Alan Hahn's post on New York Knicks | Latest updates on Sulia

Gregg Popovich, when considering rest for his veteran team, presents a point Knicks fans should also consider:

“It’s not about rest,” Popovich said of his decisions to sit guys at odd times during the regular season. “It’s about being as healthy as possible at the end of the year. What we did [in Miami] is about health and safety of players, so that they’re there, and we have a shot at the end of the year. There’s a difference.” Fans want to win every game during an 82-game season and that's understandable. But sometimes a team, one that has championship aspirations, has to balance the importance of winning in the regular season with being healthy and strong for the postseason. So if it means having Carmelo Anthony sit out an extra game (and risk being accused of ducking Jeremy Lin) so be it. If it means Rasheed Wallace sitting out longer than he wants to ensure his foot injury doesn't become a bigger problem, so be it. If it means playing a weaker lineup against a weaker team and losing at the buzzer, so be it. If it means not practicing or holding a walk-through over an extensive on-court session between games, so be it. As I said on MSG on Tuesday, you don't win championships in January. But you can lose one. Health and longevity are more important than getting Charles Barkley to admit the Knicks are a good team.