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It would neither shock nor disappoint me if most NBA players were using some sort of designer PED. Firstly, look at these guys. Just look at them.

Secondly, tell me how Wade at his age and injury history had the season he did? How is Westbrook as violently athletic after his 3 knee surgeries. Does Steph really have better vision and aim than anyone in the history of the NBA -- to this extent? I remember the MLB PED reporting turned up that a lot of the stuff coming out of BALCO helped with vision/eyesight -- which is why the whole "steroids don't help you hit a baseball" line was BS.

If I had to guess, 70-plus percent of the league is on something. As a fan, it doesn't bother me.

Thoughts? Where's Induveca when we actually need him?

It's kinda amusing the differing attitudes in different sports. I don't think anyone cares much if NBA or NFL players use PEDs, but in baseball folks get apoplectic. Folks got nuts about Lance Armstrong "cheating" when practically every rider was taking PEDs -- and getting away with it. Armstrong was merely the best cheater.

I agree there are almost certainly NBA players who use PEDs, and have been for years. Karl Malone had to be using steroids. I think Ben Wallace did. In today's game, I wouldn't be surprised if Dwight Howard used them. Same with Kobe. Gortat -- probably. Absolutely, positively, Garrett Temple.

I wish Terd would juice up. He could use some Vince McMahon.

TheSecretWeapon wrote:It's kinda amusing the differing attitudes in different sports. I don't think anyone cares much if NBA or NFL players use PEDs, but in baseball folks get apoplectic. Folks got nuts about Lance Armstrong "cheating" when practically every rider was taking PEDs -- and getting away with it. Armstrong was merely the best cheater.

I agree there are almost certainly NBA players who use PEDs, and have been for years. Karl Malone had to be using steroids. I think Ben Wallace did. In today's game, I wouldn't be surprised if Dwight Howard used them. Same with Kobe. Gortat -- probably. Absolutely, positively, Garrett Temple.

Did you just throw that in to see if we were paying attention?

TheSecretWeapon wrote:It's kinda amusing the differing attitudes in different sports. I don't think anyone cares much if NBA or NFL players use PEDs, but in baseball folks get apoplectic. Folks got nuts about Lance Armstrong "cheating" when practically every rider was taking PEDs -- and getting away with it. Armstrong was merely the best cheater.

I agree there are almost certainly NBA players who use PEDs, and have been for years. Karl Malone had to be using steroids. I think Ben Wallace did. In today's game, I wouldn't be surprised if Dwight Howard used them. Same with Kobe. Gortat -- probably. Absolutely, positively, Garrett Temple.

Garret Temple falls into the non-responder class of steroid user me thinks.

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the hyper real athleticism and ridiculously long season make PEDS nearly a must for most starters

Dark Faze wrote:the hyper real athleticism and ridiculously long season make PEDS nearly a must for most starters

Not to mention Team USA obligations. The Cavs and Dubs are going to play 100 games and then USA basketball wants their best players to come play in the olympics. How could they not dope? OTOH, doping and the Olympics is dangerous, so I dunno

fishercob wrote:

Dark Faze wrote:the hyper real athleticism and ridiculously long season make PEDS nearly a must for most starters

Not to mention Team USA obligations. The Cavs and Dubs are going to play 100 games and then USA basketball wants their best players to come play in the olympics. How could they not dope? OTOH, doping and the Olympics is dangerous, so I dunno

It'd be interesting to find out what players actually do. Mark Cuban invested in Catapult, which uses wearable trackers to generate analytics for the purpose of injury prevention. Players can't wear the trackers in games (league rules), but they do wear them during practice and at other times. I know the Suns were big into measuring sleep quality, which researchers are finding is a critical part of recovery. One thing I read indicated that sitting out games and limiting minutes wasn't a particularly useful way of resting a player unless it involved permitting them to get quality sleep.

My guess is that wearable tech will become legal in the NBA within the next 5-10 years. Eventually, it'll probably be literally built into the fabric of the uniform.

The Wizards have used Viper Pod since 2013-14, which is a similar technology to Catapult (Cuban's company; used by 10-12 NBA teams).

I wonder if a tech like that could detect if a player was using PEDs on his own just from the tracking data.

A few years into his NBA career, Andre Iguodala had ridiculously enormous biceps. I'd be surprised if he wasn't using PEDs then - though I'm not sure they helped him be a better basketball player.

Illegal PED use could be rampant. It doesn't seem like testing is necessarily that stringent.

That being said, the sports science is significantly better than it was 10-15 years ago. Nutrition has become more important recently; players know more about how to eat healthy and the amount of calories and protein to be in optimal shape. Teams' strength and training programs are significantly better. I recall the Wizards hiring a personal chef for Richard Hamilton so that he would put on weight. Some teams like the Portland Trailblazers are emphasizing what time to go to sleep in order to play games at an optimal level.

