The Hawks have a dilemma.
Such are the spoils of clinching the No. 1 seed in the East with 18 days remaining in the regular season. The Hawks have the luxury of resting players. However, that must be weighed against keeping the team in rhythm with the playoffs just three weeks away.
Call it rest versus rust.
A day after the Hawks secured home-court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs, they played the Hornets without all five starters. Kyle Korver, DeMarre Carroll, Paul Millsap and Al Horford all were given the night off for rest and Jeff Teague sat out a second straight game with a left ankle sprain.
The Hawks reserves played a strong game but faltered late in a 115-100 loss to a Hornets team fighting for their playoff lives Saturday night at Time Warner Cable Arena. Kent Bazemore led the Hawks with a season-high 20 points. Mike Muscala had career-highs of 18 points and 10 rebounds and Dennis Schroder had 17 points and 11 assists.
“I have a huge appreciation for our fans and how important they are,” Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said of his decision. “We don’t have anything without our fans. I empathize that there might be a conflict of interest. We are just trying to make decisions that put our players in the best position to have success, somewhat in the short term but much more in the long term with the playoffs. Being healthy is crucial. You see how important it is for every organization. Hopefully, there is some understanding. I know we appreciate and value how important the fans are to us.”
The Hawks have rested starters seven times this season, all on the road, and are 5-2 in those games. They are currently in a stretch of four games in five nights. In addition to the Hawks, several other NBA teams have rested players during the season – most notably the Spurs. The Warriors rested four players on March 13, prompting coach Steve Kerr to e-mail several fans explaining his position.
“Every day,” Budenholzer said when asked of the dilemma of rest versus rust. “I can’t sleep. It’s a coach’s nature. We are all worrying about things and trying to figure out what’s best. You just make the best decisions you can. You talk about it, have good conversations, have good debates and make the decisions on the long term and what is best for everybody. But it’s hard.”
Hawks players said they appreciated the rest even if it went against their competitive nature. With nine games remaining in the regular season, they felt there was plenty of time to get some time off and still keep the chemistry that has made them the best team in the conference.
With Budenholzer having been through similar situations during his championship runs with the Spurs, his decision carries considerable weight.
“It’s a fine line that you try to walk,” Korver said. “There is an opportunity to have a great advantage of being in rhythm but also rested. Bud has been in the situations before. We trust his opinion.”
You can’t argue with the results in the regular season. How the strategy works during the playoffs remains to be seen.
“Coach, more than anybody, wants us to be fresh and in rhythm going into the playoffs,” Horford said. “Rest is important but more important is rhythm. I think he understands that.”
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