38 years of age isn't old

[TitleMaster]

Folks, everyone's making a big issue of Shaq's age but let's be honest with ourselves, a 38 year old is hardly a senior citizen.

The only thing that let's say the team's physician or physical therapist needs to worry about are hormone levels. A 38 year old has the growth hormone & DHEA secretion rates at half the levels of a 25-26 year old.

Thus, it's important to take a night or two off, during back-to-back road games for regeneration. Unfortunately, I don't think a medical or nutritional expert is making those decisions and thus, we run the risk of injury to Shaq, which then takes more time to recover from.

I say, here's a formula ... 2-3 games per 7 day period. Here's an example, from Dec 8 to Dec 15, the C's play 4 games with 3 on the road. 12/8 is the Nuggets @ home and then, the next day, 12/9 Sixers @ Philly. Thus, here's a good spot for Shaq to take the night off. Thus, he plays 12/8, 12/11, and 12/15, one home game and two away games for a one week span.

Then likewise, on 12/16, he takes the Hawks game @ home off and then, it's 3 games till Christmas.

I hope you get the idea. If we followed the routine, as listed, I will give you an 80% guarantee that Shaq will be fully robust and ready to do damage for the second half of the season and playoffs.

[wdleehi]

As the other bigs come back, Shaq's regular season minutes will drop.



But there is no reason to over rest him.

[Neurotic Guy]

A TP for the title alone.  As a 50+, I thank you.

[indeedproceed]

Shaq's rest isn't a strategy, its a reality. If we don't give it to him, his body will take it anyways with injuries. It is not a bill you can put on 'credit'. I wrote this about it back on the tenth:

While its true that Shaq has missed a lot of games, the only way players are exempt from ticky-tack nagging but persistent injuries when they’re 35 plus is if they’re A) incredibly lucky, and B) Treat their body like a temple

Shaq has been pretty lucky, and been a dominating player through a solid chunk of the last decade, but his conditioning isn’t up to snuff here. I think he’s in great shape for his age, but not on the level that guys like Ray Allen, Steve Nash, or Grant Hill are.

Speaking of Grant Hill, I guess you can point at him as a guy who missed a lot of time, which by a kind of weird bad/good luck prolonged his career (but who knows how he would’ve fared if he would’ve stayed at the MVP level he was before, one of basketball’s great ‘what ifs’), but he missed like what, nearly 300 games over the course of 6 seasons (about 60%)?

Shaq had 1 lost season in Miami, and beyond that the last time he played in less than 50 games in a season was 1999. I don’t really think it is a fair comparison.

On top of that if you want to further compare him to a guy who missed a lot of time then rebounded (Grant Hill), Grant Hill beyond his impeccable conditioning is also 6’8 and 230. Shaq is 7’1 and 325, and that’s list weight, a number that Shaq has famously treated more like a weight loss goal than an actual mass. The stress of lugging that giant frame up and down the court, coupled with the stress of banging night in night out with the toughest guys in the league means Shaq is much more at risk on a daily basis, just because of his size, position, and style of play. Most centers under 30 can’t handle that without nagging injuries. A guy 2 years away from 40 doesn’t have a chance, because along with all the stress he’s piling on top of his body, he’s already got almost 20 years of NBA miles as a 7 foot 300+ lbs physical center.

None of that is going to change. Maybe calling Shaq’s body broken down isn’t fair, because for a 38 year old guy he is doing phenomenally. But, the fact is he is going to continue to miss a ton of games from the chronic injury known as being freakin huge, old, and playing center.

[Jon Niednagel]

As a 38-year-old, I'm loving the title of this thread. TP for saying I'm not old yet, cause some days it feels like it. I must say I am impressed with Shaq, and Nash for that matter. I couldn't imagine playing in the NBA at this stage in life, and these guys are still producing at a high level. Kudos to them.

[TitleMaster]

I couldn't imagine playing in the NBA at this stage in life

You're limiting yourself  . Read about Dr Bob Delmonteque; he's now nearing 90.

http://www.bobdelmonteque.com

The reason why the 25 year olds can produce at their levels is for the hormonal/regeneration reasons.

