The NBA has a real problem, and it’s only magnified by a weak commissioner who caters to the whims of the players.

The “we are tired” fraud is just not fair to the paying public.

The Cleveland Cavaliers played the Grizzlies on Wednesday night and not only did Kevin Love, LeBron James and Kyrie Irving not play in the game, they didn’t even make the trip to Memphis.

I’m sorry, but that’s more than rest when you can’t even attend a scheduled event.

So if you’re a dad in Memphis who purchased expensive tickets to take your kid to see LeBron, a player he loves, the least these guys can do is show up in street clothes and wave to the crowd. Is that too much to ask for their million dollar contracts?

But NBA Commissioner Adam Silver says the individual teams should make their own decisions.

OK, if that’s the way they want to handle it, you can’t expect fans to buy premium seven-game or 15-game packages and include teams such as the Cavs when there’s a very good chance star players such as LeBron might not play or even make the trip.

I was watching the Sacramento Kings play the Houston Rockets on Wednesday and DeMarcus Cousins didn’t play because of planned rest. So the Kings lose in a stinker 132-98.

These guys are only in their 20s (with the exception of LeBron at 31), so shouldn’t they be out on the court entertaining the fans and earning their money?

Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest basketball player of all time, played almost every game because he always knew what he meant to the fans.

Baseball legend Joe DiMaggio once was asked how he got up for every game, and he said someone might be seeing him for the first time and he didn’t want to disappoint them.

This pervasive resting trend has turned the NBA into a joke. Let’s see if it continues and what Silver plans to do about it.

NFL observations, notes:

• New England’s defense better improve or the Patriots won’t be going to the Super Bowl this season. The Pats were beating the Baltimore Ravens 16-0 on Monday night in Foxboro early in the game but were lucky to hang on for the 30-23 victory. I just don’t see them winning it all despite being 11-2.

• While Dak Prescott has had a couple of rough games for the Dallas Cowboys (11-2), losing 10-7 to the New York Giants (9-4), the yelling for Tony Romo is premature. But if the Cowboys Iose to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-5), look out Dak.

• I like quarterback Matt Barkley and hopefully he will continue to mature, but let’s hope the Bears draft a quarterback in April. Which round is the question.

• Follow Mike North on Twitter @north2north. His column appears each Tuesday and Friday in the Daily Herald, and his video commentary can be found Monday, Wednesday and Thursday at dailyherald.com. For more, visit northtonorth.com.