Communication has been the word on almost everyone's lips when it came to the decision to make George Bailey a selector alongside the selection chairman Trevor Hohns and the national team coach Justin Langer.

It is an area in which, it is widely acknowledged, things need to improve between players and panel. It is also an area that has been subject to discussion for much of the past decade, ever since omitted players began to grumble that feedback along the lines of "get more runs" or "take more wickets" was not going to cut it anymore.

This is a societal shift as much as it is one for cricket to face, and Bailey has been dealing in this changing environment for all of the aforementioned decade and beyond. Something that Bailey has gleaned from his years as a player, captain and selector at state and - briefly - national level when he was captain and selector in the Australia ODI team before the role was taken out of the on-field leader's purview in 2013, is that the conversation needs to be more constant.

"Sometimes that won't be easy. I have had that in the past as a captain and selector of Tasmania and have seen the beginning and endings of careers of some of my absolutely closest mates and I've learned a lot through that process," Bailey told SEN Radio. "The one thing is I think it's a constant dialogue, when you're communicating well it's not something that pops up and hasn't been broached at some stage to some level before.

"Secondly the player, particularly when they're your mates, they're big enough and ugly enough to deal with honesty... I think that's the crux of any sort of selector-player relationship, if there's a level of respect and a level of honesty there, then yep I can deal with disappointment and people feeling they should be in a position.

"But if you start with that as your first point of call and your last point of call, the respect that the player has given their absolute all to play for their country and it's a huge part of their life and deal with them really honestly, then I think it'll be alright in the long run."

ALSO READ: Bailey ready for 'tough conversations' as selector

Unlike a lot of selectors who have been part of the national panel in the past, Bailey begins with an example of this sort of ongoing dialogue and respect already published and out in the world. It is drawn from In The Firing Line, the diary written by Ed Cowan, describing the 2010-11 domestic season in which he was an established member of Tasmania's Sheffield Shield and 50-over sides but surplus to Twenty20 requirements.

This account of feedback from captain or selector to fringe player is from long enough ago to have taken place in the last season before the big Bash League, but its frankness and empathy is of the kind most players increasingly demand in 2019. Cowan begins by sharing his correspondence to Bailey, on Tuesday January 4, intended as a primer to a face-to-face chat they were due to have:

I wanted to have a chat this coming week about T20 cricket, so thought I could give you a heads up, so you can have a think prior to this. It was fascinating watching the other night from the other side of the fence. I thought we were white hot. I want to be a part of a team that will no doubt give it a shake. I missed singing the song and seeing the happiness in the guys' eyes.

We obviously have very differing views in regards to what I can offer the team, which is fine, I am just frustrated by the lack of opportunity to prove you otherwise. Every time you have asked me to improve something (eg scoring quicker in ODs), I feel I have found a way to do it, but I now can't get any better at T20 just by watching it.

I don't want the next month to just meander along if I am not going to be in the team, so I just want some guidance as to where you think I need to improve my T20 skills so I can go away and work on them. Regardless of opportunity, I want to be improving. So if you could take 5 mins to have a think about this, it would be fab GB and very much appreciated.

A couple days later, Bailey responds, fully and frankly to his squad mate's queries:

Read your email after our quick chat in the gym the other day, which probably didn't offer you much you didn't know.

Have had a think about it and have come up with these thoughts - some you may agree with some not, but as always happy to chat to you more if you desire.

1. I think you could play T20 as the player you are. That player is best suited to having explosive players around him. 2. However, sometimes I feel when you are surrounded by those players or given the 'bloke to bat around' role your mindset can become a little defensive. Your best short-form cricket I have seen is when you are attacking. Particularly when your intent is to rotate the strike from ball 1 and to look to change if a bowler is bowling well.

3. One area I think you can improve is your power hitting. Not necessarily new shots but knowing that if you get a ball in your zones you can clear the pickets with it. I think you do this well square of the wicket - down the ground is an area I think you could improve as is when it is a spinner or medium - you do enjoy the pace of the ball coming on. 4. Lastly: this is probably the point of most conjecture, is just to have as much dynamism in your game as possible. The 7 batters we have in our 13 at present, I feel, can all win a game from their own bat in a short period. I feel you would have to bat most of the innings to have that impact. If we need a six NOW can you deliver?

