Am I the only one who think NBA athletes are wimps these days?

[japanair21]

Now, first off, it may be the team's fault for being too careful, but I think players these days are too scared to play with an injury in worry of ruiningtheir career.

(No, MJ and the flu does not count, a flu is not an injury, it's a reason to sit out of a game, and a lot of players do, so props to him for that, butit's not an injury).

I can't remember the last time I'd seen someone be injured like Isiah Thomas was (don't hate on the PLAYER Isiah, hate on the coach Isiah), in thePlayoffs where he was playing with a bum ankle and scoring 43 points and 25 in the third. You never hear about things like this anymore, not even with greatplayers. I know it's not the playoffs right now, but LeBron sits out like a week or two with a hurt pinky, who hasn't jammed their thumb, fingers, etc.in basketball?

NBA isn't as physical as it used to be, although that's because the way the game is officiated.

Am I alone in thinking that NBA players aren't as tough and are wimpy compared to NBA players of past? It may be a reflection on the coaches, but man mostNBA players seem

, everyone seems to get injured these days.

Oh and also, Isiah is top three PG's ever.

 

[TheGodFresco]

Baron Davis played with a hurt hamstring VS Dallas in game 6.

 

[sohi 23]

Originally Posted by JapanAir21

Now, first off, it may be the team's fault for being too careful, but I think players these days are too scared to play with an injury in worry of ruining their career.

(No, MJ and the flu does not count, a flu is not an injury, it's a reason to sit out of a game, and a lot of players do, so props to him for that, but it's not an injury).

I can't remember the last time I'd seen someone be injured like Isiah Thomas was (don't hate on the PLAYER Isiah, hate on the coach Isiah), in the Playoffs where he was playing with a bum ankle and scoring 43 points and 25 in the third. You never hear about things like this anymore, not even with great players. I know it's not the playoffs right now, but LeBron sits out like a week or two with a hurt pinky, who hasn't jammed their thumb, fingers, etc. in basketball?

NBA isn't as physical as it used to be, although that's because the way the game is officiated.

Am I alone in thinking that NBA players aren't as tough and are wimpy compared to NBA players of past? It may be a reflection on the coaches, but man most NBA players seem

, everyone seems to get injured these days.

Oh and also, Isiah is top three PG's ever.

But yeah the officiating plays a BIG ROLE.
What with all the flopping and acting.
David Stern has killed my favorite sport


P.S. Isiah was a beast at point gaurd

 

[presequel]

well, nba teams have too much money invested into a player to have them play hurt. its better for them to heal and be 100% or near it for the playoffs.

no point in risking further injury for regular season games.

 

[koolbarbone]

The NBA is definitely a lot softer but I think you might just be picking and choosing individual players.

Steve Nash played with a chipped tooth recently, last year he played with a nose that was gushing blood in the playoffs.

Amare returned early from microfracture surgery two years ago and risked his entire rehab process.

Meanwhile, in the so-called glory days of the NBA, Pippen sat out multiple games with migraines.

Some players are soft, some aren't, that's just the way it goes regardless of era.

 

[doublejs07]

I don't know what you are talking about.....players in the NBA are as tough as they come...

as I said in another thread, Steve Nash gets a lot of hate, but he is one of the toughest SOB's in the NBA....I remember when he messed up his nose afterrunning into Tony Parker, and Parker is the one rolling around on the floor while Nash is checking on him.

 

[sohi 23]

I still can't believe he got a wheechair for his damn shoulder

 

[japanair21]

Oh, I'm not saying that there aren't tough players in the league, I agree that Nash is a tough dude, but overall as a whole, the NBA seems to be a lotsofter, back in the 80's/90's there weren't as many "soft" players as there are now.

Charles Barkley stated something VERY interesting on TNT either this week or last week, saying that NBA players used to play to be great, now they play to getmoney, and that's something that triggered this post.

 

[aepps20]

Money changes everything. I have a feeling that if some of the players of yesteryear got paid as well as players some would play to get money too.

 

[sohi 23]

Originally Posted by JapanAir21

Oh, I'm not saying that there aren't tough players in the league, I agree that Nash is a tough dude, but overall as a whole, the NBA seems to be a lot softer, back in the 80's/90's there weren't as many "soft" players as there are now.

Charles Barkley stated something VERY interesting on TNT either this week or last week, saying that NBA players used to play to be great, now they play to get money, and that's something that triggered this post.

Yeah Barkely said something like players used to play because they wanted to be the best ever,
but no ideas they only play to make money or something like that. You can't just blame the players though,
I mean if you fall down now a days, it's a foul no matter what

 

[koolbarbone]

Yeah players play for money now. But realistically how many players in the league actually have a chance at being the best? It's basically the top 10%competing for that recognition, the rest are competing for things like playing time or a roster spot.

Are you pointing fingers at the upper echelon players? If so, I still think that there are just as many soft players now as there were back in the day.It's just the game is far less physical.

 

[japanair21]

The higher grade players are easier to pick out because their more recognizable as being soft, but I'm talking in general. I can see why you say that thegame isn't as physical as it was thus making players these days softer than those in the past, I just thought maybe it was just a change in the playersthese days.

 

[paul is 0n nt]

Grant Hill played injured and look what happened to him...

 

[darthska]

I agree with you. There is plenty of Charmin in today's NBA.

