I hate that Pop is holding players out this early in the season. Tickets are EXPENSIVE and fans deserve to see the superstars when they come to town. I don't think it's diabolical; I think it's contrary to the spirit of the game and the spirit of competitive sports in general.
I understand that argument. I don't go to a lot of games anymore so perhaps it doesn't hit as close for me, but I can understand with tickets costing as much as they do why you would be upset if you show up to a game expecting to see the defending champs and you get a team of backups instead. On the other hand, a lot of people pay to go see the Harlem Globetrotters even though it's a foregone conclusion that they're going to win. It could be argued that the Houston fans saw their stars trounce the guys in the other jersey and probably had a good time doing it. As far as I can recall, Pop isn't resting his guys for home games, just tough match ups on the road against championship contenders looking to knock them down a peg. I hate what Philadelphia is doing. It's contrary to the spirit of the game. With San Antonio, it doesn't bother me as much I suppose because they're actively trying to win, they've just been so successful for so long now that they have a different standard for what "winning" means relative to every other team in the NBA.