Today's The Athletic featured an article about the Cleveland Cavs building a "state of the art" player and team practice center overlooking the Cuyahoga River, you know the river of kept on burning fane, All right, I admit to a bit of snarkiness. Cleveland did a great job cleaning the river and good for them. Snarky, however, has a lot more to do with the planned facility. The ground-breaking occurred recently with gold played shovels. The center will cost beaucoup gold. Once finished, it will house two courts, a player fitness center, player and employees restaurant and on and on and on. The Cavs are not the first to build such extravagant stand alone facilities. They are just the most recent, and they claim they will be the creme-de-la-creme of all such structures. The way I read the article, most of the emphasis was on how wonderful such structures were in general, with little WOW factor about the actually on the physical fitness aspect except to say all of the latest gadgets like ice baths, X-ray and MRI machines, etc. will be available to help players stay on the court. It does make it clear to me that such buildings have less to do with sports and more to do with making the ownership money. This is missing the point comes in. As far as I can tell, such facilities, many already in place, have done little to keep players from suffering injuries in a league that courts injuries by its high flying style of play. I want to hear is how these new fitness centers will keep players on the court. This morning i read Franz Wagnor is out with an oblique tear. The Magic's other super star Paolo Banchero has been out for the last three weeks and is not expected back soon. Emid, George, Kawhi, Haliburton, Zion, Podzingis, Jamal Murry, Scottie Barnes, and now Brandon Ingram, the list of capable injured reserves goes on. Chis Middleton has been out a full year and just returning. We'll see how long that lasts? Games lost to injuries this early in he season has increased dramatically. This increase caused one wit to ask if older players shouldn't have a "Sell By Date?" But such wits are missing the point. Injuries are increasingly affecting the younger players as well. I have been expressing my opinion that the league begin exploring more creative forms of physical fitness training. I have suggested the league look into the training martial artists and ballet dancers go through. For example, ballet dancers focus a lot of their training on flexibility, balance, ballet dancing techniques and plyometrics rather than isometric exercises. Plyometrics is characterized by short intense burst of activity that target fast-twitch movement in the lower body. It is very helpful for agility and the take off and landings so common to ballet dancers, and I might add to the modern day basketball player. I have also suggested that NBA trainers and league look to other sports world wide for more creative techniques to help keep the NBA players on the court. It strikes me that any eyeball test would result in the conclusion that Joel Embid's running gait is clumsy. I'd bet an orthopedic doctor would tell Joel Emid that he does not run with his body properly situated over his hips. I might be wrong, but Embid always looks to me when he runs that he is going to fall forward. All right, enough said. You all get my drift: Enough with "State of the art" and more about "state of the athlete."
Here's a little something about life. I don't know if you, my readers, are as annoyed as I asm of pop-ups as I am, but I'm wondering if there isn't a class action suit that could be brought against whatever inter net company that controls these nuisances.
ETC.
Speaking of eyeball tests, it seem to me it is time the Warriors start Kuminga and let him prove what he can contribute as a consistent starter, at least until All-Star break. Kuminag is the Warriors best pure athlete in a league that is clearly dependent on athleticism. But, let's also be clear that, Kuminnga or no Kuminga, without Curry, Green and Wiggins on the court all season long that the Dubs have little chance of competing in the West.
AT 85 by Tom Meschery
is a curve ball that drops
like a sinker. My doc
believes he's a comedian,
In dark humor, I tell him.
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