 

[ironmanfitness]

this post is filled w/ unfair generalizations....i dont think pao gasol is a wimp but hes just not good enough to dominate and is injured with feetinjurys....THATS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOUR OVER 6'5!!!! most bodies are not able to handle what they go through....plus those who are "charming" endup playing only a year or 2 before the league figures out they suck and are sent out ala SMUSH PARKER so dont tell me these guys are soft bc the ones who busttheir butt are out there for 10 years +

 

[darthska]

No one said every single person in the NBA was soft.

And no one said anything about 'charming', either.

 

[ironmanfitness]

Who are some soft players in the NBA today? I just dont understand this post....every generation has had soft players....i dont think ben wallace is soft

 

[darthska]

Every generation has soft players?

I wouldn't call Charles Barkley soft.

Or Kevin McHale.

 

[ironmanfitness]

kevin mchale would not survive in todays league...ive seen alot of him on espn classic and i dunno i dont see anything special except for fundamentals...maybeif there was more importance on strenght it would be difference...i dunno im only 20

 

[aepps20]

I think players are more sensitive than they were in the past. Here is an article I am across last summer by Eddie Johnson which explains what I mean.


HoopsHype.com NBA Blogs - Eddie Johnson
"If players were as sensitive in my era as they are now, it would have been a fight every quarter"

September 13, 2007 @ 8:32 am · Filed under Phoenix Suns, Kevin Durant, Toronto Raptors, Charlotte Bobcats, Memphis Grizzlies

People ask me all the time about the way the game has changed. I honestly felt it was needed, because players were becoming too sensitive. That might be theone major problem I have with players today… Why so sensitive? During my era everything was fair game including momma jokes. I tell you what, if players wereas sensitive in my era as they are now, it would have been a fight every quarter. We had running dialogue all the time during the course of a game. I wouldhave two or three trash talking conversations going on with different players all the time. The difference for us was that we did not take it personally and weused it as motivation to play even harder. Here is an example of players that I would have confrontations with every time I played them…

Xavier McDaniel and I hated each other on the court. I would be shooting and calling him a bald headed so and so at the same time he would come back and tryand crack me with an elbow and then proceed to try and tear the rim down. It was vicious, but not one time did we have a fight and believe it or not we shareda drink and laughed about it during an NBA cruise during the offseason.

Larry Bird called me every name in the book when we played and I tried to reciprocate as much as I could and maintain some energy to guard him. The first timeI guarded him in my career at Boston Garden he looked at me and said I am going to kick your @#$% and even during a game later in the season I popped him inthe mouth with an elbow and laughed because they called a foul on him as well. He never lost his concentration and only waited till after the game to come inthe locker room and drop his room key on my lap and said, "Let's finish this at my hotel." I reminded him of that years later and he laughed.

Lonnie Shelton was probably the quickest 6-8, 260 player I have ever seen and I hated him to guard me. He would throw me all around the court, but one night Igot tired of it and I started talking about everyone in his generation to take his attention off the game. Nothing seemed to bother him till I came by theCavalier bench and called him a fat @#$% in front of his teammates and they started laughing and he stared at me no matter where I was on the court till itreally started to bother me. When he got in the game, he had nothing on his mind other than hurting me. I finally went up to him during a free throw andapologized and he said, "Cool, let's play." True story.

Tom Chambers and Frank Brickowski, I will mention them together because I use to get under their skin big time when they played for the Sonics. I would talk somuch smack that both of them would take turns trying to pop me, but I was not stupid. I always took care of the wide bodies on my team and LaSalle Thompson andMark Olberding would always be there to protect me. What's so funny about those two is that in later years we would become teammates (Chambers-Suns andBrickowski-Hornets) and I consider both very good friends. They understood the method to my madness when we played together and they looked out for me as well.

Believe me, if guys were as sensitive then as they are now the league would have been out of control and David Stern would not have had one chance of turningthe NBA around financially like he has done.





Some of his stories are comedy.

 

[darthska]

Every generation has soft players?

I wouldn't call Charles Barkley soft.

Or Kevin McHale.

IronmanFitness wrote:

---

kevin mchale would not survive in todays league...ive seen alot of him on espn classic and i dunno i dont see anything special except for fundamentals...maybe if there was more importance on strenght it would be difference...i dunno im only 20

#1- So you would call Charles Barkley soft?

#2- Wilt Chamberlain was from a previous generation. You would call him soft?

#3- McHale would be an All Star forward every year in today's league. Believe that.

 

[pharelfor3]

lol @ this post.

 

[gettin it crackin]

I agree, although Isaiah Thomas is NOT one of the Top 3 PGs of all-time.

 

[datznasty]

I agree. I can't see how guys are missing 6 weeks with sprained ankles, 61 games with a DISLOCATED finger, like you said with Bron a sprained pinky on yournon shooting hand? Fred Jones and Udonis Haslem played with a BROKEN finger on their shooting hand.

I think as far as pain tolerance and play-through-it-ness, they are softer than a lot of the people who just do it for the love of the game, but at the sametime you or I can play with a partially torn meniscus and it really affects nobody other than ourselves. If there was a guy who had 70+mil invested in me,I'm sure he would recommend against it. I still think they err far too far on the side of too long though.

 

[doublejs07]

ive seen alot of him on espn classic and i dunno i dont see anything special except for fundamentals


WTF?