To Sit or Not To Sit?

Thanks to a Lakers loss in early April the Cleveland Cavaliers have been assured of the number one seed throughout the playoffs for the last two weeks. Since this left the Cavs with essentially "nothing to play for" the team has been steadily ratcheting down the effort level including holding out Lebron James from the last three games and not playing Antawn Jamison and Mo Williams in the fourth quarter of very winnable game against the Orlando Magic last Sunday.

With Shaq cleared to play earlier this week - after sitting out six weeks rehabbing a surgically repaired thumb - the Associated Press is now that neither he nor James will play in tonight's regular season finale vs the Atlanta Hawks. With Chris Bosh missing the last two weeks with a nasal fracture and Brandon Roy likely needing surgery to repair his knee it's reasonable that Mike Brown is gun shy of playing his stars this close to the post-season. At some point, though, it there such a thing as being too careful?

In a word: yes.

Resting stars before the playoffs is important. Resting players with nagging injuries before the playoffs is important. But basketball is a game of chemistry, timing and rhythm and playing time is essential to maintain these elements at a high level.

George Gervin recently said that he always wanted to play at the end of the season to get his timing down and to make sure he stayed sharp. Players coming back from injury frequently note how it's impossible to stay in game shape when not playing and that no amount of practice can simulate a live game.

Knowing all this, how can we justify not playing Lebron for four games? Or for not getting Shaq at least ten minutes tonight so he's not getting his wind back playing against a team 15 years younger than him? At some point - I'd say that point is right about now - overcautious fear of a freak accident will result in the team not being as prepared as it should be heading into the first round.

Do I think the Bulls will take this series from the Cavs? No. They don't have the talent yet. But I think they can push the Cavs further than they want to be pushed so early, especially in the first game with the Bulls having essentially played playoff basketball for the last two weeks just to secure the 8 seed.

The decision whether or not to rest the starters would not have had disastrous or dramatic consequences to the Cavs' playoff run either way, but I would have liked to see the Cavs enter the post-season being fully prepared and ready to hit the ground running. The tide of a basketball game can turn on one possession one score or one stop. Browns decision here shows that when the pressure increases he may not have the courage to make the daring calls to make that one possession swing in Cleveland's favor.

That makes me more nervous than any risk of injury or rust ever could.