OT Young players and injuries

[Russ Smith]

Really interesting article on ESPN about it.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/27125793/these-kids-ticking-bombs-threat-youth-basketball

For me I go back to the first time I saw Derrick Rose in HS. It took all of 5 minutes and I said that kid is a knee injury waiting to happen. He had a really bad habit of landing with his knees locked straight. I know his initial knee injury wasn't that way but I read an article last year that said at least 2 of his later ones were caused by exactly that and that trainers and coaches had spent years trying to break that habit with him. In the end they just said he was so focused on being a good 2 foot jumper that jumped that way, he lost focus on landing. The article has a lot about just how bad at basic movements, balance on one leg, elite basketball prospects are now.

Also talks about how overworked they are by the time they get to college.

It's not a science, for example I remember thinking Lonzo Ball wouldn't have injury issues because he didn't play nearly as much AAU ball coming up as others did, he played on teams his dad coached at a few tournies a year and it led to him being ranked lower than he should have been. People accused him of ducking big events when in reality his dad didn't want him to be burned out. Obviously he's been extremely injury prone too.

Good read though.

 

[Phrazbit]

Booker comes to mind. Came into the league really young and while he was pretty healthy his first couple years, the last few, as he's spent his summers training with Team USA, he has been consistently banged up.

Booker! Take some time and enjoy being a millionaire! Buy a yacht or something!

 

[BC867]

Booker comes to mind. Came into the league really young and while he was pretty healthy his first couple years, the last few, as he's spent his summers training with Team USA, he has been consistently banged up.

Booker! Take some time and enjoy being a millionaire! Buy a yacht or something!

Or, hey Book, if you stay healthy, you should be able to make the All Star team.

Especially that you'll be back to playing your own position.

 

[Hoop Head]

I know there are always exceptions but it would seem that Lebron would have blown up already if it was as simple as playing a lot of basketball will lead to injuries since no played more than him in the last decade with his 7 consecutive finals trips, or was it 8? Doesn't matter, that's a ton of extra games.

I don't remember kids making the leap from high school to the NBA getting hurt that often either. Kobe is one of those. Yes, Amare had his issues but that was later in his career.

 

[Russ Smith]

I know there are always exceptions but it would seem that Lebron would have blown up already if it was as simple as playing a lot of basketball will lead to injuries since no played more than him in the last decade with his 7 consecutive finals trips, or was it 8? Doesn't matter, that's a ton of extra games.

I don't remember kids making the leap from high school to the NBA getting hurt that often either. Kobe is one of those. Yes, Amare had his issues but that was later in his career.

There's a part 2 on ESPN now to the story. In it they describe a doctor doing an ACL surgery on a kid who got hurt playing football, the doctor is being extra careful because the growth plates are still open, the kid is 9 years old. He then describes how 5 years ago an 8 year old kid came in with a torn ACL from playing youth basketball. He was amazed, until it started happening more and more with him and his colleagues having to operate on young kids who were getting over use injuries from youth sports.

My nieces all play soccer, or did, some got older and don't anymore. I am amazed at how many games they play.

With LeBron I've given my opinion before, combination of incredible genetics, hard work, lots of medical attention, and IMO a very deliberate use of PED's at times to help him recover.

 

[Phrazbit]

I know there are always exceptions but it would seem that Lebron would have blown up already if it was as simple as playing a lot of basketball will lead to injuries since no played more than him in the last decade with his 7 consecutive finals trips, or was it 8? Doesn't matter, that's a ton of extra games.

I don't remember kids making the leap from high school to the NBA getting hurt that often either. Kobe is one of those. Yes, Amare had his issues but that was later in his career.

The study doesn't say that most players get hurt, rather, there is a higher risk.

Secondly, one of the main points in the story is that kids who play multiple sports rather than specialize in one thing have a lower risk. LeBron was also a high school football star, so he would fall in the lower risk category anyway. And LeBron is an absolute freak of nature, he can't be used as a baseline for anything.

Amare's first serious knees problems popped up when he was like 23, that is pretty young.

Because a few notable guys didn't get hurt means nothing. How many talented kids did you never hear of at all because their bodies broke down young?

 

[Bada0Bing]

The study doesn't say that most players get hurt, rather, there is a higher risk.

Secondly, one of the main points in the story is that kids who play multiple sports rather than specialize in one thing have a lower risk. LeBron was also a high school football star, so he would fall in the lower risk category anyway. And LeBron is an absolute freak of nature, he can't be used as a baseline for anything.

Amare's first serious knees problems popped up when he was like 23, that is pretty young.

Because a few notable guys didn't get hurt means nothing. How many talented kids did you never hear of at all because their bodies broke down young?

I think that's the key right there. I see so many young kids only playing one sport and playing it year-round. I'm sure it creates some significant muscle imbalances, which is significantly troublesome when they're still growing.

 

[Yuma]

I think that's the key right there. I see so many young kids only playing one sport and playing it year-round. I'm sure it creates some significant muscle imbalances, which is significantly troublesome when they're still growing.

In Europe they started making kids play something else than soccer since it tended to give them bowed legs.

 

[slinslin]

In Europe they started making kids play something else than soccer since it tended to give them bowed legs.

????????????????????????????

 

[Yuma]

????????????????????????????

I had an Irisih soccer referee tell me that when I used to referee.

 

[Phrazbit]

I had an Irisih soccer referee tell me that when I used to referee.

Did he reek of Jameson?

 

[Yuma]

Did he reek of Jameson?

No but he did grow up in Ireland.