Author Topic: LeBron is due for an injury  (Read 4975 times)

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Re: LeBron is due for an injury
« Reply #15 on: August 22, 2016, 01:17:49 PM »

Offline makaveli

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I would imagine so, in all honesty. 

As you said not wishing an injury on him, but if Lebron James has just finished his 13th season in the NBA at the age of 31, moving on to 32. 

His career path has been eerily similar to that of KG up to this point...

* Lebron (like KG) came straight from high school to the NBA

* Lebron (like KG) was 19 years old during his first NBA season

* Lebron (like KG) played his 13th NBA season at the age of 31

* By the end of his 13th season Lebron has played in 987 regular season games out of a possible 1,066 and averaged 38.98 MPG over those 13 seasons.  KG by the end of his 13th season had played 998 NBA games out of a possible 1,066 and averaged 37.94 MPG over those 13 seasons.

* By the end of his 13th season Lebron has played in 199 playoff games at an average of 42.13 MPG.   KG by the end of his 13th season had played 73 playoff games at an average of 40.96 MPG.

* Lebron has played in 12 All-Star games, while KG (by the end of his 13th season) had played in 11 All-Star games.

* Lebron so far (over 13 NBA seasons) has been very durable - he's played in 92.5% of possible regular season games and has played < 69 games in a season only once.  KG was also incredibly durable during his first 13 NBA seasons - he had played in 93.6% of possible games and had only 1 season in which he played less then 71 games.

After his 13th season his body started to break down.

Over his final 8 seasons KG has managed only 464 games played out of a possible 656 (an average only 58 games played per season, or 70.7% attendance) and he averaged only only 27.06 MPG over that stretch.

KG took great care of his body his entire career and was incredibly durable, but at the end of the day he put a LOT of mileage on that 250 pound body of his, and his very physical style of play didn't help.

Lebron has been similarly durable so far, but he has put a similar amount of mileage on his own 250 pound frame, and plays a very physical game - it's only a matter of time (IMHO) before his body starts to break down from sheer wear and tear.

Off the top of my head I believe Kobe (who also entered the NBA from high school) also started to see his body breaking down around that same time in his career.

KG was lucky that he was such a good midrange shooter, and that probably helped a LOT to prolong his career by reducing some punishment on his body in his later years.  The same could be said about Kobe.  Lebron has never been a good outside shooter, so unless he makes some dramatic strides in that area, I can't see his body lasting any longer then KG's did.
that's a tommy point if i ever seen one :D
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Re: LeBron is due for an injury
« Reply #16 on: August 22, 2016, 01:28:16 PM »

Offline Fafnir

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I mean LeBron has already shown signs of it. He took a long period off two seasons ago for his back. Father time always wins.

Now whether its a major catastrophic injury like KG had is chance, but the wear and tear happens to us all.

Re: LeBron is due for an injury
« Reply #17 on: August 22, 2016, 01:51:21 PM »

Offline Csfan1984

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The juice is strong in this one.

Re: LeBron is due for an injury
« Reply #18 on: August 22, 2016, 02:14:08 PM »

Offline Tr1boy

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Lebron is a beast

Not likely anytime soon.

His explosiveness should go though in a few seasons. Then he will be in trouble bc he cant shoot

Re: LeBron is due for an injury
« Reply #19 on: August 22, 2016, 02:38:52 PM »

Offline celticsclay

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LeBron is one of the greatest, if not all time

He is not even close to the greatest of all time.   That is absurd.
I don't think he has reached Jordan, but it is far from absurd to claim that a guy with 4 MVP's, 3 championships, and with the ranking on the all time lists for points (11th), assists (18th), steals (24th), rebounds (99th), and blocks (137th) that James has is not one of, and possibly the greatest of all time.  If he just matches the prior season this upcoming season, he will finish next year 7th all time in points scored, move up to 13th all time for assists, 18th in steals, around 76th in rebounds (depending on what some other active guys do), and around 125th in blocks (again depending on other active guys).  And in the playoffs he is 21st in blocked shots, but is in the top 5 for points, assists, and steals, and top 10 for rebounds. 

James is clearly one of the best players of all time and you can make an argument he is the greatest player of all time.  Again I don't think he is there yet (and he may never get there), but it is far from absurd.

Have you thought of starting up a Lebron James fan club? I think you would be really good at running one.

