Would BBD be much better if he lost 25-30 LBS?

[Birdbrain]

No he would be worse.  He's able to guard Centers because of his size but, the amazing thing about him are his lightning quick feet which allow him to play great help defense.

It isn't going to happen anyway since it's not his body type. 

[rondohondo]

He'd be a better player offensively, but part of his value defensively is his size.  Just watch him guard Howard, who tries to bump him before he goes up every time.  Howard can still shoot over him, but since Davis doesn't give any ground on the bump, Howard often comes up short.  

Is that limited?  Yes.  But for the C's, his girth can help.

But BBD would have a far better NBA career and make more money if he lost weight.  

I agree. One of the things I love about bbd is the fact that no one is pushing him off his spot. And on offense, he basically bulls his way into whatever position he wants. Bbd's strength is strengh and frankly, his girth. Is he going to start blowing by people? I'm not sure how much he would really gain by losing weight? What I do know is that he will be easier to move.

So basically, I like him the way he is and I wouldn't risk changing him.

this

I think we should all be happy with his attitude and production this year. good job Glen.

I disagree, I think baby could take a step to another level if he slimmed down to around 270-275. His weight will come in handy for this year and possibly next year as he is able to guard some centers , but in the long run it would greatly benefit him, especially when KG retires. He could easily get himself into better shape and still be strong as a bull, the guy has a huge body frame.

He has a bigger body fame than boozer, but if he got his weight down to 270 he could have similar speed and agility that boozer has, but would be stronger.

He definitely has potential to be a borderline all-star if he gets into great shape.

[FatjohnReturns]

He'd be a better player offensively, but part of his value defensively is his size.  Just watch him guard Howard, who tries to bump him before he goes up every time.  Howard can still shoot over him, but since Davis doesn't give any ground on the bump, Howard often comes up short.  

Is that limited?  Yes.  But for the C's, his girth can help.

But BBD would have a far better NBA career and make more money if he lost weight.  

I agree. One of the things I love about bbd is the fact that no one is pushing him off his spot. And on offense, he basically bulls his way into whatever position he wants. Bbd's strength is strengh and frankly, his girth. Is he going to start blowing by people? I'm not sure how much he would really gain by losing weight? What I do know is that he will be easier to move.

So basically, I like him the way he is and I wouldn't risk changing him.

this

I think we should all be happy with his attitude and production this year. good job Glen.

I disagree, I think baby could take a step to another level if he slimmed down to around 270-275. His weight will come in handy for this year and possibly next year as he is able to guard some centers , but in the long run it would greatly benefit him, especially when KG retires. He could easily get himself into better shape and still be strong as a bull, the guy has a huge body frame.

He has a bigger body fame than boozer, but if he got his weight down to 270 he could have similar speed and agility that boozer has, but would be stronger.

He definitely has potential to be a borderline all-star if he gets into great shape.

He is already in great shape. What you are asking is unrealistic.

[Chris]

He is already in great shape. What you are asking is unrealistic.

I guess "great shape" is a relative term, but I ultimately agree.  Davis is a very big man.  He will always be a very big man.  He has learned to play with this weight, and has learned to be highly effective with it.  Cardiovascularly, he appears to be in very good shape, despite carrying extra weight. 

Ultimately, I say, don't mess with what's working. 

[Spilling Green Dye]

Ultimately he's going to have to.  As he gets older the extra weight will start to have more of an adverse effect on his joints, movement, speed, etc.

There's no reason he can't lose 25-30 lbs and still be just as strong & immovable.  That amount of weight is not a lot for someone as big as he is.  I think it'd help his game, but ultimately isn't a necessity at this very moment.

[droopdog7]

He'd be a better player offensively, but part of his value defensively is his size.  Just watch him guard Howard, who tries to bump him before he goes up every time.  Howard can still shoot over him, but since Davis doesn't give any ground on the bump, Howard often comes up short.  

Is that limited?  Yes.  But for the C's, his girth can help.

But BBD would have a far better NBA career and make more money if he lost weight.  

