Article: Breaking down how the 82gm schedule breaks down a players body

[Magic 32]

Compare it to boxing and the NFL.

[Haymaker]

Playing with sleep deprivation is a ****ed up thing to do. Not only you can't focus well on the court, but you lose coordination and your motor skills take a hit. No wonder many players have off nights so often. In the past it was different because nowadays players have busier schedules when it comes to sponsors and TV appearances. Back then only the major superstars had sponsors.

[Showtime80']

LET THE PUSSIFICATION OF THE NBA CONTINUE!!!

What a frigging joke!!! I guess traveling first class, having teams of trainers and nutritionists, playing in state of the art arenas, having playoff series with no back to backs, playing at a snail's pace compared to the 1980's and launching 40 3's a night are causing HAVOC on these pampered pansies bodies!!!

RIP NBA!

[Marchesk]

Drop to 60 games, extend the 3pt line to 25 feet, raise the rim, put Lebron in the West.

[Showtime80']

Excess money has made these guys SOFT!!!

George Gervin talked about how the modern players are so fundamentally flawed that they don't even know how to fall properly to avoid injuries. It's all athleticism and flash!

Studying and mastering the fundamentals of the game instead of working on cross overs and euro steps could not only prevent injuries but extend careers.

[Haymaker]

Excess money has made these guys SOFT!!!

George Gervin talked about how the modern players are so fundamentally flawed that they don't even know how to fall properly to avoid injuries. It's all athleticism and flash!

Studying and mastering the fundamentals of the game instead of working on cross overs and euro steps could not only prevent injuries but extend careers.

Well, this is very true.

[swagga]

And they're dropping dead on a monthly basis. Your heart can only take so much cocaine.

tbh.

[swagga]

problem these days isn't that players are more athletic, as athleticism contains stamina, resistance, recovery rate and many other things that right now are at an all time low in the modern era. The problem is that players are more explosive. And they aren't more explosive because of better genes (even if ish 13yo will-be-scientists disagree ).

There is a simple progression in MJ steps to the increased explosiveness at the expense of everything else (older dudes like me saw this shit live):

1. the league wants more cash =>
2. the league wants more highlight plays to get more cash from casual and global fans =>
3. league opens up the lane and gets rid of defensive rules, to heavily favor explosive "highlight" players =>
4. teams put more value on athleticism because they want to win by exploiting the new rules =>
5. explosive but less sturdy players are more likely to make it to the nba =>
6. wanting to make it to the nba all players (super explosive or not) start doing heavy plyometrics and other explosiveness increasing exercise, not doing heavy training on stamina or fundamentals =>
7. the level of fundamentals drops, which combined with the open lane leads to more dangerous type of plays =>
8. players get injured faster and earlier in their careers, making freak athletes the best bet for front offices =>
9. poor "dunk or 3" basketball of the 00s=>
10. casual fans "marbury > magic", "young jordan>magic", "griffin>gasol" get in the market because the game is more accessible to their impaired bball intellect =>
11. the league got a bigger market and can increase the costs of the tickets, ushering in a new era of customers, from the old school basketball savvy fans to the new school corporate mainstream soccer mom/ fagggots/ hipsters and so on. And the league wants to protect its newfound cashcow =>
12. with a decreased financial pressure from old school fans the league imposes further "superstar" rules to protect best assets further handicapping the defense =>
13. attack the rim wings benefit HEAVILY, multiplying across the league, players get much more interested in corporate benefits (brands, market, stans) than the game itself =>
14. combined with their greater exposure to injuries (more contact, heavier bodies, verticality and superstar rules making it hard to play proper ball without monkeying in the air) real bigmen start to REALLY take a toll and gradually almost disappear =>
15. death of post game and of the traditional big and the rise of the mobile athletic-rim-protector-catch-alleyoops big. =>
16. the lane is wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiide open, blocks become mostly weakside blocks from almost equally sized players (thus no more laimbeer destroying mj, but more josh smith trying to block kobe) There is no more fear factor when attacking the lane. Refs give free throws like candy for wings=>
17. a drastic decrease in constant physical interaction (hand checking, playing with constant body-to-body contact) and a drastic increase of event based in-the-air physical interaction (finishing at the rim) and forced events (flops, acrobatic attacks of the rim, looking to get a free throw, not to score).
18. even more dangerous play and even more and more brutal injuries but also more lackadaisical play and collusion to minimize effort=>
19. the rise of ultra specialized tactics (floppers, rip-through, illegal screeners), ultraspecialized players (harden-ft begging, curry-3pter) and the space and pace game =>
20. freak injuries are here to stay and less talent will actually develop since many will get in the league by explosiveness (what you young people call athleticism) alone, and they'll lose roster spots with injuries =>
21. for this kind of grown players 82 games is way too much but the league won't decrease the number of games because of $$$ =>
23. freak injuries are here to stay, in this ADHD audience, pussified "brand">game players, no real teams or rivalries league.


