The NBA has a new resting policy, but stars are already missing games. Is it working?

The NBA avoided an early existential crisis Sunday night when the reigning league MVP was in fact able to put on his uniform and take the court with the other available Philadelphia 76ers for their home opener. The Sixers drew the attention of NBA investigators when James Harden missed Philadelphia’s season opener Thursday in Milwaukee due to “return to competition reconditioning” according to the injury report. GO DEEPER NBA coaches not buying what Dumars and the league are selling on load management Earlier in October, in trying to enunciate how serious the NBA is about its players appearing in more regular-season games, executive vice president Joe Dumars said the league has new data that shows “load management” doesn’t work, and its mission is to “re-establish” a culture of an 82-game season. “I will always say this, like, I love our guys to play, and I want our guys to play as many games as they can, as safely as they possibly can, injuries happen and we’ll never sacrifice that to get a guy on the floor in an 82-game season,” Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said before Saturday’s game un Cleveland, in which he sat three recent All-Stars out of a loss to the Indiana Pacers. So that’s always a challenge.” Asked if the league’s “player participation policy” complicated the Sixers’ decision on Embiid for Sunday’s game, Nurse said “I think so, a little bit.” In Cleveland, Jarrett Allen, an All-Star two seasons ago, hasn’t played this season because of an ankle injury from training camp.