The Cleveland Cavaliers are 13-10 this season and have lost four of their last five games. For the most part, most of the headlines surrounding the team this year have been positive. However, the Cavaliers are on the wrong side of the news after the NBA announced the team’s punishment for violating the league’s player participation policy.
Per Fred Katz of The Athletic, Cleveland has been fined $250,000 for the violation. The violation occurred when the Cavaliers rested Darius Garland during a nationally televised game on November 24th.
What Exactly is the NBA Player Participation Policy?
This policy was created to ensure star players are on the court anytime they can be. The NBA wants to put a great product out for the fans. Many times, though, these players are rested when healthy or unavailable for the game.
Star players are allowed to sit if a legitimate reason is given for the absence. If there is no legitimate reason, the team must follow a few rules. Per the player participation policy, the rules are as follows:
- A team must ensure at least one star player is available for any specific game.
- Star players must be available for all nationally televised games and NBA Cup games.
- A team must maintain a balance between the number of one-game absences for a star player in home and road games
- A team must avoid any long-term shutdowns that stop a star player from playing games.
- If resting a star player, he must be present and visible to fans.
A legitimate reason in this case would be an injury, personal reasons, or pre-approved back-to-back restrictions.
The part of the policy that was violated by the Cavaliers is the resting during nationally televised games. Cleveland sat Garland against the Toronto Raptors on November 24th, which was on national television. Instead, the team played Garland on November 23rd against the Los Angeles Clippers, which was not nationally televised.
The punishments for violations of this policy start at $100,000. The Cavaliers have already been hit with the $100,000 earlier this season. This is the second time the Cavs have violated the policy, which is why the fine is $250,000. If Cleveland violates the policy for a third time, the fine would grow to over $1 million.
Darius Garland Injury
Resting Garland was never the issue. He came into the season hurt after undergoing toe surgery in the offseason. With the injury being a lower-body one, the Cavaliers are smart to push him too much. With the talent in Cleveland, Garland does not have to be active for every game. But the Cavaliers still have to follow the rules.
This year, Garland has played eight of the team’s 23 games. He is averaging 13.6 points per game, 2.8 rebounds, and 6.5 assists. Along with that, the 25-year-old is shooting 34.7% from the floor and 34.0% from beyond the arc. Both would be career lows. He has clearly been affected by the injury, and he has yet to shake the rust off.
In his latest game, Garland shot just 2-for-13 from the field, while making only one of his eight three-point attempts. In a game the Cavaliers lost, Garland played 29 minutes and scored just six points.
Cleveland will need Garland to start performing a lot better if they are going to get back to their winning ways. The next chance for Garland to take the court will be Friday at home when the Cavaliers host the San Antonio Spurs.
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