Re: LeBron is due for an injury
« Reply #20 on: August 22, 2016, 03:08:05 PM »

Offline PhoSita

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I'm not wishing injury on him, I'm just saying it's kind of crazy that to this point in his career, he's never missed significant time due to injury. It's actually unprecedented.

So the question is, are the Celtics better than a LeBronless Cavs team? Are the Celtics a LeBron injury away from being in the Finals?

Not sure you can ever count on LeBron to have a serious injury that causes him to miss a lot of time.  There's no precedent for it.  I think we're probably at least a few years away from that starting to happen to him.  He's a freak.


The Cavs without LeBron would be a much worse team, but Love and Thompson would still pose a problem for the Celts on the boards, and Kyrie can always go nuts like he did in the Finals against Golden State.  All it'd take is a good series from J.R. to really seal it.  The Celts don't have any big scoring wings to really take advantage of the hole that the Cavs would have on the wing without LeBron.
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Re: LeBron is due for an injury
« Reply #21 on: August 22, 2016, 03:10:19 PM »

Offline Moranis

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I would imagine so, in all honesty. 

As you said not wishing an injury on him, but if Lebron James has just finished his 13th season in the NBA at the age of 31, moving on to 32. 

His career path has been eerily similar to that of KG up to this point...

* Lebron (like KG) came straight from high school to the NBA

* Lebron (like KG) was 19 years old during his first NBA season

* Lebron (like KG) played his 13th NBA season at the age of 31

* By the end of his 13th season Lebron has played in 987 regular season games out of a possible 1,066 and averaged 38.98 MPG over those 13 seasons.  KG by the end of his 13th season had played 998 NBA games out of a possible 1,066 and averaged 37.94 MPG over those 13 seasons.

* By the end of his 13th season Lebron has played in 199 playoff games at an average of 42.13 MPG.   KG by the end of his 13th season had played 73 playoff games at an average of 40.96 MPG.

* Lebron has played in 12 All-Star games, while KG (by the end of his 13th season) had played in 11 All-Star games.

* Lebron so far (over 13 NBA seasons) has been very durable - he's played in 92.5% of possible regular season games and has played < 69 games in a season only once.  KG was also incredibly durable during his first 13 NBA seasons - he had played in 93.6% of possible games and had only 1 season in which he played less then 71 games.

After his 13th season his body started to break down.

Over his final 8 seasons KG has managed only 464 games played out of a possible 656 (an average only 58 games played per season, or 70.7% attendance) and he averaged only only 27.06 MPG over that stretch.

KG took great care of his body his entire career and was incredibly durable, but at the end of the day he put a LOT of mileage on that 250 pound body of his, and his very physical style of play didn't help.

Lebron has been similarly durable so far, but he has put a similar amount of mileage on his own 250 pound frame, and plays a very physical game - it's only a matter of time (IMHO) before his body starts to break down from sheer wear and tear.

Off the top of my head I believe Kobe (who also entered the NBA from high school) also started to see his body breaking down around that same time in his career.

KG was lucky that he was such a good midrange shooter, and that probably helped a LOT to prolong his career by reducing some punishment on his body in his later years.  The same could be said about Kobe.  Lebron has never been a good outside shooter, so unless he makes some dramatic strides in that area, I can't see his body lasting any longer then KG's did.
that's a tommy point if i ever seen one :D
For sure a great post, but James is much closer physically to a guy like Karl Malone (you know 6'9", 250 pounds of solid muscle), who never got hurt until he left Utah for 1 season and who 13 seasons in was aged 34, but had played in 1061 of a possible 1066 games and 137 playoff games (so pretty close to James since he had a number of deep playoff runs that KG never had).  Malone was also still playing huge minutes and was the MVP in year 12.  In fact, Malone was still so good that he was the MVP again in his 14th season, the strike shortened 50 game season and would miss just 5 games in his 14th through 18th seasons at about 37 minutes a game.

James obviously isn't going to be as a great a player as he was in his prime, but this notion that he has been healthy and thus must get hurt because it happens to everyone, is just silly because it doesn't really happen to everyone.  Malone healthy until the last year.  Duncan healthy his entire career.  Kareem healthy basically his entire career.  And they aren't the only great players that played heavy minutes and almost every game.  Heck Pierce played 15 seasons in Boston and only had one season where he was injured for any period of time (06/07).  Jordan had that one flukey injury in season 3, but otherwise barely missed a game outside of self-imposed hiatuses. 

