Players today are as fragile as Samuel L. Jackson in Unbreakable. And the Celtics coddle their players like newborns.
How on earth is Kemba out now? We literally get a guy hurt (or sick) every other day. Michael Jordan would go years without missing a game, our guys can't go more than a week or two, and every guy on our roster is turning into Kawhi when it comes to availability.
Didnt Jordan retire thrice? I think you could pick a better example of a guy who was always available.
Jordan played 80+ games in all but 3 full seasons, and one of those was 78 games, playing an average of nearly 40 minutes a night. Have we even had a guy play 40 minutes even once this year unless it was an overtime game? Bird missed 13 games....in his 20s, and he played like his hair was on fire. DJ averaged 80 games a year until he was in his 30s, and he played his guts out on both ends.
All of our key guys are under 30, yet almost every key player is on a pace to miss double digit games other than Tatum. And not one of them plays with their foot on the accelerator like the guys above did. We have guys missing multiple games with the flu, Jordan scored like 40 and possibly saved a title playing with the flu.
I know it's how the NBA is ran now, but the lack of toughness is just pathetic.
I watch the games and I see them getting knocked to the floor when they go in for layups or take charges, diving for loose balls, getting leveled by picks. The idea that they’re soft just doesn’t compute for me. Is Marcus Smart soft? If you said yes I’m just laughing. He misses games with injuries though.
I don’t know why We see more injuries. There seem to be more serious injuries these days. Look at Hayward, Durant, Curry, Cousins, Kyrie, plenty more. Those are real, no doubt about it, injuries you can’t play through.
Maybe it’s because players hit the league younger or play more ball growing up. Larry had nine full seasons in the NBA before his back went and he was basically done. Kemba is in his ninth NBA season now. He’s missed some games but he’s been pretty durable, especially for a PG. If he had Larry’s trajectory he’d be almost finished as a player. Hopefully, by taking care of his body he’ll play longer.