2014 draft health

 freak accidents, they happen. Well maybe embid wasnt a freak accident but the other 3 were. randle broke his tibia while driving the lane when he tried to land awkwardly, exum apprantely got hurt without any contact. Just a coincidence they were all from top of same draft.

 freak accidents, they happen. Well maybe embid wasnt a freak accident but the other 3 were. randle broke his tibia while driving the lane when he tried to land awkwardly, exum apprantely got hurt without any contact. Just a coincidence they were all from top of same draft.

I think younger players are being pushed to hard and overuse/overwork their bodies. In all sports, it seems ACL and lower extremity injuries are up but it is especially noticable in the basketball. Paul George, Kevin Ware, and Julius Randle all broke their legs and obviously the former two were much more gruesome.I can’t even name all of the ACL guys anymore but Jabari’s was surprising. I don’t think players bodies can handle the weight/muscle/bulk their are putting on at young ages and as a result the increase of injuries. Dante Exum was getting noticably more muscular and now he’s out for the year. PEDs probably play a role as well, definitely in football (260 pound linebackers? 350+ pound linemen? please…) and probably in the NBA.

It’s like pitchers throwing all year round or throwing curveballs from an early age. Eventually, it will lead to arm injuries (every pitcher seems to get Tommy John now a days). Everyone one of my friends who played college athletics and put on 20+ pounds has suffered some form of injury, whether it be a torn ACL, broken foot, groin injuries, or shoulder injuries. The weight training/weight gain seems to be the common factor.

Hopefully, trainers start to adjust and help players prevent injuries from happening in the first place.

I think younger players are being pushed to hard and overuse/overwork their bodies. In all sports, it seems ACL and lower extremity injuries are up but it is especially noticable in the basketball. Paul George, Kevin Ware, and Julius Randle all broke their legs and obviously the former two were much more gruesome.I can’t even name all of the ACL guys anymore but Jabari’s was surprising. I don’t think players bodies can handle the weight/muscle/bulk their are putting on at young ages and as a result the increase of injuries. Dante Exum was getting noticably more muscular and now he’s out for the year. PEDs probably play a role as well, definitely in football (260 pound linebackers? 350+ pound linemen? please…) and probably in the NBA.

It’s like pitchers throwing all year round or throwing curveballs from an early age. Eventually, it will lead to arm injuries (every pitcher seems to get Tommy John now a days). Everyone one of my friends who played college athletics and put on 20+ pounds has suffered some form of injury, whether it be a torn ACL, broken foot, groin injuries, or shoulder injuries. The weight training/weight gain seems to be the common factor.

Hopefully, trainers start to adjust and help players prevent injuries from happening in the first place.

 I think its the shoes. Players are far more athletic in terms of raw athleticism now than they have been in the past, but their stabilisation muscles in their lower bodies have been compromised by wearing extremely padded shoes to play their whole lives.

The shoes are more comfortable to wear but they ultimately weaken the foot and knees because they lessen the impact to the extent that those small muscles atrophy from not being used – the shoes do all the work. So then you start to see guys like Exum have non-contact injuries because their legs aren’t stable enough to handle awkard landings and they just buckle laterally. By reducing the sensation of impact with cushioning it actually makes you land with more force because your body doesn’t brace itself as well and doesn’t correct poor running technique. Studies have shown that gymnasts have heavier, more forceful landings on more cushioned surfaces.

A study was published recently showing that wearing shoes with Air cushioning made you way more likely to suffer an ankle injury.

Unfortunately, it’s not a problem that can be easily fixed, because it takes a long time to transition away from padded soles and build up the strength of the foot and ultimately the rest of the body without getting hurt, but these players obviously don’t have that time to take off from playing.

Look at John Wall as a case study, he wore super padded Reebok shoes for his first couple of seasons and had knee problems he’d never had before. Then he switches to Adidas and wears the most minimal modern basketball shoe – the quick or something (the name escapes me) – and he’s instantly healthy and hasn’t looked back.