James has shown very little sign he will get injured.  Sure, he statistically will start to fade, but just because you lose a step doesn't mean you will get injured.
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Re: LeBron is due for an injury
« Reply #22 on: August 22, 2016, 03:47:22 PM »

Offline Ogaju

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terrible thread title, even acknowledged by OP's opening remarks.

Re: LeBron is due for an injury
« Reply #23 on: August 22, 2016, 03:54:15 PM »

Offline alldaboston

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Delete this right now. Whether you want it or not, talking about injuries to other players isn't good. Better not jinx us now smh
I could very well see the Hawks... starting Taurean Prince at the 3, who is already better than Crowder, imo.

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Re: LeBron is due for an injury
« Reply #24 on: August 22, 2016, 04:07:15 PM »

Offline kne

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LeBron is one of the greatest, if not all time

He is not even close to the greatest of all time.   That is absurd.

How nice of you to rip a phrase completely out of context. I said "one of the greatest, if not all time then at least our generation". I never said he is the Goat. If you are saying he is not even close to the group of the greatest players of all time, that would be absurd.

Re: LeBron is due for an injury
« Reply #25 on: August 22, 2016, 04:09:39 PM »

Offline kraidstar

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I would imagine so, in all honesty. 

As you said not wishing an injury on him, but if Lebron James has just finished his 13th season in the NBA at the age of 31, moving on to 32. 

His career path has been eerily similar to that of KG up to this point...

* Lebron (like KG) came straight from high school to the NBA

* Lebron (like KG) was 19 years old during his first NBA season

* Lebron (like KG) played his 13th NBA season at the age of 31

* By the end of his 13th season Lebron has played in 987 regular season games out of a possible 1,066 and averaged 38.98 MPG over those 13 seasons.  KG by the end of his 13th season had played 998 NBA games out of a possible 1,066 and averaged 37.94 MPG over those 13 seasons.

* By the end of his 13th season Lebron has played in 199 playoff games at an average of 42.13 MPG.   KG by the end of his 13th season had played 73 playoff games at an average of 40.96 MPG.

* Lebron has played in 12 All-Star games, while KG (by the end of his 13th season) had played in 11 All-Star games.

* Lebron so far (over 13 NBA seasons) has been very durable - he's played in 92.5% of possible regular season games and has played < 69 games in a season only once.  KG was also incredibly durable during his first 13 NBA seasons - he had played in 93.6% of possible games and had only 1 season in which he played less then 71 games.

After his 13th season his body started to break down.

Over his final 8 seasons KG has managed only 464 games played out of a possible 656 (an average only 58 games played per season, or 70.7% attendance) and he averaged only only 27.06 MPG over that stretch.

KG took great care of his body his entire career and was incredibly durable, but at the end of the day he put a LOT of mileage on that 250 pound body of his, and his very physical style of play didn't help.

Lebron has been similarly durable so far, but he has put a similar amount of mileage on his own 250 pound frame, and plays a very physical game - it's only a matter of time (IMHO) before his body starts to break down from sheer wear and tear.

Off the top of my head I believe Kobe (who also entered the NBA from high school) also started to see his body breaking down around that same time in his career.

KG was lucky that he was such a good midrange shooter, and that probably helped a LOT to prolong his career by reducing some punishment on his body in his later years.  The same could be said about Kobe.  Lebron has never been a good outside shooter, so unless he makes some dramatic strides in that area, I can't see his body lasting any longer then KG's did.
that's a tommy point if i ever seen one :D
For sure a great post, but James is much closer physically to a guy like Karl Malone (you know 6'9", 250 pounds of solid muscle), who never got hurt until he left Utah for 1 season and who 13 seasons in was aged 34, but had played in 1061 of a possible 1066 games and 137 playoff games (so pretty close to James since he had a number of deep playoff runs that KG never had).  Malone was also still playing huge minutes and was the MVP in year 12.  In fact, Malone was still so good that he was the MVP again in his 14th season, the strike shortened 50 game season and would miss just 5 games in his 14th through 18th seasons at about 37 minutes a game.

James obviously isn't going to be as a great a player as he was in his prime, but this notion that he has been healthy and thus must get hurt because it happens to everyone, is just silly because it doesn't really happen to everyone.  Malone healthy until the last year.  Duncan healthy his entire career.  Kareem healthy basically his entire career.  And they aren't the only great players that played heavy minutes and almost every game.  Heck Pierce played 15 seasons in Boston and only had one season where he was injured for any period of time (06/07).  Jordan had that one flukey injury in season 3, but otherwise barely missed a game outside of self-imposed hiatuses. 

