NBA "mileage" overstated?

[el hidalgo]

people always put weight into the "mileage" players have. kobe is the best example probably. he has played so long in the league. it is already his 17th season. the thing is, he is only 34. people talk like he is some old man because he has more mileage on him. the thing is, kids are still playing when they are in college. sure, it isnt nearly as much, but they still play. with modern medicine now a days, i think a players mileage is completely overstated. it seems like most guys break down when their body genetically breaks down, not from an extreme amount of mileage.


do you think too much weight is put into this? quiet frankly, i am not that impressed when people rave about kobe's mileage. with modern medicine, most players can keep going as long as their genetics allow.

[Kashmir13579]

This might be your worst thread of all time.

[Hawkeye15]

Absolutely mileage is a factor. Some athletes games are based less on athletic ability, and many of them become more skilled as they age, therefore they are able to sustain a high level of play. Kobe is an example of that. He is also an example of an athlete who takes perfect care of themselves physically, which is another key. No major injuries helps as well. But to say a player with 1450 games at high minutes on his body doesn't suffer from mileage is not true.

[Vee-Rex]

I don't think it's overstated. College games do not take the kind of toll a full NBA season does. Sure, Kobe is having an amazing year at 34, but he's the kind of player Jordan was. At 34 MJ was having a very similar kind of year.

A full NBA season is not overstated. Usually players decline very very quickly. But then, MJ played at an all-star level even at age 39. So you can't really compare players like Kobe/MJ since they are special. If injuries (and the chances of getting bad ones increase as you age) don't cause decline then minutes per game certainly will.

[TheSource]

Looking for another reason to discredit Kobe?

[MrfadeawayJB]

mileage is more of a factor than age imo

[Hawkeye15]

Looking for another reason to discredit Kobe?

if anything, this thread would credit him for being an outlier..

[el hidalgo]

mileage is more of a factor than age imo

how so? modern medicine can keep guys going and keep them closer to how their body SHOULD be at a given age. modern medicine cannot reverse aging though. when your body breaks down due to age and genetics, not much you can do. kobe has had some of the best doctors in the world perform surgery on him. i dont think he would be much different of a player right now if he enter the league at 21.

[ManRamForPrez24]

It's not overblown.

Kobe being an exception to the rule doesn't mean the rule isn't true.

[MrfadeawayJB]

mileage has more to do with the body breaking down than age. It makes you age quicker

[el hidalgo]

can some of you post some modern examples of players breaking down early due to mileage as opposed to age? kevin garnett has pretty much the same amount of minutes played as kobe, but i dont see him breaking down like somebody with his mileage should. he is playing about where he should at that age, even better in my opinion. he is a big man too, so mileage must be harder on him.

examples?

[shep33]

Kobe isn't the only exception, although yeah he's an extreme case. Look at Nash, Duncan, Ray Allen, Kg, Pierce, etc.

In my opinion, had guys like Vince, Tmac, etc. taken better care of themselves, they could've gone down as some of the best to ever play, and in the category of the guys I mentioned above.

[el hidalgo]

Kobe isn't the only exception, although yeah he's an extreme case. Look at Nash, Duncan, Ray Allen, Kg, Pierce, etc.

In my opinion, had guys like Vince, Tmac, etc. taken better care of themselves, they could've gone down as some of the best to ever play, and in the category of the guys I mentioned above.

why does kobe get so much credit for it then? duncan and kg have just about the same mileage, are older, and are both performing at extremely high levels too.

[MrfadeawayJB]

the problem with your argument is you are using guys that are EXCEPTIONS to the rule. Most players that put on too much mileage and don't keep themselves in phenomenal shape are no longer in the league

[TopsyTurvy]

For every Kobe or any other paragon of health/mileage, I could counterpoint with a Brandon Roy, Jamal Mashburn, Greg Oden, etc. You are playing the outlier game with players who have remained remarkably healthy while ignoring the rest.

The league is a grind, every player admits that. Every player also admits there will come a day when their body cannot keep up.