I agree. One of the things I love about bbd is the fact that no one is pushing him off his spot. And on offense, he basically bulls his way into whatever position he wants. Bbd's strength is strengh and frankly, his girth. Is he going to start blowing by people? I'm not sure how much he would really gain by losing weight? What I do know is that he will be easier to move.

So basically, I like him the way he is and I wouldn't risk changing him.

this

I think we should all be happy with his attitude and production this year. good job Glen.

I disagree, I think baby could take a step to another level if he slimmed down to around 270-275. His weight will come in handy for this year and possibly next year as he is able to guard some centers , but in the long run it would greatly benefit him, especially when KG retires. He could easily get himself into better shape and still be strong as a bull, the guy has a huge body frame.

He has a bigger body fame than boozer, but if he got his weight down to 270 he could have similar speed and agility that boozer has, but would be stronger.

He definitely has potential to be a borderline all-star if he gets into great shape.

My point is that BBD isn't just big.  He USES his size to great effect.  And while losing weight (and perhaps adding muscle) might make him a stronger weightlifter, it won't change the fact that he would be lighter (and I am guessing easier for guys to move).  The mere fact that he weighs what he weighs is what makes it possible to him to hold his spot and push people around.

So I am saying that losing weight would take away from of his strengths (in a basketball sense) and require him to change his game where possibly he will be better off.  Possibly.  

But let's stop this Barkley talk.  First, Barkley had a much better handle that BBD.  Was a better shooter with better range.  Second, even IF BBD could lose the weight, he wouldn't be the explosive athlete that Sir Charles was.  

So like I said.  Losing weight for BBD would mean he might have to change who he is and what he does.  And that is a risk I would not take.

[Finkelskyhook]

If Davis loses 25-30 lbs he'd be in the NBDL with all of the other tweeners who pretty much are the NBDL.  His weight keeps him on the court.

Unfortunately, he'll have a much shorter career by virtue of all of his weight.  

Just a theory, but I don't see any GM signing Davis to more than a 2-year contract.  

 

[Donoghus]

No.

He'd be much better if he was 2-3 inches taller.

[Finkelskyhook]

From rondohondo
I disagree, I think baby could take a step to another level if he slimmed down to around 270-275. He definitely has potential to be a borderline all-star if he gets into great shape.

lol
I thought the question was if he lost 25-30 lbs.  Not 75-80

Davis is about as close to his reported weight of 289 as Shaq is to (lol) 325

[pearljammer10]

I dont know how much quicker you want him to be. For a guy of his size he moves his feet incredible well on defense, and on offense his first move is incredible hard to stop. He might loose some strength and that uncanny ability to finish around the basket if he didnt have that weight to throw around. However, he might actually be able to get over the rim.

Yes, yes, yes he would be a better player. Instead of saying he's quick "for a guy his size," he'd just be "quick." Instead of an "uncanny" ability to finish at the basket, he might just have a "canny" ability. There's a reason that the potential of overweight prospects are always judged on whether they'll be able to drop weight or at the very least maintain weight: Fitter is Better. No scout has ever looked at someone like Davis, Shaq, Sweetney, Curry, Traylor, Per, etc. and said "boy, i hope they maintain that weight or don't lose too much!"

Youre right he would just be "quick" but he wouldnt be nearly as effective at the things he does because he would loose alot of strength and width. He takes up space with his body on both ends of the floor, this wouldnt be the case anymore. He is able to use his weight to box players out and loosing that weight would hurt his rebounding ability. You arent a good rebounder just because you can jump high, you need to be able to use you weight to box out.

As far as the last sentence, "No scout has ever looked at...and said "boy I hope they maintain that weight."  I think scouts have probably said that about Davis and Shaq. The examples you list; Sweetney, Traylor, Curry, had weight problems and they werent very good to begin with, especially at the weights they played at. There wasnt hope for them to get much better. Davis is a good player at the weight he is at and doesnt necessarily have a "weight problem" like these other examples. Davis uses his body very effectively and is very quick. Those other guys, werent, and thats why weight became a problem for them. Davis is in a different category than those guys.

