Does playing defense shorten your NBA career?

 
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thehotsung8701A
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 11, 2015 9:02 pm    Post subject: Does playing defense shorten your NBA career?

Do you think players that don't play defense actually can but are just lazy since it used up so much of their energy? Or do you guys think defense is a natural skill? Do you think someone who play both offense and defense will have a shorten NBA career versus those that don't play defense? Do you think playing defense can lead to more injuries as well?
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revgen
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 12, 2015 11:24 am    Post subject:

Depends upon how you play defense. If you're jumping at everything, then you're at a higher risk for injury and running out of gas when you get older.

For example, Bruce Bowen played in the NBA until he was 37 years old and he was primarily a 3 & D guy. But he didn't play D by flying around and jumping 10 stories into the air.
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Theseus
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 12, 2015 11:31 am    Post subject:

Yeah, the more you move the more potential you have for injury and the more wear and tear you put on your joints. The faster you move and the heavier the body the more force that is being absorbed by your muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves, and bones.

If you just stand there and let your man pass you, you can play forever probably.
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angrypuppy
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 12, 2015 12:05 pm    Post subject:

If you're a role player, not playing defense will shorten your career.
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Treble Clef
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 12, 2015 12:15 pm    Post subject:

Defense is more about effort than skill, although it does require skills and smarts as well. But guys can't just go out there playing 100% on both sides. Everyone is resting on one side or the other. The 3 and D guys will expel max effort on defense but on offense, they stand around the perimeter and spread the floor while the other guys do work. On the other side you have scorers like Kobe who have to do a ton of stuff on the offensive side so they get their rest on the defensive side on the floor.
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vanexelent
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 12, 2015 1:39 pm    Post subject:

revgen wrote:


For example, Bruce Bowen played in the NBA until he was 37 years old and he was primarily a 3 & D guy. But he didn't play D by flying around and jumping 10 stories into the air.


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revgen
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 12, 2015 2:10 pm    Post subject:

vanexelent wrote:
revgen wrote:


For example, Bruce Bowen played in the NBA until he was 37 years old and he was primarily a 3 & D guy. But he didn't play D by flying around and jumping 10 stories into the air.




Touche
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defense
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 12, 2015 5:24 pm    Post subject:

Playing defense night in and night out does take a long term effect on your body as does any erratic movement that stresses your body. It takes a lot of energy that's that why most stars don't like playing defense. They also know that scoring will get them paid so why bother with defense?
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K28
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 12, 2015 6:48 pm    Post subject:

Good defense is just as much about brains and instincts as it is about hustle and risk.
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 13, 2015 9:27 am    Post subject: Re: Does playing defense shorten your NBA career?

Lakersfan98 wrote:
Do you think players that don't play defense actually can but are just lazy since it used up so much of their energy?


In reality, everyone in the NBA plays defense. You're talking about players who put more effort into defense. There are lots of reasons why some people put more effort into defense and some less. Some of it depends on their ability; some on their personality; and some on what they are rewarded for doing.

Lakersfan98 wrote:
Or do you guys think defense is a natural skill?


It can be both natural and learned.

Lakersfan98 wrote:
Do you think someone who play both offense and defense will have a shorten NBA career versus those that don't play defense?


No. Part of the problem with this post is you seem to assume that playing defense has no bearing on a players getting into or staying in the NBA, like it's an irrelevant "nice to have" that no one really cares about.


Lakersfan98 wrote:
Do you think playing defense can lead to more injuries as well?


There is no evidence it does.
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Wilkes52
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 13, 2015 12:31 pm    Post subject:

Well, if one plays defense and can't do it decently, yeah, it probably shortens one's career unless the work on the other end of the court is All Star. Familiar examples of weak defenders with long and heralded NBA careers:

Dantley
Dominique
Magic
McGrady
V-Carter
A-Stoudemire
Nash
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thehotsung8701A
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 13, 2015 5:25 pm    Post subject:

So you guys agree with me that it does put more wear and tear than otherwise?

Seem like it a no-brainer to only play defense when needed aka (playoff) since your still getting pay the same and offense is how you get paid and you have a longer career thus equal to more pay.
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carlosLisboa
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 14, 2015 3:39 am    Post subject:

I'd say it may extend (or better justify) is someone is perceived as a defensive specialist (Bruce Bowen, Greg Kite), i.e. someone play rough and eager to look elsewhere than scoring.

Amare doesn't even know what defense is. If he did his shot knees would have been enough to force him to retire.

Playing D or not, is mostly an attitude issue. Everyone can at least keep a look on the opponent and put some effort trying to reach for the ball.

For some, this is an unwanted dirty job or something to be done by Lower-class players.

Nique until his 30s would only fight for offensive board, then he changed his mind. Lasted until he was almost 40.
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ringfinger
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 14, 2015 6:58 am    Post subject:

Interestingly, some of the league's BEST defenders in recent history were not overly athletic.

If you can play great defense without trying, then no, it won't shorten your career. But most players have to try, very hard, to play good defense and that adds wear and tear to your body. If you're a prominent offensive player, then that too adds wear and tear.

So the real answer is yes, but not playing any defense at all can shorten your career too =)
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 14, 2015 8:50 am    Post subject:

ringfinger wrote:
But most players have to try, very hard, to play good defense and that adds wear and tear to your body.