This can be argued both ways. Having that person to bat around can work perfectly - but for this campaign, as a first option, we went down the other path of going for our most dynamic, destructive batters and hoping they come off.

As I said in the gym, I think you can play T20 just fine - and with Paine a sure thing for WC team + Xavier probably going as well - you may well get a chance this tournament. And it will be right at the big game time. As with all batting the biggest thing to have is clarity of your role and what you can do. For your game I would be working hard on nailing the boundary shots you already have and in between those be working on striking the ball cleanly and hard into gaps and running those Teddy legs off.

These are both things that I have seen you working on so I think you have the right idea. Will ring tomorrow as I have a lucky moment in life story for you. Night, GB

Cowan goes on to write that he has been left with views that are, "Fair-minded, thoughtful, and compassionate but managed to be firm and did not offer false hope. Above all, it was honest; as a player, I know I appreciate that more than anything else."

ALSO READ: Nobody doubts the decision - Finch on Bailey's appointment

In many ways, this is the kind of exchange that it is hoped Bailey will be able to fashion more often for the players he will be casting judgment on as soon as this edition of the Big Bash League ends, and he has been blunt in stating that it will not only be useful but more or less mandatory, combined as it is with an increasingly globalised cricket economy.

"One of the things I have noticed over the last few years as I've transitioned from a younger player into a more senior player, and seen a generation of younger cricketers come through, and chatting to my mates in the real world as well, is that I think there's a different expectation around communication for players these days," he said. "They want to be kept abreast and given more information. CA have access to some much data that we're able to share that with players and keep them up to date a little more often.

"With the advent of T20 and the amount of coaches and players that are now playing with players from other nations and coaching with people from other nations, a lot of that information we used to think was perhaps unique is now being shared, so its all well and good having access to great data, but asking the right questions becomes really important and then once you've actually got it, that's where I think the opportunity to use what we've traditionally called gut feel, but to use your imagination and creativity and put your own stamp on things comes to the fore."

Bailey, then, will be entering an evermore complicated field as far as selection and player management is concerned. In his favour, however, is a written record of thinking and operating that was arguably a few years ahead of its time.

Robin Morris, the former Mumbai first-class cricketer, has been arrested along with four others in Mumbai over an alleged kidnapping, the Indian Express reported. The case revolves around an unsuccessful attempt by Morris to obtain a loan, as per the newspaper's report.

The Express quoted a police officer from the Mumbai suburb of Kurla as saying: "Morris wanted a loan of Rs 3 crore [USD 410,000 approx] a few years ago. He got in touch with the complainant [a loan agent] through a mutual friend." As things unfolded, the newspaper reported, "the complainant took a commission but failed to provide Rs 3 crore loan sanction to Morris". Subsequently, "Morris along with his four accomplices decided to call him to a restaurant in Kurla and forcefully took him to [Morris' residence in] Versova", before calling the loan agent's family members and demanding the remainder of the commission be returned. "The family instead approached us and we registered a case."

Morris was in the news last year after being named by news channel Al Jazeera, following the channel's alleged sting operation into fixing in cricket. Former Pakistan batsman Hasan Raza was filmed on camera by Al Jazeera, sitting adjacent to Morris as Morris speaks to an undercover reporter about facilitating spot-fixing in T20 tournaments. Morris denied any wrongdoing, saying that the channel invited him "to audition for, and act in, a commercial movie for public entertainment".

Morris, who played 42 first-class matches and 51 List A games in a career running from 1995 to 2007, was part of the now-defunct Indian Cricket League, where he played for Mumbai Champs. He was offered amnesty by the BCCI in 2009, along with several others who were part of the unsanctioned T20 league.

DETROIT -- Giannis Antetokounmpo was ready to go toe to toe with Blake Griffin during a second-quarter flareup between division rivals Milwaukee and Detroit.

The game was turning contentious. It wouldn't stay close for long.

"They're just a great defensive team and just play really physical," Antetokounmpo said. "They want to be physical, they want to be dirty. They want you to get out of your game, and whenever you come in Detroit, you expect that."