Next example is Kevin Durant – early in his career he didn’t put any heel padding in his shoes because he wanted them to be affordable and he barely missed a game. But as his fame grew he got talked into adding Air into the heels of his shoes (those things are like walking on a cloud, ridiculous) and suddenly his foot has this injury that won’t go away.

Also, look at Steph Curry, who had ankles made of glass while wearing Nikes, but switched to Under Armour (which are typically less heavy-handed with the cushioning) and he was able to put those problems behind him.

I’m not saying do away with all cushioning, but there was really nothing wrong with Converses worn by Larry, Magic and that generation – but Nike and their aribitrary belief in the power of an elevated heel have caused a lot of these problems.

 I think its the shoes. Players are far more athletic in terms of raw athleticism now than they have been in the past, but their stabilisation muscles in their lower bodies have been compromised by wearing extremely padded shoes to play their whole lives.

The shoes are more comfortable to wear but they ultimately weaken the foot and knees because they lessen the impact to the extent that those small muscles atrophy from not being used – the shoes do all the work. So then you start to see guys like Exum have non-contact injuries because their legs aren’t stable enough to handle awkard landings and they just buckle laterally. By reducing the sensation of impact with cushioning it actually makes you land with more force because your body doesn’t brace itself as well and doesn’t correct poor running technique. Studies have shown that gymnasts have heavier, more forceful landings on more cushioned surfaces.

A study was published recently showing that wearing shoes with Air cushioning made you way more likely to suffer an ankle injury.

Unfortunately, it’s not a problem that can be easily fixed, because it takes a long time to transition away from padded soles and build up the strength of the foot and ultimately the rest of the body without getting hurt, but these players obviously don’t have that time to take off from playing.

Look at John Wall as a case study, he wore super padded Reebok shoes for his first couple of seasons and had knee problems he’d never had before. Then he switches to Adidas and wears the most minimal modern basketball shoe – the quick or something (the name escapes me) – and he’s instantly healthy and hasn’t looked back.

Next example is Kevin Durant – early in his career he didn’t put any heel padding in his shoes because he wanted them to be affordable and he barely missed a game. But as his fame grew he got talked into adding Air into the heels of his shoes (those things are like walking on a cloud, ridiculous) and suddenly his foot has this injury that won’t go away.

Also, look at Steph Curry, who had ankles made of glass while wearing Nikes, but switched to Under Armour (which are typically less heavy-handed with the cushioning) and he was able to put those problems behind him.

I’m not saying do away with all cushioning, but there was really nothing wrong with Converses worn by Larry, Magic and that generation – but Nike and their aribitrary belief in the power of an elevated heel have caused a lot of these problems.

The problem is that the players’ basketball skills are ahead of their bodies.  The simple fact is that a 19 year old is not physically ready for the NBA.  Also, please don’t lecture me about LeBron James.  He’s an exception.

The problem is that the players’ basketball skills are ahead of their bodies.  The simple fact is that a 19 year old is not physically ready for the NBA.  Also, please don’t lecture me about LeBron James.  He’s an exception.

 If this were 15 or 20 years ago these players would have surgery, rehab & return & us fans would never know or even think about it… Even an injury like Embiid’s which seemes catastrophic but if we were in the old 4 year system, he would be on target to return for his senior year…. These guys are being drafted SO young & some will suffer year ending injuries b/c their bodies are still growing,,,, So as fans I think we just have to learn patience b/c the Top prospects with "Super Star" potential are SO rare that the teams Must take them & be part of their healing process…. Maybe it’ll help us as fans to learn patience… lol……

 If this were 15 or 20 years ago these players would have surgery, rehab & return & us fans would never know or even think about it… Even an injury like Embiid’s which seemes catastrophic but if we were in the old 4 year system, he would be on target to return for his senior year…. These guys are being drafted SO young & some will suffer year ending injuries b/c their bodies are still growing,,,, So as fans I think we just have to learn patience b/c the Top prospects with "Super Star" potential are SO rare that the teams Must take them & be part of their healing process…. Maybe it’ll help us as fans to learn patience… lol……