James has shown very little sign he will get injured.  Sure, he statistically will start to fade, but just because you lose a step doesn't mean you will get injured.

But LeBron's game is way different than Kareem, Malone, or Duncan.

LeBron relies on speed, and agility, none of those other guys could come close to making the cuts he does. They also didn't need to jump as high, as they were taller and longer.

Kareem barely needed to leave the ground for blocks and rebounds. Malone was shorter, and was built like a tank, but he wasn't dancing around like a gazelle, he used pure strength to impose his will.

LeBron's style of play might put a beating on his knees and legs, as it did KG and Kobe. And LeBron's heavy frame and sheer speed will put even more torque on his joints than those guys.

Re: LeBron is due for an injury
« Reply #26 on: August 22, 2016, 05:16:20 PM »

Offline celticsclay

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I would imagine so, in all honesty. 

As you said not wishing an injury on him, but if Lebron James has just finished his 13th season in the NBA at the age of 31, moving on to 32. 

His career path has been eerily similar to that of KG up to this point...

* Lebron (like KG) came straight from high school to the NBA

* Lebron (like KG) was 19 years old during his first NBA season

* Lebron (like KG) played his 13th NBA season at the age of 31

* By the end of his 13th season Lebron has played in 987 regular season games out of a possible 1,066 and averaged 38.98 MPG over those 13 seasons.  KG by the end of his 13th season had played 998 NBA games out of a possible 1,066 and averaged 37.94 MPG over those 13 seasons.

* By the end of his 13th season Lebron has played in 199 playoff games at an average of 42.13 MPG.   KG by the end of his 13th season had played 73 playoff games at an average of 40.96 MPG.

* Lebron has played in 12 All-Star games, while KG (by the end of his 13th season) had played in 11 All-Star games.

* Lebron so far (over 13 NBA seasons) has been very durable - he's played in 92.5% of possible regular season games and has played < 69 games in a season only once.  KG was also incredibly durable during his first 13 NBA seasons - he had played in 93.6% of possible games and had only 1 season in which he played less then 71 games.

After his 13th season his body started to break down.

Over his final 8 seasons KG has managed only 464 games played out of a possible 656 (an average only 58 games played per season, or 70.7% attendance) and he averaged only only 27.06 MPG over that stretch.

KG took great care of his body his entire career and was incredibly durable, but at the end of the day he put a LOT of mileage on that 250 pound body of his, and his very physical style of play didn't help.

Lebron has been similarly durable so far, but he has put a similar amount of mileage on his own 250 pound frame, and plays a very physical game - it's only a matter of time (IMHO) before his body starts to break down from sheer wear and tear.

Off the top of my head I believe Kobe (who also entered the NBA from high school) also started to see his body breaking down around that same time in his career.

KG was lucky that he was such a good midrange shooter, and that probably helped a LOT to prolong his career by reducing some punishment on his body in his later years.  The same could be said about Kobe.  Lebron has never been a good outside shooter, so unless he makes some dramatic strides in that area, I can't see his body lasting any longer then KG's did.
that's a tommy point if i ever seen one :D
For sure a great post, but James is much closer physically to a guy like Karl Malone (you know 6'9", 250 pounds of solid muscle), who never got hurt until he left Utah for 1 season and who 13 seasons in was aged 34, but had played in 1061 of a possible 1066 games and 137 playoff games (so pretty close to James since he had a number of deep playoff runs that KG never had).  Malone was also still playing huge minutes and was the MVP in year 12.  In fact, Malone was still so good that he was the MVP again in his 14th season, the strike shortened 50 game season and would miss just 5 games in his 14th through 18th seasons at about 37 minutes a game.

James obviously isn't going to be as a great a player as he was in his prime, but this notion that he has been healthy and thus must get hurt because it happens to everyone, is just silly because it doesn't really happen to everyone.  Malone healthy until the last year.  Duncan healthy his entire career.  Kareem healthy basically his entire career.  And they aren't the only great players that played heavy minutes and almost every game.  Heck Pierce played 15 seasons in Boston and only had one season where he was injured for any period of time (06/07).  Jordan had that one flukey injury in season 3, but otherwise barely missed a game outside of self-imposed hiatuses. 

James has shown very little sign he will get injured.  Sure, he statistically will start to fade, but just because you lose a step doesn't mean you will get injured.

