- 11:37 AM
- 11/05/24
Ya know I bagged on Podkolzine on the need v. talent thread and he didn't look, well... heinous... in the video clips they showed. Mebbe the Mavs will do a Bradley / Podkolzine twin towers thing... /haha
posted by BobbyC at 09:16 PM on June 24, 2004
Help msacheson & aacheson settle a dispute!
Well, I've argued this before on this very forum, but I think basketball deserves some consideration because it requires two things that SOME of the other sports require at least LESS of - One is cross-training. In basketball, to play well, you need to be able to jump, run, and move side-to-side quickly, not to mention use a fair amount of upper-body strength. In hockey you don't have the same impact on the legs, although there is perhaps more upper-body impact. Soccer takes a touch less jumping, although there is more running, certainly. There are a considerable number of muscles and systems involved in playing basketball. Two is that when you are in the game at all, you are being active (NBA isolation plays, notwithstanding). I think this is an important point. In hockey or soccer you work one half of the playing area. In basketball, you need to be able to score and defend both and should always be active (again, the NBA notwithstanding). I'm not saying basketball should be number one, but it seems very far down on this list. I would say someone like Michael Jordan, Jerry Rice or Lance Armstrong is at a level where differences are not as perceptible. Oliver Miller, on the other hand, never caught on in the NBA because of his lack of conditioning. A better example would be Charles Barkley or Warren Sapp who have both succeeded despite seemingly flabby physiques (although Chuck was better early in his career).