Some notes:
- The bastardization created by globalization can be seen in the european market, where the 90s and 00s brought great fundamentally trained talent but the 10s are barely bringing anything (casualised market) .. seen this live in germany.
- new school teams wouldn't match the constant physicality of old school teams (80s, early 90s), it isn't something they are accustomed to. All this new school optimized skill would plummet in a long hard series against an old school contender, where the lack of flexibility of the new school game would be obvious (no midrange, no post especially).
- the bastardization of the game GREATLY increases freak injuries

The future:
- there are always players that will handsomely adapt great fundamentals to the skill economy of the game (curry, green, porzingis, towns) and there are always teams that nicely adapt fundamentals with new rules (spurs, gsw, big 3 heat ) but make no mistake about it, the league will look to further bastardize the game to tap the asian market.
- expect less minutes and larger rosters
- expect more moving screens (3p, gsw's real secret)
- expect less defense (through rules) and less downtime from fouls (modified rules for FTs - they are already here) as the new audience was bred for ADHD.
- floor lights up, stands light up, mascots multiply, they'll make it a fcking circus tbh.
- collusion is JUST in its infancy, we'll get more super teams and more tim donaughy like action

On the bright side:
- betting is getting better and better
- collusion leads to great teams and great series


TLDR the league destroyed the game banking on "explosiveness" and flash over "resilience" and grit in order to maximze audience. #globalization

[dunksby]

There was a time when teams had to play 82 games and ride coaches to travel, now that takes a toll.

[Showtime80']

BRAVO SWAGGA!!!!! One of the most comprehensive posts on the decline of the NBA post 1990!!!

There is literally NO TURNING back from this spiral unless the league takes away the 3 point line, puts in the old defensive rules (no blood no foul) and LITERALLY forces people to go back to basics from a young age.

The NBA has NO OTHER TRUMP CARD to compete with the NFL and MLB than to market individual stars, that's it!

[Haymaker]

tbh.

And also this. Cocaine was to the 80's what weed is to this generation.

[90sgoat]

The main problem is that rampant use of steroids and HGH puts undue stress on ligaments in the body which does not grow alongside the increased muscle mass. This leads to all the injuries we're seeing-

Less doping, less injuries.

[Ca$H]

This is actually one of the main reasons why Durant will consider going to the Warriors. Durant- 37.9 MPG career average. Curry- 32.7 and 33.8 MPG under Kerr. Kerr shares POP's philosophy about resting players. Durant will be able to sit out 4th quarters and some back to backs on long road trips. It's all about extending your career. Kobe broke down because of MDA abusing his minutes. Rest is essential.

[Sarcastic]

Injuries are part of every game/sport. Even golfers get hurt. There is absolutely nothing they can do to prevent injuries except maybe cancel the entire league. Even in a 60 game league players would get hurt.

[Kblaze8855]

**** these dudes. Guys used to play 30 unpaid preseason games because the owners needed the gate money to pay for the rest of the season. One of the old unions fought to reduce it to a max of 20....and keep them from being played within 3 days of the regular season. You used to have back to back to back....to backs....riding an unmodified bus that ****ed up the legs of tall people....and you played the whole game in the preseason...for free....with no team doctors....no gatorade...drinking water....wearing shoes that were just cloth...and you might have this epic string of back to back up until game day starting the season....because the exhibitions were used to promote the league.

And then they start a season....some people played 45 minutes a game....every game...dont miss a second of the playoffs...and go get a side job during the offseason.

Oscar once played 18 preseason games....44 minutes a game playing 80 games...47.5 minutes a game in the playoffs....then worked on the construction of a church all summer. And his minutes increased each of the next 3 years...peaking at 46 a game and 49 minutes in the playoffs(played every second of every game plus OT). And they were running even more than today....more shots taken...more trips up and down the court.

Really....look at these ****ing shoes Oscar played in:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbdZmvwQD4A

Hes playing in 8 dollar Family Dollar store canvas shoes! Those are the shoes your grandma wore when she took you to the park as a kid. Hes gotta layer vaseline and extra socks on just to keep his feet in one piece.

And you know his daily per diem to eat on at the time of that video? 1 dollar. Bob Cousy led the union in a near strike to get the NBAs up to 7. Players today have 3 team buffets a day, free room service, free access to the best equipment, a squad of trainers to get you ready and keep you healthy, first class flights, and world class accommodations.

And even when they did have a nice spot....sometimes not everyone could stay. You know at one point Oscars team stayed at a hotel that didnt allow blacks? Did the team change the arrangement to suit him..the best player anyone had ever seen? No. They all gave the place their business....and Oscar had to go sleep in a nearby college campus dorm that allowed coloreds. Team in a hotel. Oscar....6'5''...on a borrowed twin bed a student let him use.

The NBA minimum pay today could setup someone smart with their money for life in 3 years.

Those players....even many in the HOF...needed summer jobs. Jerry West...worked in retail. Oscar Robertson worked in construction. These guys making 20 million a year, spending it somehow, and being coddled from 16 to 40. Lebron was driving a damn Hummer in high school....

But todays players have it tough and need even more accommodations? Less minutes....games off for rest...


Stars in the past had to play every game because their teams might fold with bad attendance. Elgin Baylor literally saved the Lakers from going out of business. You HAD to play when you could to keep the doors open. Which is probably why he flew coach across country to wherever the Lakers happened to be the season he was also in the ****ing army. This guy....was leaving his army base on weekends...flying across the country to meet the team...often playing moments after landing(He was late to some games)...drop 40(it was his highest scoring season...he wanted them to win every game the army let him play) back to back get back on a plane...and go back to the base.

Im not saying....these guys dont get tired. You get tired at work. Thats how it goes when you do an even somewhat physical job. What im saying is....

When the compensation and accommodations are so amazing....they will get by. Even if they dunk less in 4th quarters.