But LeBron's game is way different than Kareem, Malone, or Duncan.

LeBron relies on speed, and agility, none of those other guys could come close to making the cuts he does. They also didn't need to jump as high, as they were taller and longer.

Kareem barely needed to leave the ground for blocks and rebounds. Malone was shorter, and was built like a tank, but he wasn't dancing around like a gazelle, he used pure strength to impose his will.

LeBron's style of play might put a beating on his knees and legs, as it did KG and Kobe. And LeBron's heavy frame and sheer speed will put even more torque on his joints than those guys.

I agree with this. Malone is a closer comparison to Lebron because if Lebron is to age well he will have to start working on the post more. He wont be blowing by people as quickly from the top of the key. Kareem and Duncan really did not require their speed to be as effective late in their careers and that was greatly helped by being able to get off shots as 7 footers. I think the KG comparison is pretty good because there is something unique about coming right from high school into the league.

Re: LeBron is due for an injury
« Reply #27 on: August 22, 2016, 05:25:12 PM »

Offline Moranis

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I would imagine so, in all honesty. 

As you said not wishing an injury on him, but if Lebron James has just finished his 13th season in the NBA at the age of 31, moving on to 32. 

His career path has been eerily similar to that of KG up to this point...

* Lebron (like KG) came straight from high school to the NBA

* Lebron (like KG) was 19 years old during his first NBA season

* Lebron (like KG) played his 13th NBA season at the age of 31

* By the end of his 13th season Lebron has played in 987 regular season games out of a possible 1,066 and averaged 38.98 MPG over those 13 seasons.  KG by the end of his 13th season had played 998 NBA games out of a possible 1,066 and averaged 37.94 MPG over those 13 seasons.

* By the end of his 13th season Lebron has played in 199 playoff games at an average of 42.13 MPG.   KG by the end of his 13th season had played 73 playoff games at an average of 40.96 MPG.

* Lebron has played in 12 All-Star games, while KG (by the end of his 13th season) had played in 11 All-Star games.

* Lebron so far (over 13 NBA seasons) has been very durable - he's played in 92.5% of possible regular season games and has played < 69 games in a season only once.  KG was also incredibly durable during his first 13 NBA seasons - he had played in 93.6% of possible games and had only 1 season in which he played less then 71 games.

After his 13th season his body started to break down.

Over his final 8 seasons KG has managed only 464 games played out of a possible 656 (an average only 58 games played per season, or 70.7% attendance) and he averaged only only 27.06 MPG over that stretch.

KG took great care of his body his entire career and was incredibly durable, but at the end of the day he put a LOT of mileage on that 250 pound body of his, and his very physical style of play didn't help.

Lebron has been similarly durable so far, but he has put a similar amount of mileage on his own 250 pound frame, and plays a very physical game - it's only a matter of time (IMHO) before his body starts to break down from sheer wear and tear.

Off the top of my head I believe Kobe (who also entered the NBA from high school) also started to see his body breaking down around that same time in his career.

KG was lucky that he was such a good midrange shooter, and that probably helped a LOT to prolong his career by reducing some punishment on his body in his later years.  The same could be said about Kobe.  Lebron has never been a good outside shooter, so unless he makes some dramatic strides in that area, I can't see his body lasting any longer then KG's did.
that's a tommy point if i ever seen one :D
For sure a great post, but James is much closer physically to a guy like Karl Malone (you know 6'9", 250 pounds of solid muscle), who never got hurt until he left Utah for 1 season and who 13 seasons in was aged 34, but had played in 1061 of a possible 1066 games and 137 playoff games (so pretty close to James since he had a number of deep playoff runs that KG never had).  Malone was also still playing huge minutes and was the MVP in year 12.  In fact, Malone was still so good that he was the MVP again in his 14th season, the strike shortened 50 game season and would miss just 5 games in his 14th through 18th seasons at about 37 minutes a game.

James obviously isn't going to be as a great a player as he was in his prime, but this notion that he has been healthy and thus must get hurt because it happens to everyone, is just silly because it doesn't really happen to everyone.  Malone healthy until the last year.  Duncan healthy his entire career.  Kareem healthy basically his entire career.  And they aren't the only great players that played heavy minutes and almost every game.  Heck Pierce played 15 seasons in Boston and only had one season where he was injured for any period of time (06/07).  Jordan had that one flukey injury in season 3, but otherwise barely missed a game outside of self-imposed hiatuses. 