Antetokounmpo scored 35 points to lift the Bucks to their 13th consecutive victory, 127-103 over the Pistons on Wednesday night. The last time the Bucks had a longer winning streak than this was when they won 16 in a row spanning the end of the 1972-73 season and the beginning of 1973-74. They also had a 13-game run shortly after that 16-game streak ended.

Milwaukee won all eight matchups with the Pistons last season -- four in the regular season and four in the first round of the playoffs. The Bucks also beat Detroit last month in their first meeting of 2019-20.

There were six technical fouls in this game, and there were words exchanged during a couple of mild altercations. The first involved Antetokounmpo and Griffin after those two collided around midcourt in the second quarter.

"There's going to be a lot of teams that are going to come out and try to be physical with me -- try to hit me, knock me down to the floor," Antetokounmpo said. "I just got to keep my composure."

In the third quarter, Antetokounmpo fell to the floor after being fouled, and then Griffin stepped over him. Milwaukee's Khris Middleton came over to confront Griffin. Three technicals were assessed after that.

"At first, I was trying to ... talk back, let them know that this is more than basketball. We can stop playing basketball and we can fight," Antetokounmpo said. "At the end of the day, my teammates want me in the game, my teammates want me to keep my head in the game and I was like whatever. At this point whatever."

That emotions were running high was no surprise to Pistons coach Dwane Casey.

"That's going to happen. In a competitive game, it's going to happen," Casey said. "If anything, that should get you more focused, more riled up, more ready to play, more ready to compete and more ready to be physical and finish at the rim. All those things you have to do in a competitive game like that, a physical game like that."

The Bucks went on a 13-2 run late in the second quarter to lead 57-39, and although Detroit closed to within 11 at the half, the Pistons never made a major run during the final two quarters. Antetokounmpo scored 12 points in the third, and Milwaukee led 92-72 after three.

"I liked our fire in the second quarter. I liked our fire in general," Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. "I think the guys, they're in a good place. They're playing good basketball. So we'll keep it going."

Andre Drummond had 23 points and 14 rebounds for Detroit. Middleton had 17 points for the Bucks.

TIP-INS

Bucks: Milwaukee had led start to finish in each of its previous two games, but the Bucks trailed 24-22 after the first quarter in this one.

Pistons: Detroit came into the game shooting a league-leading 39.9% from 3-point range. The Pistons went 11 of 36 (30.6%) on Wednesday. ... The Pistons were without G Luke Kennard (knee). G Reggie Jackson has played only two games this season because of a lumbar stress reaction. The team announced Tuesday that he'll be evaluated again in a couple weeks.

BLOWOUTS

This game probably became a bit more anticipated after the Pistons routed their previous two opponents by 34 and 33 points. But the Bucks had won their previous two by 41 and 44, and this one wasn't close either.

"They're at the top of the league, really, for a reason," Griffin said. "It was a good test for us, the second time we played them on the second night of a back-to-back. But we've just got to be better."

UP NEXT

Bucks: Host the LA Clippers on Friday night.

Pistons: Host the Indiana Pacers on Friday night.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

SALT LAKE CITY -- LeBron James broke a personal seven-game road losing streak to the Utah Jazz, dating back to December 2010, in the Los Angeles Lakers' 121-96 win Wednesday, but there was one sequence he would like to get back.

As James was bringing the ball past half court in the first quarter, he picked up his dribble and proceeded to take 3½ steps -- making it from the "A" to the "H" of Utah's midcourt signage -- before putting the ball on the floor again, with no travel call made by the official.

"It was the worst thing, probably one of the worst things I've ever done in my career," James said after the game, essentially admitting his final line of 20 points, 12 assists and just one turnover should have included a second turnover. "I didn't realize I did it until halftime. One of my coaches showed me."

Jazz forward Bojan Bogdanovic didn't take quite as long to recognize the miscue, signaling to referee Jacyn Goble as soon as it happened.

James said he was distracted by a collision involving Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Donovan Mitchell and absent-mindedly kept shuffling his feet as he checked it out.

"I think at the same time, I was watching the underneath play, and KCP and Donovan got into it. KCP started to run, and Donovan bumped into him, he fell on the ground," James said. "I think I was ready to pass the ball, and my brain just kind of just, I had a malfunction. I really had a malfunction."

James had fun with a fan heckling him about the play in the third quarter by heckling himself right back.