Here is a weird exercise that Curry has used to increase his handle
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2H1JpRzakQ#t=2m09s

If we assume Wade is not taking illegal PEDs, I would attribute Wade's longevity to the fact that he is playing only 30 minutes per game. Wade has actually lost a significant amount of weight in order to put less strain on his body. Wade is also more motivated to take care of his body because it is a contract year.

Kanyewest wrote:
If we assume Wade is not taking illegal PEDs, I would attribute Wade's longevity to the fact that he is playing only 30 minutes per game. Wade has actually lost a significant amount of weight in order to put less strain on his body. Wade is also more motivated to take care of his body because it is a contract year.

This has been something of a trend in the NBA the past few years. Tim Duncan dropped about 20 pounds 3-4 years ago, and it helped him be probably the most productive old guy ever. I'm drawing a blank right now, but several other guys did something similar. It's enough of a trend that at least some of us hoped Nenê would come back this season 15-20 pounds lighter. Didn't happen.

TheSecretWeapon wrote:

Kanyewest wrote:
If we assume Wade is not taking illegal PEDs, I would attribute Wade's longevity to the fact that he is playing only 30 minutes per game. Wade has actually lost a significant amount of weight in order to put less strain on his body. Wade is also more motivated to take care of his body because it is a contract year.

This has been something of a trend in the NBA the past few years. Tim Duncan dropped about 20 pounds 3-4 years ago, and it helped him be probably the most productive old guy ever. I'm drawing a blank right now, but several other guys did something similar. It's enough of a trend that at least some of us hoped Nenê would come back this season 15-20 pounds lighter. Didn't happen.

Hard to do, what with all the excellent Brazilian food, unthinkably beautiful women, and the occasional Jokim Noah.

long suffrin' boulez fan wrote:

TheSecretWeapon wrote:

Kanyewest wrote:
If we assume Wade is not taking illegal PEDs, I would attribute Wade's longevity to the fact that he is playing only 30 minutes per game. Wade has actually lost a significant amount of weight in order to put less strain on his body. Wade is also more motivated to take care of his body because it is a contract year.

This has been something of a trend in the NBA the past few years. Tim Duncan dropped about 20 pounds 3-4 years ago, and it helped him be probably the most productive old guy ever. I'm drawing a blank right now, but several other guys did something similar. It's enough of a trend that at least some of us hoped Nenê would come back this season 15-20 pounds lighter. Didn't happen.

Hard to do, what with all the excellent Brazilian food, unthinkably beautiful women, and the occasional Jokim Noah.

Great: Now I need to find one of those Brazilian steakhouses.

TheSecretWeapon wrote:

long suffrin' boulez fan wrote:

TheSecretWeapon wrote:This has been something of a trend in the NBA the past few years. Tim Duncan dropped about 20 pounds 3-4 years ago, and it helped him be probably the most productive old guy ever. I'm drawing a blank right now, but several other guys did something similar. It's enough of a trend that at least some of us hoped Nenê would come back this season 15-20 pounds lighter. Didn't happen.

Hard to do, what with all the excellent Brazilian food, unthinkably beautiful women, and the occasional Jokim Noah.

Great: Now I need to find one of those Brazilian steakhouses.

Fogo de Chao, if you're ever in Baltimore...

There used to be a churrascaria called Green Fields in Rockville that was amazingly good.

Ruzious wrote:There used to be a churrascaria called Green Fields in Rockville that was amazingly good.

Yep. Ate there once. Delicious and I think I gained like 45 pounds.

bumping now that Induveca is back

http://www.medicineatmichigan.org/web-exclusives/2016/february/medsport-studies-hgh-acl-repair

The disdain for HGH is largely PR/politically motivated. Note who funded the above study, Mark Cuban. HGH is routinely used in post operative scenarios around the world.

Snap your ACL in Norway, expect a good doc to prescribe 3 iu of HGH daily for 4-6 weeks. Why do you think these guys are going to Germany/Qatar etc? It's not just the platelet therapy, what is considered a "PED" by ESPN and politicians are legitimate treatments.

fishercob wrote:

Dark Faze wrote:the hyper real athleticism and ridiculously long season make PEDS nearly a must for most starters

Not to mention Team USA obligations. The Cavs and Dubs are going to play 100 games and then USA basketball wants their best players to come play in the olympics. How could they not dope? OTOH, doping and the Olympics is dangerous, so I dunno

Peds shouldn't be illegal .... This long season... Hardwood, jumping etc- You either shorten the season or expect injuries to increase as players evolve into stronger faster bigger people naturally...

Obviously some steroids are dangerous, but some PEDs are not, just let them use them.