Cheated

 Not long ago Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr lambasted the NBA for not caring about the health of its players, in insisting on scheduling too many games.  For example, the Warriors' just- completed road trip included three games in four days, including a back-to-back.  They then flew 6 hours across country to play a home game the next night.  They survived this time, with victories and minor injuries. Still, they've been without Jonathan Kuminga for a month.  Other teams are not even that lucky.

Now the season enters its most dramatic phase, but NBA fans are being robbed of the matchups of great players, and teams putting their best on the court.  Fans are being cheated, so that owners and investors can rake in more money.

Philadelphia, Houston, San Antonio and Dallas are among the most conspicuous victims so far, with the Lakers now facing an unknown number of games without LeBron at this crucial time.  All these injuries have specific causes, but cumulatively they add persuasive weight to Kerr's analysis.  The League schedules too many games, and then complains when teams engage in load management for their best players.

NBA players make an enormous amount of money compared to most people, and NBA tickets price out most fans.  A lot of revenue comes from "television" but the owners insist on maximizing income from attendance at as many games as possible. In the dehumanized parlance of entertainment, the "product" suffers.  And so do the players who deal with unnecessary pain and disruption from all-too-frequent injuries.  Sadly, it seems it will take a drop in ratings if not attendance for the NBA to do the right thing and schedule fewer games.

Meanwhile, the Butler Effect is giving the Warriors quite a run, and Steph Curry continues to be liberated to be even more amazing.  Their 4-1 road trip and 9 wins out of the last 10 games has vaulted them into 6th place and a playoff spot, but teams are still bunched and at least in the past few days their closest rivals are also winning.  So the Warriors will have to keep winning just to hold onto 6th.  They could move up to 5th past the fading Rockets, but even the best case scenario within a realistic context suggests getting higher than 4th is very unlikely, and they will need help to do even that.  Still, the goal is to get into a playoff series where they like their chances.

In the NFL, lots of teams are about to make moves and a few have already shaken things up. The Pittsburgh Steelers have already acquired a top wide receiver in DK Metcalf.  Now the big question is who the hell is going to be their quarterback.  For a long while the smart money was on Russell Wilson leaving, and Justin Fields moving up to #1.  But more recently, the word is that Fields is eager to test free agency, and doesn't really trust the Steelers coaches.

So is it Wilson again?  Or will they lose them both?  Stay tuned.