"That's one of the worst ones I've ever done in my life," he could be heard saying to the fan on the Spectrum SportsNet broadcast of the game.

Lakers guard Danny Green said he finally saw James' happy feet in the postgame locker room.

"I was wondering where I was when it happened. I'm like, 'When the hell did this happen?' So, yeah, I didn't catch it," Green said. "But it was funny to see after the game."

James, who has publicly critiqued NBA officiating several times this season, acknowledged he was the beneficiary of a no-call this time around.

"I feel bad for the refs on that one because they'll probably get a write-up on that or something," James said. "That was pretty bad."

SALT LAKE CITY - Ask Anthony Davis about the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year award and the first thing he brings up is failure.

"A couple of years ago, I feel like I should have won it," Davis told ESPN, looking back on his third-place finish in the 2017-18 season behind Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz, who's now earned the honors two seasons in a row.

It was the second top-five finish of his career - he also lost out to Kawhi Leonard a couple of years prior. Now, in his first season with the Los Angeles Lakers, the eight-year veteran could very well be in the driver's seat to take home the hardware for the first time.

"I think he can and will win Defensive Player of the Year this year," Lakers coach Frank Vogel said this week. "I think there's no one in the league like him defensively in terms of being able to guard all positions, protect the rim the way he does and deflect the basketball, contain the basketball. There really isn't anyone in the league like him and if our team defense continues to play at a high level throughout the year, I think he'll win it going away."

The Lakers came into Wednesday's game against Gobert and the Jazz ranked fifth in the league in defensive rating, third in points allowed per game and seventh in opponent's field goal percentage, with Davis coming off perhaps his most impressive individual defensive showing of the season.

On Tuesday night, with L.A. clinging to a five-point lead with three and a half minutes remaining in Denver's arduous altitude, Davis found himself in an iso-situation guarding the Nuggets' Nikola Jokic. Davis squared him up as Jokic held the ball on the right wing just inside the 3-point line, unfurling his 7-foot-6 wingspan as his first line of defense. Jokic, seeing his passing lanes were shut off and with little chance to blow by Davis considering the Lakers big man's positioning, put the ball on the floor and his back into Davis, essentially starting his post-up 20 feet from the hoop.

Three pounding dribbles with his left hand warranted Jokic precious little real estate near the hoop, as Davis leveraged his spindly frame into Jokic's much larger body. Jokic spun back, angling towards the paint, but Davis recovered quickly. And when Jokic barreled near the basket to put up a mini hook shot, Davis swatted it away.

As the game wore on, he found himself matched up in single coverage with both Jokic and the 6-foot-4 point guard Jamal Murray, and the results were the same: Miss ... miss.

"I take pride in my defense," Davis said. "Anytime late game when guys feel like they can score on me, I take it personally and try to play without fouling and get stops for my team. In those situations, two of their best players, you want to make sure you want to stay home and do what I do best and play defense and make them take tough shots."

It wasn't a one-night thing either. Coming into Wednesday, opponents were shooting just 37 percent this season with Davis as the closest defender, the second-lowest field goal percentage allowed among all players who defended at least 175 shots this season, according to Second Spectrum.

He had three more blocks Wednesday in Utah, increasing his league-leading average to 2.7 per game, which included an impressive rejection after he flew by Bojan Bogdanovic on the perimeter in the third quarter. Davis bit on the pump fake, recovered quickly and swatted the Bogdanovic's 3-point attempt from behind.

"Look, this is a 3-point shooting league, so that type of play happens all the time when you run at a shooter, and they shot-fake and try to reload it," Vogel said. "A lot of teams, a lot of players, they settle for the first contest. But ... we land, plant, and we get a second contest on your own guy. That's just part of the modern NBA. One of the culture pieces that we're trying to build. That's an extra effort type of play. Usually, you don't get a block on it like AD did, but again, he's a special defender and made an extra-effort play."

Davis has put in as much effort to understand Vogel's concepts in a defensive system that asks him to cover a lot of ground.

"I think the biggest thing for me that was different is the way the game has changed guarding 4s," he said. "A lot of people run the corner action where they put the 4 in the corner, they set a pin-down (screen) and now I'm chasing and being in pick-and-rolls where I'm guarding the ball instead of guarding a screener."