James has shown very little sign he will get injured.  Sure, he statistically will start to fade, but just because you lose a step doesn't mean you will get injured.

But LeBron's game is way different than Kareem, Malone, or Duncan.

LeBron relies on speed, and agility, none of those other guys could come close to making the cuts he does. They also didn't need to jump as high, as they were taller and longer.

Kareem barely needed to leave the ground for blocks and rebounds. Malone was shorter, and was built like a tank, but he wasn't dancing around like a gazelle, he used pure strength to impose his will.

LeBron's style of play might put a beating on his knees and legs, as it did KG and Kobe. And LeBron's heavy frame and sheer speed will put even more torque on his joints than those guys.
How about Dr. J?  Close enough for you.  Didn't play in less than 71 games (his second season) until his final year (16th season) in 86/87 when he still managed 60 games.  Had lots of playoff games as well. 

Maybe you prefer Boston's own Hondo who barely missed a game.  Or maybe Reggie Miller. Or  George Gervin.  Or Gary Payton.  Or Elvin Hayes.  Or Moses Malone.  Or Alex English.  Should I go on?

I also noticed you ignored Pierce and Jordan (each with one injury but near perfect health the rest of the time). 
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Re: LeBron is due for an injury
« Reply #28 on: August 22, 2016, 05:55:41 PM »

Offline kraidstar

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I would imagine so, in all honesty. 

As you said not wishing an injury on him, but if Lebron James has just finished his 13th season in the NBA at the age of 31, moving on to 32. 

His career path has been eerily similar to that of KG up to this point...

* Lebron (like KG) came straight from high school to the NBA

* Lebron (like KG) was 19 years old during his first NBA season

* Lebron (like KG) played his 13th NBA season at the age of 31

* By the end of his 13th season Lebron has played in 987 regular season games out of a possible 1,066 and averaged 38.98 MPG over those 13 seasons.  KG by the end of his 13th season had played 998 NBA games out of a possible 1,066 and averaged 37.94 MPG over those 13 seasons.

* By the end of his 13th season Lebron has played in 199 playoff games at an average of 42.13 MPG.   KG by the end of his 13th season had played 73 playoff games at an average of 40.96 MPG.

* Lebron has played in 12 All-Star games, while KG (by the end of his 13th season) had played in 11 All-Star games.

* Lebron so far (over 13 NBA seasons) has been very durable - he's played in 92.5% of possible regular season games and has played < 69 games in a season only once.  KG was also incredibly durable during his first 13 NBA seasons - he had played in 93.6% of possible games and had only 1 season in which he played less then 71 games.

After his 13th season his body started to break down.

Over his final 8 seasons KG has managed only 464 games played out of a possible 656 (an average only 58 games played per season, or 70.7% attendance) and he averaged only only 27.06 MPG over that stretch.

KG took great care of his body his entire career and was incredibly durable, but at the end of the day he put a LOT of mileage on that 250 pound body of his, and his very physical style of play didn't help.

Lebron has been similarly durable so far, but he has put a similar amount of mileage on his own 250 pound frame, and plays a very physical game - it's only a matter of time (IMHO) before his body starts to break down from sheer wear and tear.

Off the top of my head I believe Kobe (who also entered the NBA from high school) also started to see his body breaking down around that same time in his career.

KG was lucky that he was such a good midrange shooter, and that probably helped a LOT to prolong his career by reducing some punishment on his body in his later years.  The same could be said about Kobe.  Lebron has never been a good outside shooter, so unless he makes some dramatic strides in that area, I can't see his body lasting any longer then KG's did.
that's a tommy point if i ever seen one :D
For sure a great post, but James is much closer physically to a guy like Karl Malone (you know 6'9", 250 pounds of solid muscle), who never got hurt until he left Utah for 1 season and who 13 seasons in was aged 34, but had played in 1061 of a possible 1066 games and 137 playoff games (so pretty close to James since he had a number of deep playoff runs that KG never had).  Malone was also still playing huge minutes and was the MVP in year 12.  In fact, Malone was still so good that he was the MVP again in his 14th season, the strike shortened 50 game season and would miss just 5 games in his 14th through 18th seasons at about 37 minutes a game.

