Is it really so difficult to just make sure that the marquee TV games are not scheduled as the second night of a back to back? Next season when Cleveland plays at Golden State, make sure it's the first game of a road trip, and so forth.
But it isn't just marquee TV games where back to back games are the problem. The post -ASB period is a grind for players whether you have back to backs or not. This is when earlier back to backs take their toll. And to put it more simply, back to backs suck regardless of where they are in the season. Per this
link:
"To the surprise of no NBA fan, teams playing on the tail end of a back-to-back win less frequently than teams who aren’t. Since the beginning of the 2013-14 season, teams on back-to-backs have a .444 win percentage compared to .517 otherwise. And while this discrepancy is partially explained by the fact that most back-to-backs end on the road (68%), teams win roughly 8% less often both at home and away."
I suspect that if you told any player/coach that their season might be two weeks longer but they could be better rested and have a better chance of winning more games, I think they would take it. Adding a few weeks on to the season would likely hardly faze fans too.
Finally, it takes away any excuse to rest a player when the coach/organization knows the league wants the player on the court (i.e. national telecasts). I mean, sure Pop might still rest guys but most NBA coaches/players will recognize that this is a fair trade. Well, except
James Harden. He just wants to hoop and then rest when he's done.