Guarding the ball has never been a soft spot for Davis. According to Second Spectrum, Davis is fifth among 166 players who defended at least 75 drives this season, giving up just 0.753 points per chance. That complete defensive game shows up beyond the box score.

"If you're going to win you got to believe you can win and when you have that type of guy by your side either behind you when you're guarding on the perimeter or having passed him off and switching and he's guarding on the perimeter it gives you a whole new level of confidence that you're going to prevail against even good teams," Vogel said. "So he's not only impacting the direct plays that he's involved with, but the confidence as a group."

LeBron James, who openly admitted during the 2016 Finals that he was "highly upset" he never won DPOY when assessing his career up to that point, is trying to build Davis' confidence so he can then pass it on to the group.

"Having a growth mindset is being able to adapt to whatever the game is presenting itself and now in today's game, the game is adapted where a lot of 4s and 5s are on the perimeter," James said. "It may be different from what you did early in your years. And he's adapted to that and he's been obviously successful you've seen what he's been able to do on that side."

It's shown up in clutch situations, whether it be a game-saving block on Sacramento's Harrison Barnes at the buzzer to get L.A. its 10th win of the season, or beating Brandon Ingram to an inbounds pass to clinch the Lakers' 16th win of the season in New Orleans, Davis has been that guy..

Rajon Rondo says the Pelicans considered him their "Mr. Everything" on defense when they played together in New Orleans. Davis is trying to apply everything he saw from his defensive idols growing up - Dwight Howard and Kevin Garnett - and incorporate it into his game.

"Dwight, just with this shot-blocking ability and the way he is able to control the paint on the defensive end and alter shots and KG, how he just was tenacious on the defensive end," Davis told ESPN. "So, put those two guys together, that's who I try to be."

He has the approval of one of his muses already, who he now shares a locker room with.

"I've watched him grow over the years to blossom into a really great player on both ends of the floor," Howard said. "So, really proud to see him sticking by his word and doing what he has to do every night to make this team better."

With the first quarter of the season in the books and the 19-3 Lakers showing no signs of slowing down thanks to their blockbuster acquisition, why stop there?

"I got him as MVP and Defensive Player of the Year," Rondo said. "So, if he only gets one, I'll be pissed. My expectations are really high for him so we have to continue to win as a team and hopefully, the rest of the world will understand and see that he's a really big part of why we are who we are."

Ali Bacher, the former South African Test captain and managing director of the United Cricket Board of South Africa (now CSA), has called on CSA's current administration to take responsibility for recent events which has seen the game teetering on the brink of crisis.

Bacher called on the board to be held accountable and CEO Thabang Moroe to consider stepping down after initially mediating talks between Moroe and former captain Graeme Smith, which could have led to Smith taking on the director of cricket role on October 1.

Smith and Moroe met at Bacher's Johannesburg home on August 28, where Smith's deal was all but finalised, but 11 weeks later Smith withdrew interest in the role citing lack of confidence in the administration. Now, with CSA putting out fires with the players' association, sponsors, the media and facing collapse in their own board, Bacher has decided to speak out.

"I have been involved in cricket administration at varying levels from 1981 to 2003. In 2003, after the Cricket World Cup, I decided to call it a day. It was my call. I decided I would not interfere in the future running of South African cricket and I kept my word. However recent developments have made it obligatory for me to go public and express my most serious concern about the current administration in South African cricket," Bacher told ESPNcricinfo.

While Bacher was not involved in the Gerald Majola or Haroon Lorgat era, he has been sought after for counsel under Moroe's administration in recent months. Bacher oversaw the meeting between Smith and Moroe, and was thrilled with Smith's interest. "Graeme is a legend not only in South Africa but around the world and I was excited to see him consider going into administration in South Africa full-time," Bacher said.

"Faf du Plessis was not consulted over the appointment of the coach or three assistants for the tour to India. South Africa got a 3-nil drubbing. Are you surprised?" Ali Bacher

Bacher was optimistic Smith would be able to start rebuilding of the national side that had just been whitewashed in a Test series in India, under a revamped management. The tour was the first since CSA announced a structure that did away with a head coach and installed a team director in his place. The job was given to Enoch Nkwe, who had a successful run with the Lions and Jozi Stars in the 2018-19 summer, winning three of the four trophies available in his first season as a franchise coach. Vincent Barnes travelled as the bowling coach and Amol Muzumdar from India was hired on a short-term deal as a batting consultant.

