Rockets’ Patrick Beverley Blasts NBA Players Who Sit Out For Rest

The NBA’s trend of resting players for preventative maintenance has become a hot-button issue lately due to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs resting players for primetime matchups.

And this trend isn’t sitting well with Houston Rockets point guard Patrick Beverley.

Beverley had a more than a few things to say about NBA players sitting out games to rest following the Rockets’ win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday.

“I think it’s bu——,” Beverley said, per ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. “I think that’s a disgrace to this league. I think that fans deserve better.

“I could care less about coaches asking players to rest or not. It’s up to you to play or not, and if you don’t, you’re disrespecting the game. And I don’t believe in disrespecting the game because there was a time where I wasn’t playing in the NBA and I was trying to get here. So me resting, I feel like, is disrespecting me, disrespecting the name on the front of the jersey and disrespecting the name on the back of the jersey.”

The Rockets, who currently are in third place in the Western Conference, have not followed the trend as both star guard James Harden and forward Trevor Ariza rank in the top 10 in minutes played in the NBA and have not missed a game this season.

“We understand that it’s tough,” Beverley said. “We understand that you can’t play all 82, trust me, with injuries and all that. But if you’re feeling OK — a lot of people have been banged up, but if you’re feeling OK, then you should play. That’s what you get paid for. That’s what fans deserve. The fans definitely deserve that. That’s what the city deserves.”

The issue of resting players has become such a big issue that NBA commissioner Adam Silver sent out a memo to league owners asking them to be involved in the decision-making process to rest players.

Beverley, known for his tenacious defense, has missed 11 games this season due to various injuries but has not sat out in order to rest.

Thumbnail photo via Troy Taormina/USA TODAY Sports Images