Referenews

This week is the first of the NCAA basketball tournaments, and freak injuries have befallen both Kevin Durant and Luka Dončić. Some sports fans might believe this is a good week to step away from the NBA.

Be sure to check out the college men and women hooper, but it wouldn’t be wise to ignore the NBA for seven days and return to reshuffled standings with no idea why teams are in their current positions. There are only First-Four games until Thursday, so there is plenty of time to take in NBA action.

Some key players will miss some time. Injury will be the main reason, but this final post all-star game sprint will require some load managing. Yes, favorable seeding is important but no NBA Championship favorite will be able to win the trophy without a relatively healthy roster. That is true regardless of how tight the standings are in the Western Conference

While basketball fans should certainly indulge in the college game this week, many important professional games will be played. While Ernie, Kenny, and Chuck won’t be present, NBA fans should be sure to at least keep up with the pro winners and losers.

*Disclaimer: It’s the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament. No one cares about your “load management” gripes right now.