"I'm gonna have a seat or else the NBA is gonna fine me… cuz they've got nothing better to do."
The past couple of seasons, one of the hallmarks of the unity on the Celtics bench has been how they stand until the C's score a basket. They're among the standing-est teams around.
But the seats behind the bench are really expensive. And the people who sit there are not too thrilled with, say, 6-9 Shelden Williams and 6-11 Rasheed Wallace blocking their view for an extended period of time. So the NBA is telling its teams that guys on the bench have to take a seat… or risk getting fined.
“Starting this season, league rules dictate that players will be
required to remain seated on the bench while the ball is live except to
‘spontaneously react to a notable play [and] immediately sitting down
on the bench afterward’ or ‘to approach the scorer’s table to report
into the game.’ The memo states that ‘players will not be permitted to
stand [in front of] the bench at any other time while the ball is in
play, including standing for the last minute of a game or standing
until the team scores its first point in game.’”
required to remain seated on the bench while the ball is live except to
‘spontaneously react to a notable play [and] immediately sitting down
on the bench afterward’ or ‘to approach the scorer’s table to report
into the game.’ The memo states that ‘players will not be permitted to
stand [in front of] the bench at any other time while the ball is in
play, including standing for the last minute of a game or standing
until the team scores its first point in game.’”
So grab a seat, boys. You don't want to be tagged with a fine because you're showing team unity.
Next, the NBA will fine players for talking on the bench… because they're disrupting the conversations people are trying to have behind them.