If you never play back-to-back games, and limit yourself to 2-3 contests per 7 days, then you can play at an NBA level up till the age of 45 w/o trouble. Remember Kareem during the 80s, he was clearly in his late 30s.

Obviously, you can get hGH injections or DHEA treatments, for a snappier comeback, but let's not go there.

[Roy H.]

If you never play back-to-back games, and limit yourself to 2-3 contests per 7 days, then you can play at an NBA level up till the age of 45 w/o trouble.

What evidence is there of this?  

I mean, if it is so easy to preserve players until they are 45, why has this never happened with any player in the history of the NBA?

[Fafnir]

You can't maintain the agility and quickness necessary to play in the NBA at old ages. Recovery time and healing alone aren't the only barriers holding elite athletes back.

Muscle tone and definition do not equate to real strength and real quickness. Not to mention endurance!

[kozlodoev]

If you never play back-to-back games, and limit yourself to 2-3 contests per 7 days, then you can play at an NBA level up till the age of 45 w/o trouble.

What evidence is there of this?  

I mean, if it is so easy to preserve players until they are 45, why has this never happened with any player in the history of the NBA?

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/willike02.html

[barefacedmonk]

If you never play back-to-back games, and limit yourself to 2-3 contests per 7 days, then you can play at an NBA level up till the age of 45 w/o trouble.

What evidence is there of this?  

I mean, if it is so easy to preserve players until they are 45, why has this never happened with any player in the history of the NBA?

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/willike02.html

He played 43 minutes in total during his entire last year...when he was 44, I think...and that was like 5 games in all..thats called hanging around and not knowing when to retire...not "playing at NBA level". Any player can do it for a couple of minutes on any given night.....even in their 40's....doesn't mean they are playing at NBA level.

[Roy H.]

If you never play back-to-back games, and limit yourself to 2-3 contests per 7 days, then you can play at an NBA level up till the age of 45 w/o trouble.

What evidence is there of this?  

I mean, if it is so easy to preserve players until they are 45, why has this never happened with any player in the history of the NBA?

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/willike02.html

He played 43 minutes in total during his entire last year...when he was 44, I think...and that was like 5 games in all..thats called hanging around and not knowing when to retire...not "playing at NBA level". Any player can do it for a couple of minutes on any given night.....even in their 40's....doesn't mean they are playing at NBA level.

Yeah, exactly.  I don't think Willis made it to age 45, regardless.  The only player that did, that I'm aware of, is Nat Hickey, who played in the BAA.  He was a 45 year old player-coach who "appeared in one game, missed all six of his shots, sank two of three free throws and committed five fouls."

That's not an NBA level.

[kenmaine]

Great thread.
I didn't read all the posts because it's almost nap time and I'm running low on energy.
Oh yes, where do I get some HGH?

Sincerely,
59

[housecall]

Its amazing how 1 player and a new season changes perceptions about age.Last year this time if i didn't know any better Ray&KG were one step away from AARP by many.

[TitleMaster]

There doesn't seem to be be a good search portal for JAMA articles on hormones and athletic recovery.

http://www.drmirkin.com/fitness/8256.html

And as for human growth hormone, I think injections costs some $2.5K per month, so it's good to work for an NBA salary.

All and all, taking a day or two off, does wonders for recovery.

[TitleMaster]

Here's my idea for those on the forum in their mid-30s or above.

Whatever you do, please don't jog regularly, as a part of your cardio routine. Here's why... the runner's high is deluding your sense of the actual accumulated damage to your knees and ankles. In many circumstances, you're not actually recovering, after a day off, but are creating unsettled micro-traumas which may later show up as hip/knee cartilage problems.

Buy yourself an exercise bike a/o rowing machine and do that, 30-60 mins @ 3-5 times per week instead. This will insure a safe cardio workout w/o risk of injury. And if you plateau out, well, you can always go for an hour or two or buy a piece of equipment with greater resistance settings.