[ScoobyDoo]

I'm not sure why anyone thinks 20 extra pounds of fat makes someone stronger or more immovable. I'm not in any great shape and I can curl 20 lbs 30 times with one arm every few minutes, no problem. It's not alot of weight.

Taking twenty lbs of "upper body fat" off a 6'8" 290 lb body is going to have absolutely zero effect on Baby's strength or ability to maintain his position in the post.

To the contrary it will probably make him stronger: you'd be on the way to turning a doughboy into a physical house, with that much better foot speed and agility as well due to less weight slowing him down.

The extra 20 lbs of upper body fat Baby is carrying around isn't why he can hold his position against the biggest guys in the league.

It's because the guy is an unusually strong guy, naturally due to his frame and muscle mass. Not his "fat mass".

And could easily lose another 20 pounds of lose hanging fat under that shirt - even with all the noticelable improvment in this area he has already made.   

[manl_lui]

if he loses 30 lbs, wont he be able to play the sf position?

[cdif911]

I'm not sure why anyone thinks 20 extra pounds of fat makes someone stronger or more immovable. I'm not in any great shape and I can curl 20 lbs 30 times with one arm every few minutes, no problem. It's not alot of weight.

Taking twenty lbs of "upper body fat" off a 6'8" 290 lb body is going to have absolutely zero effect on Baby's strength or ability to maintain his position in the post.

To the contrary it will probably make him stronger: you'd be on the way to turning a doughboy into a physical house, with that much better foot speed and agility as well due to less weight slowing him down.

The extra 20 lbs of upper body fat Baby is carrying around isn't why he can hold his position against the biggest guys in the league.

It's because the guy is an unusually strong guy, naturally due to his frame and muscle mass. Not his "fat mass".

And could easily lose another 20 pounds of lose hanging fat under that shirt - even with all the noticelable improvment in this area he has already made.   

I dunno about this, I fluctuate weight wise (10-20 pounds depending on the time of year), and I play much better in the post when I have more weight on, even though it certainly isn't muscle

[ScoobyDoo]

Interesting point cdif...it's the opposite for me. I'm about 5'10" and 205 (when fat). However, when I trim down about 15-20 pounds, I'm generally far stronger and quicker and do much better in the post against the same guys. My energy level and stamina are much better and I generally feel much stonger and physically much more aggressive.

But I'm talking when I'm losing extra fat that's just hanging around, not losing muscle mass...

If I lose even 10-15 pounds of muscle mass, it's a differetn story.

Maybe it's individual. For example, look how much better Perkins became by losing that extra weight and transforming that pudgy fat into lean muscle mass. I think Perkins is actually lighter now but far more effective. Maybe it wouldn't be the case with Baby but I'd sure like to see him try it, I'm sure he could always put that extra layer of Baby fat back on if he needed to...     

[droopdog7]

I'm not sure why anyone thinks 20 extra pounds of fat makes someone stronger or more immovable. I'm not in any great shape and I can curl 20 lbs 30 times with one arm every few minutes, no problem. It's not alot of weight.

Taking twenty lbs of "upper body fat" off a 6'8" 290 lb body is going to have absolutely zero effect on Baby's strength or ability to maintain his position in the post.

To the contrary it will probably make him stronger: you'd be on the way to turning a doughboy into a physical house, with that much better foot speed and agility as well due to less weight slowing him down.

The extra 20 lbs of upper body fat Baby is carrying around isn't why he can hold his position against the biggest guys in the league.

It's because the guy is an unusually strong guy, naturally due to his frame and muscle mass. Not his "fat mass".

And could easily lose another 20 pounds of lose hanging fat under that shirt - even with all the noticelable improvment in this area he has already made.   

We aren't talking about weight lifting strength.  We are talking about being able to hold your ground and on the other end, move people off of their's.  Look at it simply. Is it easier for D Howard to move 270lbs or 330 lbs?  This should be obvious.

And the best strength is natural. Just because a guy has rippling muscles doesn't make him stronger than someone that looks out of shape.