James obviously isn't going to be as a great a player as he was in his prime, but this notion that he has been healthy and thus must get hurt because it happens to everyone, is just silly because it doesn't really happen to everyone.  Malone healthy until the last year.  Duncan healthy his entire career.  Kareem healthy basically his entire career.  And they aren't the only great players that played heavy minutes and almost every game.  Heck Pierce played 15 seasons in Boston and only had one season where he was injured for any period of time (06/07).  Jordan had that one flukey injury in season 3, but otherwise barely missed a game outside of self-imposed hiatuses. 

James has shown very little sign he will get injured.  Sure, he statistically will start to fade, but just because you lose a step doesn't mean you will get injured.

But LeBron's game is way different than Kareem, Malone, or Duncan.

LeBron relies on speed, and agility, none of those other guys could come close to making the cuts he does. They also didn't need to jump as high, as they were taller and longer.

Kareem barely needed to leave the ground for blocks and rebounds. Malone was shorter, and was built like a tank, but he wasn't dancing around like a gazelle, he used pure strength to impose his will.

LeBron's style of play might put a beating on his knees and legs, as it did KG and Kobe. And LeBron's heavy frame and sheer speed will put even more torque on his joints than those guys.
How about Dr. J?  Close enough for you.  Didn't play in less than 71 games (his second season) until his final year (16th season) in 86/87 when he still managed 60 games.  Had lots of playoff games as well. 

Maybe you prefer Boston's own Hondo who barely missed a game.  Or maybe Reggie Miller. Or  George Gervin.  Or Gary Payton.  Or Elvin Hayes.  Or Moses Malone.  Or Alex English.  Should I go on?

I also noticed you ignored Pierce and Jordan (each with one injury but near perfect health the rest of the time).

Huh? My post referenced your post, which mentioned, Duncan, Malone, and Kareem, who are all vastly different players than LeBron. Those were poor comparisons for the reasons I mentioned above.

Hondo, Dr. J, and Pierce are much closer. I would add though that LeBron is 40 pounds heavier than Erving, and nearly 50 pounds heavier than Havlicek. And Pierce never relied on his athleticism as much as Lebron does.

We all know Pierce's injuries slowed him down later in his career. It might not have been one catastrophic injury, but they did take their toll.

That's what happens when you get old.

LeBron seems to be a freak. I'm sure he has some significant chemical assistance as well. It remains to be seen exactly what will happen, but it's not unreasonable to think his play will decline due to wear and tear as he ages.

I think he's a risk for a serious injury because of his particularly explosive play style. Jordan became more of a perimeter player later in his career, maybe that helped lengthen it. Reggie Miller didn't venture inside too often.

Pierce drove to the rim less and less as the years wore on.

It will be interesting to see what happens with The King. But I tend to agree with the OP and Crimson Stallion that an injury might be looming.

Re: LeBron is due for an injury
« Reply #29 on: August 22, 2016, 06:00:58 PM »

Offline celticsclay

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I would imagine so, in all honesty. 

As you said not wishing an injury on him, but if Lebron James has just finished his 13th season in the NBA at the age of 31, moving on to 32. 

His career path has been eerily similar to that of KG up to this point...

* Lebron (like KG) came straight from high school to the NBA

* Lebron (like KG) was 19 years old during his first NBA season

* Lebron (like KG) played his 13th NBA season at the age of 31

* By the end of his 13th season Lebron has played in 987 regular season games out of a possible 1,066 and averaged 38.98 MPG over those 13 seasons.  KG by the end of his 13th season had played 998 NBA games out of a possible 1,066 and averaged 37.94 MPG over those 13 seasons.

* By the end of his 13th season Lebron has played in 199 playoff games at an average of 42.13 MPG.   KG by the end of his 13th season had played 73 playoff games at an average of 40.96 MPG.

* Lebron has played in 12 All-Star games, while KG (by the end of his 13th season) had played in 11 All-Star games.

* Lebron so far (over 13 NBA seasons) has been very durable - he's played in 92.5% of possible regular season games and has played < 69 games in a season only once.  KG was also incredibly durable during his first 13 NBA seasons - he had played in 93.6% of possible games and had only 1 season in which he played less then 71 games.

After his 13th season his body started to break down.

Over his final 8 seasons KG has managed only 464 games played out of a possible 656 (an average only 58 games played per season, or 70.7% attendance) and he averaged only only 27.06 MPG over that stretch.

KG took great care of his body his entire career and was incredibly durable, but at the end of the day he put a LOT of mileage on that 250 pound body of his, and his very physical style of play didn't help.

