2 Days Have Passed and I STILL Can't Get Over the Fact That Durant Can't Bench 185

This is really pathetic, and a major cause for concern in my opinion.

The guy is going to be a serious defensive liability. How will he keep any four off the block? How will he keep any three off the block for that matter? He probably bailed himself out with his height in college, now I see him being terribly exposed. Add to that his slow feet and it is a really interesting dilemma.

The last player I remember not benching the minimum was Shaun Livingston and look how he has turned out. Injury after injury (not having stength leads to injury) and SL was point guard. Durant will have to guard bigger stronger players.

Maybe he is a natural scorer and a gamer with a high bball IQ, but so was Adam Morrison and look how he made the jump (yikes).

Did this news drop your opinion of Durant's star potential in your mind as it did mine? I could be overvaluing this result and Durant could end up doing just what he did in college (dominating), but we could also have the next Brad Sellers on our hands.

Every other draft candidate can probably bench Durant at least once.

[QUOTE=adamcz]Every other draft candidate can probably bench Durant at least once.[/QUOTE]


its shocking, 95% of average joe's in college can probably bench 185

He's still young and his body is growing. Cut him some slack.

He put up his numbers last season in a major conference, despite his lack of strength. We just need some patience with him, and his body will mature as he gets older.

[QUOTE=JtotheIzzo]This is really pathetic, and a major cause for concern in my opinion.

The guy is going to be a serious defensive liability. How will he keep any four off the block? How will he keep any three off the block for that matter? He probably bailed himself out with his height in college, now I see him being terribly exposed. Add to that his slow feet and it is a really interesting dilemma.

The last player I remember not benching the minimum was Shaun Livingston and look how he has turned out. Injury after injury (not having stength leads to injury) and SL was point guard. Durant will have to guard bigger stronger players.

Maybe he is a natural scorer and a gamer with a high bball IQ, but so was Adam Morrison and look how he made the jump (yikes).

[B]Did this news drop your opinion of Durant's star potential in your mind as it did mine[/B]? I could be overvaluing this result and Durant could end up doing just what he did in college (dominating), but we could also have the next Brad Sellers on our hands.[/QUOTE]

Hell no! Durant's going to be a monster in the NBA. Don't forget he's only 19 years old and he ACTUALLY looks like a 19 year old instead of some genetic mutated freak like Lebron or Oden. His first year in league he'll average 20+ and although he might struggle on the block, give him a year or two to pack on some muscle and he'll be fine.

Could Morrison bench it last year? I know Shawn Livingston couldn't do it in '04.

Durant should be ashamed... But he did grow a little over an inch during the season. So I think maybe it payed off not lifting hard.

Im just excited that he is still growing. Dude is 6"10 with a 7"5 wingspan thats impressive.

He probably started working out, later than most of the players out there.

he must have neglected to weight train in his teenage years because he wanted his body to g row to its full potential height.

being 6'10" is much harder than benching 300 pounds.



his rookie season I can see him have a terrible year plagued with fouls, but I think if he wants to succeed in the NBA he will need to hire a strength coach and he will need to lift like he's never lifteed before

he'll get stronger, he'll be benching 200+ this year with strength coaches, no problem.

Yeah its pathetic

Which would you rather draft?

A player who is a physically gifted player, that you have to teach the game of basketball to..

or

A player who is a gifted basketball player that you have to teach bodybuilding to?

Give me a lithe kid who can shoot over a musclehead who just can't learn how to shoot a jump shot. Give me Michael Redd over Ira Newble -any- day.

People, it is not basketball versus musclehead, it isnt even a matter of he'll improve once he starts working out...that is all irrelevant.

185 is VERY easy for most regular people to bench press. It isnt a hard thing for an every day kind of dude to do.

We are talking about a professional athlete who weighs 215lbs.

If he was weak I wouldn't worry, but to be abnormally weak is as shocking as it is worrying.

For a man in his position not to be able to do this is FREAKISHLY unathletic.

I think Kevin Durants wants his draft stock to drop so that he might finally be pick by the Boston Celtics.

Danny Ainge must be praying that the Celts might get Kevin Durant.

[QUOTE=JtotheIzzo]People, it is not basketball versus musclehead, it isnt even a matter of he'll improve once he starts working out...that is all irrelevant.

185 is VERY easy for most regular people to bench press. It isnt a hard thing for an every day kind of dude to do.

We are talking about a professional athlete who weighs 215lbs.

If he was weak I wouldn't worry, but to be abnormally weak is as shocking as it is worrying.

For a man in his position not to be able to do this is FREAKISHLY unathletic.[/QUOTE]

I remember a couple of years ago there was a big to-do over the bench press results for draftees, since many of them, especially the taller players, weren't able to do more than a few reps at 180 or 200 pounds (I forget what it was). They say arm length is a big factor.