Though CSA put the poor results down to a transition period following the retirements of Hashim Amla and Dale Steyn, there were deeper problems than personnel. "It is a well-known fact that the current highly respected captain of South Africa, Faf du Plessis, was not consulted over the appointment of the coach or three assistants for the tour to India. South Africa got a 3-nil drubbing. Are you surprised?" Bacher asked.

Few were, including Smith, who used much of his on-air commentary time to explain where South Africa were tactically erring. While CSA continues to attempt to draw Smith into the tent - and discussions between him and president Chris Nenzani are ongoing - Smith has admitted to having "real concerns," with the way cricket is being run. Smith did not go into detail but an obvious issue is lack of communication. More than two months after Smith and Moroe met at Bacher's home Smith "had still not received a contract for consideration", Bacher said.

Similarly, now, with little more than three weeks to go before South Africa host England for four Tests, three ODIs and three T20s, the director of cricket appointment has been delayed, there is no selection panel in place and no coaching staff have been confirmed. CSA's board will hold a special sitting on Saturday in an attempt to resolve these issues but Bacher believes it is too late for them to seek redemption: "The current CEO is out of his depth and I strongly suggest that he resigns imminently in the best interests of South Africa cricket."

GRAND MARAIS, Minn. -- A Minnesota judge on Wednesday ordered that a former member of the "Miracle on Ice" U.S. Olympic hockey team should be committed to a secure treatment facility, saying the hockey star is mentally ill and dangerous.

Mark Pavelich, 61, of Lutsen, was charged with felony assault in August for allegedly beating a friend with a metal pole, breaking several bones.

Charging documents say Pavelich accused the friend of spiking his beer. Judge Michael Cuzzo found Pavelich incompetent to stand trial, and the criminal case was put on hold while the state sought to have Pavelich committed.

The Star Tribune reported that a hearing in February will determine whether Pavelich should stay committed for an undetermined amount of time.

According to Cuzzo's order, one psychologist found Pavelich had delusions and paranoia, including a delusion that those closest to him were trying to poison him. Another psychologist found he suffered from a mild neurocognitive disorder due to traumatic brain injury, likely related to repeated head injuries.

Pavelich's family members have said they believe he suffers from CTE, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy, after repeated concussions from his time in the NHL. They said they started seeing changes in him a few years ago and he has refused help.

CTE, which can be diagnosed only after death, has been found in several former NHL players, more than 100 former NFL players and in dozens more athletes and members of the military who have been exposed to repetitive head trauma. The disease can lead to memory loss, depression and even suicide.

The NHL has long denied there is a conclusive link between repeated blows to the head and CTE.

Pavelich's sister, Jean Gevik, said her brother's situation was "heartbreaking.''

The NHL has been criticized for the way it has handled head injuries. Last year, the league settled a court case with hundreds of retired players who claimed they were harmed by head injuries. The NHL admitted no wrongdoing. Pavelich did not make a claim, Gevik has said.

Pavelich had two assists in the United States' "Miracle" 4-3 win over the Soviet Union in a medal-round game of the 1980 Olympic tournament. The U.S. then beat Finland to win the gold medal. Pavelich later played for the New York Rangers and two other NHL teams.

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- Todd Gurley's role in the Los Angeles Rams' offense has recently increased.

The reason, according to Rams coach Sean McVay, is quite simple.

"Me not being an idiot," McVay said Wednesday.

The Rams have sputtered through a 7-5 season as McVay has been hesitant to commit to the run and eager to rely on the passing game. Gurley, once the focal point of McVay's offense, has been relegated to a role player, sharing a portion of his workload with backups Malcolm Brown and Darrell Henderson Jr.

Until recently, that is.

Last Sunday, in a 34-7 win over the Arizona Cardinals, Gurley rushed for 95 yards and a touchdown in 19 carries. Two weeks earlier, Gurley tied a season high as he rushed for 97 yards in a season-best 25 carries in a 17-7 win over the Chicago Bears.

