Clippers fined $25,000 for injury report violations by Paul George and Russell Westbrook.
However, owner Steve Ballmer will have to pay heed to the fine imposed on his team for violating rules ahead to the regular season finale against the Houston Rockets. “The NBA fined the Clippers $25,000 for violating injury reporting rules on April 14 by failing to disclose the status of Paul George, Russell Westbrook, and Norman Powell,” Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported on Friday.
The millionaire can most certainly locate the necessary monies between the cushions of his couch, so there will be little added concern as his team’s 2024 NBA Playoffs begin on Sunday afternoon. Nonetheless, this measure, while seemingly minor, demonstrates that the league is committed to discouraging poor injury care techniques and terminating load management.
George, Westbrook, and Powell were not on the injury report before the game began, yet they were all held out of the meaningless contest. Resting key players for the postseason offers clear benefits, particularly for a team like the Clippers, but the rules must be obeyed. However, this type of sanction will provide no incentive for LA to be more meticulous in the future. This topic has received more attention this season, with Joel Embiid at the center of it on several occasions.
NBA teams pull a quick one sometimes. The Philadelphia 76ers were fined $75,000 for making the 2022-23 MVP a late scratch despite him not being included on the injury report prior to a January game against the Denver Nuggets. When Embiid made his long-awaited return against the Oklahoma City Thunder in April, they were penalized again, this time for $100,000. Despite being ruled out by Philly, he scored 24 points in 29 minutes.
The Los Angeles Clippers are nearing a critical postseason, with questions about their future being answered based on their performance in the coming weeks and possibly months. A challenging first-round matchup against Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks just adds to the pressure on this team.