I know this sounds intuitive on the face of it, but whether it is actually true is anyone's guess. "Wear and tear" is difficult to measure with any accuracy and it's a concept that is full of misconceptions.

If you look at people on the all-defensive team, they don't have measurably shorter careers. Indeed the tend to have long careers, which makes sense because good defenders are in demand. But they also don't seem to be more susceptible to injury

No matter whether you are a good or poor defender, anyone in the NBA runs a lot; practices a lot; and travels a lot. My guess is focusing on defense doesn't put much additional significant strain on the body or lead to more injuries -- there certainly isn't any tangible evidence that suggests it does.
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ringfinger
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 14, 2015 9:51 am    Post subject:

activeverb wrote:
ringfinger wrote:
But most players have to try, very hard, to play good defense and that adds wear and tear to your body.


I know this sounds intuitive on the face of it, but whether it is actually true is anyone's guess. "Wear and tear" is difficult to measure with any accuracy and it's a concept that is full of misconceptions.

If you look at people on the all-defensive team, they don't have measurably shorter careers. Indeed the tend to have long careers, which makes sense because good defenders are in demand. But they also don't seem to be more susceptible to injury

No matter whether you are a good or poor defender, anyone in the NBA runs a lot; practices a lot; and travels a lot. My guess is focusing on defense doesn't put much additional significant strain on the body or lead to more injuries -- there certainly isn't any tangible evidence that suggests it does.


You don't think it would have more wear and tear on your body to stay in front of a defender, move left and right, sprint, jump, crash in to other players, etc, versus just standing around and avoid any contact whatsoever?

If you look at the people on the all-defensive team, they may not have shorter careers than other players, but they might have shorter careers than if they didn't play as many minutes.
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activeverb
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 14, 2015 11:18 pm    Post subject:

ringfinger wrote:
activeverb wrote:
ringfinger wrote:
But most players have to try, very hard, to play good defense and that adds wear and tear to your body.


I know this sounds intuitive on the face of it, but whether it is actually true is anyone's guess. "Wear and tear" is difficult to measure with any accuracy and it's a concept that is full of misconceptions.

If you look at people on the all-defensive team, they don't have measurably shorter careers. Indeed the tend to have long careers, which makes sense because good defenders are in demand. But they also don't seem to be more susceptible to injury

No matter whether you are a good or poor defender, anyone in the NBA runs a lot; practices a lot; and travels a lot. My guess is focusing on defense doesn't put much additional significant strain on the body or lead to more injuries -- there certainly isn't any tangible evidence that suggests it does.


You don't think it would have more wear and tear on your body to stay in front of a defender, move left and right, sprint, jump, crash in to other players, etc, versus just standing around and avoid any contact whatsoever?

If you look at the people on the all-defensive team, they may not have shorter careers than other players, but they might have shorter careers than if they didn't play as many minutes.


First, this is a topic that scientists have studied for a long time, and they have been unable to determine precisely why the human body ages and deteriorates. So it's important to understand that there isn't an answer -- just guesses.

One problem with the phrasing "wear and tear" is it makes the human body analogous to a machine or metal hinge that breaks over time. But unlike machines and hinges, the body has a remarkable ability to heal itself. So, unlike a hinge, it's not like the body has a maximum number of times it can perform an activity before it breaks

My guess is in the life of a professional basketball player, the extra exertion of playing tough defense is probably an insignificant factor in such things as joint health.

Certainly, I haven't seen any evidence to suggest that players who are good defenders have shorter careers or sustain more injuries. If anything, it seems the opposite to me.

So, yeah, the notion that playing hard defense leads to wear and tear in the body that shortens careers seems far-fetched and I see no evidence at all to support it.
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 15, 2015 4:41 am    Post subject:

"I think you're the greatest, but my dad says you don't work hard enough on defense."

And he played for 20 years ...
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 15, 2015 2:57 pm    Post subject: Re: Does playing defense shorten your NBA career?

Lakersfan98 wrote:
Do you think players that don't play defense actually can but are just lazy since it used up so much of their energy? Or do you guys think defense is a natural skill? Do you think someone who play both offense and defense will have a shorten NBA career versus those that don't play defense? Do you think playing defense can lead to more injuries as well?


exhibit A - Steve Nash
exhibit B - Marcus Banks

I believe there is more to this than meets the eye
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 15, 2015 11:59 pm    Post subject: Re: Does playing defense shorten your NBA career?

activeverb wrote:
Lakersfan98 wrote:
Do you think players that don't play defense actually can but are just lazy since it used up so much of their energy?


In reality, everyone in the NBA plays defense. You're talking about players who put more effort into defense. There are lots of reasons why some people put more effort into defense and some less. Some of it depends on their ability; some on their personality; and some on what they are rewarded for doing.

Lakersfan98 wrote:
Or do you guys think defense is a natural skill?


It can be both natural and learned.

Lakersfan98 wrote:
Do you think someone who play both offense and defense will have a shorten NBA career versus those that don't play defense?


No. Part of the problem with this post is you seem to assume that playing defense has no bearing on a players getting into or staying in the NBA, like it's an irrelevant "nice to have" that no one really cares about.


Lakersfan98 wrote:
Do you think playing defense can lead to more injuries as well?


There is no evidence it does.


You're totally missing the point. playing defense, running around, stopping and starting on that hard court is extremely hard on your legs.
taking plays off defensively, in theory, can absolutely lengthen your career.
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