Report: NBA warned Bulls about resting healthy players
The NBA reportedly issued a warning to the Chicago Bulls this week about resting healthy players, sources told Yahoo Sports' Shams Charania, after the team recently held out usual starters Robin Lopez and Justin Holiday for a significant stretch of games.
Bulls executive vice president John Paxson confirmed the league talked to the team about the issue, and Chicago reportedly plans to play Lopez and Holiday more extensively for the rest of the season.
"After the All-Star break we had communication with the league office about Robin and Justin's roles," Paxson said, according to ESPN's Nick Friedell. "After healthy dialogue the league determined that their situations fall into the 'player rest' policy. We respect the communication and cooperative dialogue with the league and will adhere to their recommendations going forward."
The "healthy dialogue" with the Bulls comes less than two weeks after NBA commissioner Adam Silver reportedly sent a memo stating that tanking in any form "would be met with the swiftest and harshest response possible from the league office." Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was fined $600,000 in February for telling a podcast that "losing is our best option."
Lopez started the Bulls' first 57 games of the season, but head coach Fred Hoiberg sat Lopez for the last six in favor of giving center Cristiano Felicio an opportunity. Felicio signed a four-year, $32-million contract this past summer, but the 25-year-old has played in just 37 contests this season, and spent a decent chunk of the year with the Bulls' G League affiliate.
Holiday also started 57 games this season, but has sat out five of the last six without a specific reason provided.
The Bulls scored just 29 points in the first half of a blowout loss to the Boston Celtics on Monday.