Gurley had at least 100 scrimmage yards in two of his past three games. The only other game he accumulated more than 100 scrimmage yards this season was in a Week 1 win over the Carolina Panthers.

"He's done a nice job handling a bigger workload," McVay said.

That should come as no surprise given Gurley is a two-time All Pro and three-time Pro Bowl selection, whom the Rams awarded a record-breaking four-year, $60 million extension, with $45 million in guarantees, before last season.

Quarterback Jared Goff chuckled when told that McVay called himself an idiot in regard to Gurley's usage.

"He's being hard on himself," Goff said about McVay. "We all want to get Todd involved as much as possible. I think these last couple of weeks we've seen that, and good things tend to happen."

McVay pointed to the Rams' Week 10 loss to the Steelers as a wake-up call when it comes to Gurley, who was averaging 6.1 yards per carry but was kept on the sideline early in the fourth quarter, despite the Rams trailing 14-10. By the time Gurley was inserted late in the game, it was too late to utilize the run and the Rams lost 17-12.

"The Steelers game stands out in terms of where we were running the football well and you didn't really give him a chance to get back going based on how that thing played out," McVay said. "You always try to learn from your previous experiences."

McVay denied Wednesday, as he has throughout the season, that Gurley has been on any sort of load management program.

"It has nothing to do with that," McVay said. "It was really just, you're just kind of working through the 2019 season -- the best way to utilize all of our players and figuring out what our identity is."

In 11 games, Gurley has averaged 58 yards in 14 carries, down from the 89 yards in 18 carries that he averaged in 2018, when he rushed for 1,251 yards and 17 touchdowns.

Gurley has rushed for 642 yards and 8 touchdowns and has caught 22 passes for 134 yards and a touchdown. He has yet to rush for more than 100 yards in a single game, something he accomplished six times in 2018.

The Houston Rockets will likely file an official protest regarding James Harden's dunk that wasn't counted in Tuesday's 135-133 loss to the San Antonio Spurs, sources told ESPN on Wednesday.

Houston had been optimistic in the wake of the loss that the NBA office would take action without a protest being necessary. However, sources said the Rockets are leaning toward filing a protest to ensure that the NBA office will have to make a ruling.

NBA rules require a protest to be filed within 48 hours after a game. Sources said the NBA office has started conducting an investigation that could take longer than the 48-hour window.

The Rockets contend that they should either be awarded the win -- because they actually outscored the Spurs in regulation -- or that the final 7 minutes, 50 seconds of the game be replayed at a later date.

League sources, however, scoffed at the suggestion that the Rockets would be awarded the victory.

Harden's breakaway dunk with 7:50 left would have given the Rockets a 103-89 lead. The ball whipped through the net and back over the rim before bouncing off, and the officiating crew mistakenly ruled that Harden missed the dunk and denied Houston coach Mike D'Antoni's attempt to challenge the call.

"When the play happened, Harden goes in for a dunk, and then the ball appears to us to pop back through the net," crew chief James Capers told a pool reporter Tuesday. "When that happens, that is basket interference. To have a successful field goal, it must clear the net. We have since come in here and looked at the play. He dunked it so hard that the net carried it back over the rim a second time, so in fact it did clear the net and should have been a successful field goal.

"As to could the play have been reviewed, it is a reviewable matter, but you have a window of 30 seconds to challenge the play during that timeout that he had and while they were protesting the call, trying to get clarification of it, that window passed. So therefore, it elapsed, and they were not able to do it."

D'Antoni, who spoke to the media before the pool report was released, had a different account of the referees' explanation immediately after the play.

"I have no idea," D'Antoni said. "I heard that they said the ball hit James and went back through, so it was a goaltend on James. I challenged that, and I didn't get a response. Then another guy said it wasn't a goaltend; it went out of bounds on us. And I said, 'Well, I challenge that.' Can't do that. You know, I don't know, to answer your question. I've got nothing. I can't tell you."

The most recent example of teams replaying part of a game happened on March 8, 2008, between the Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks. In the previous game on Dec. 19, the Hawks unofficially won 117-111 in overtime, but the official scorer incorrectly ruled that Shaquille O'Neal fouled out, so they had to replay the final 51.9 seconds when the two teams met next.