least 30 minutes each, while Derrick Rose—the team's starting point guard—only played 18 minutes.

Not to mention, the Miami Heat's Chis Bosh had the most minutes of any bench player with 20. The three Heat players combined for a total of 85 minutes of the game.

Bulls small forward Luol Deng only saw six minutes of time on the floor, the least of any player on the Eastern Conference team.

While it was wise to sit Rose due to his ongoing back injuries, it is no secret that the New York Knicks' Anthony has been dealing with a lot of injuries himself.

While it was Anthony's choice to play in the game, Thibodeau's overuse of him was his risk to take. The Knicks are fighting to stay alive for the postseason, and everybody knows that Anthony is an extremely important piece to that process, no matter Jeremy Lin manages to do.

It is quite clear that Thibodeau did this for the exact reason we believe, and who can't blame him. 

The Heat are by far the Bulls' biggest threat in the East, so by overplaying their players hypothetically means they had to play one more game than his players.

Many will argue that the extra play really doesn't make a difference, and in all likelihood, it doesn't. The fact is, Thibodeau played these players way more than any All-Star. While the fans were likely happy, their coaches were probably not as enthusiastic about the situation.

Rose—the reigning MVP—has just as much of a reason to be on the court as much as everyone else. And if he is going to be dealing with injuries just like Anthony, then there is no reason that he should play almost half the minutes.

It would likely be very difficult for the NBA to manage how this should be handled, but some would argue that a coach shouldn't take their privilege of being the head coach to his advantage.

For the Bulls' two players to combine for just 24 minutes—four more than Bosh alone—it is obvious that coaches are taking a competitive advantage out of the honor they have been given to coach the game.

That is how the game is, and it is that coach's choice in how to handle the roster they are given. For now, all we can do is commend them for taking such a risk.

Nobody can blame any coach for doing this, as in the end it is all about strategy. If the NBA was smart, they would find a way to handle this situation so that is doesn't become out of hand in the future.

Jeff Chase is a Featured Columnist for the Chicago Cubs and Arizona State football.
Follow @Real_Jeff_Chase