Lebron has been similarly durable so far, but he has put a similar amount of mileage on his own 250 pound frame, and plays a very physical game - it's only a matter of time (IMHO) before his body starts to break down from sheer wear and tear.

Off the top of my head I believe Kobe (who also entered the NBA from high school) also started to see his body breaking down around that same time in his career.

KG was lucky that he was such a good midrange shooter, and that probably helped a LOT to prolong his career by reducing some punishment on his body in his later years.  The same could be said about Kobe.  Lebron has never been a good outside shooter, so unless he makes some dramatic strides in that area, I can't see his body lasting any longer then KG's did.
that's a tommy point if i ever seen one :D
For sure a great post, but James is much closer physically to a guy like Karl Malone (you know 6'9", 250 pounds of solid muscle), who never got hurt until he left Utah for 1 season and who 13 seasons in was aged 34, but had played in 1061 of a possible 1066 games and 137 playoff games (so pretty close to James since he had a number of deep playoff runs that KG never had).  Malone was also still playing huge minutes and was the MVP in year 12.  In fact, Malone was still so good that he was the MVP again in his 14th season, the strike shortened 50 game season and would miss just 5 games in his 14th through 18th seasons at about 37 minutes a game.

James obviously isn't going to be as a great a player as he was in his prime, but this notion that he has been healthy and thus must get hurt because it happens to everyone, is just silly because it doesn't really happen to everyone.  Malone healthy until the last year.  Duncan healthy his entire career.  Kareem healthy basically his entire career.  And they aren't the only great players that played heavy minutes and almost every game.  Heck Pierce played 15 seasons in Boston and only had one season where he was injured for any period of time (06/07).  Jordan had that one flukey injury in season 3, but otherwise barely missed a game outside of self-imposed hiatuses. 

James has shown very little sign he will get injured.  Sure, he statistically will start to fade, but just because you lose a step doesn't mean you will get injured.

But LeBron's game is way different than Kareem, Malone, or Duncan.

LeBron relies on speed, and agility, none of those other guys could come close to making the cuts he does. They also didn't need to jump as high, as they were taller and longer.

Kareem barely needed to leave the ground for blocks and rebounds. Malone was shorter, and was built like a tank, but he wasn't dancing around like a gazelle, he used pure strength to impose his will.

LeBron's style of play might put a beating on his knees and legs, as it did KG and Kobe. And LeBron's heavy frame and sheer speed will put even more torque on his joints than those guys.
How about Dr. J?  Close enough for you.  Didn't play in less than 71 games (his second season) until his final year (16th season) in 86/87 when he still managed 60 games.  Had lots of playoff games as well. 

Maybe you prefer Boston's own Hondo who barely missed a game.  Or maybe Reggie Miller. Or  George Gervin.  Or Gary Payton.  Or Elvin Hayes.  Or Moses Malone.  Or Alex English.  Should I go on?

I also noticed you ignored Pierce and Jordan (each with one injury but near perfect health the rest of the time).

Huh? My post referenced your post, which mentioned, Duncan, Malone, and Kareem, who are all vastly different players than LeBron. Those were poor comparisons for the reasons I mentioned above.

Hondo, Dr. J, and Pierce are much closer. I would add though that LeBron is 40 pounds heavier than Erving, and nearly 50 pounds heavier than Havlicek. And Pierce never relied on his athleticism as much as Lebron does.

We all know Pierce's injuries slowed him down later in his career. It might not have been one catastrophic injury, but they did take their toll.

That's what happens when you get old.

LeBron seems to be a freak. I'm sure he has some significant chemical assistance as well. It remains to be seen exactly what will happen, but it's not unreasonable to think his play will decline due to wear and tear as he ages.

I think he's a risk for a serious injury because of his particularly explosive play style. Jordan became more of a perimeter player later in his career, maybe that helped lengthen it. Reggie Miller didn't venture inside too often.

Pierce drove to the rim less and less as the years wore on.

It will be interesting to see what happens with The King. But I tend to agree with the OP and Crimson Stallion that an injury might be looming.

Yea I also don't really see the point of listing a handful of players that didn't have injuries. We could obviously make a much longer list of people that started slowing down and weren't the same in their mid 30's because they couldn't recover from injuries as well. Is this really the argument? That Lebron has a chance to never have injuries because there are a few players that had long careers with perfect health? You can clearly say looking at the history of athletes in all sports that many start to suffer nagging injuries and slow down in their mid 30's. That isn't really an arguable point it is just kind of how aging works.... :o