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Scenario: an alien from Jupiter appears on Earth. They have autism and can only focus on one thing at a time. This particular alien is obsessed with earthling-ball, as they call it, and are big fans of the 90s ballers. They demand that an NBA Old Head play in a competitive basketball game, in the 2023 playoffs, under penalty of death by hanging. Could any 45, 50+ former legend suit up for ONE game?

I am NOT talking about a season, a playoff series. I am taking about ONE game. 20, 25 mins off the bench. Could they get in good enough shape/durability for one game? Obviously this would be less than ideal, and I would expect the team to have to modify their sefnesive scheme to cover weaknesses. But COULD it be done, if the player was an offensive talent?

What would be the biggest limiter, durability/joint functionality or cardio? Also, the entire teams life is at stake. And they don't have a choice. So they are all invested in helping the Old Head and winning the match.

Play in games show the NBA players will fight to the death if there are serious consequences. One game? I think so.

What do you think?????

Disclaimer: the mention of the alien's autism is in no way meant to denigrate the alien. It merely designated that the alien will be hyper focused on the game and trickery will not be allowed

Dennis Rodman. He would also send the alien home.

Have you never seen older adults play at your local gym? Now add in that former NBA stars have high end athletics.

Is this a serious question? Dr. J can still dunk...

Just distract them.

Aventador wrote:Have you never seen older adults play at your local gym? Now add in that former NBA stars have high end athletics.

Is this a serious question? Dr. J can still dunk...

I've never seen a 50 year old man do a 360 dunk, I've seen plenty of teenagers do it. I think dr J could put up buckets but I think latrell spreewell or someone closer to 50 would be a better choice. Spmeone super tall or in shape

Of course they could. MJ was dominating the Hornets in practice only a few years ago.

If Vince Carter has kept himself in reasonable shape then sure.

A guy who is, say, 45 or 50 is still able to run up and down the court at a reasonable rate. They won't be able to defend anyone and it's likely that their body will be a world of hurt for days afterwards. But it's doable.

The problem with playing at an older age is the inability to back up two days later for another game and the heightened risk of injury. The former isn't a concern in this case and if a guy has kept himself in reasonable shape post-retirement they could mitigate the risk of the later and get through 20-25 minutes.

The Knicks had signed 52 years Walt Frasier back in the day.

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bballfan1three3 wrote:

Aventador wrote:Have you never seen older adults play at your local gym? Now add in that former NBA stars have high end athletics.

Is this a serious question? Dr. J can still dunk...

I've never seen a 50 year old man do a 360 dunk, I've seen plenty of teenagers do it. I think dr J could put up buckets but I think latrell spreewell or someone closer to 50 would be a better choice. Spmeone super tall or in shape

Yea there are very few professional basketball players that can't do that dunk. Even in euro layup lines players are doing those dunks with ease but would look slow and unathletic compared to NBA dudes.

That said, a 40 or 45 year old former player has enough experience to be able to play in an NBA game with very limited impact and net negative defense for sure.

They could absolutely suit up, but they would be a horrific net-negative on the court. You would functionally have to play the high school LaMelo Ball 4-on-5 cherry-picking defense.

for 20 minutes off the bench? if they're in decent shape and can play smart defense then yeah of course. 45 aint THAT old. cuttino mobley can probably still get buckets and he's 47.

Off season doesn't start till July guys.

delete wrong thread

I think it would be more interesting if the Alien shows up in the middle of a live Inside the NBA episode and instantly turns Shaq and Chuck back into their prime selves with the extra terrestrial technology. Then says they're going to do the same thing to every other star that played in the 1990s.

Suddenly MJ, Ewing, Grant Hill, Shaq, Barkley, Miller, Hakeem, Mourning, LJ, Tim Hardaway Sr, Penny and Allen Iverson to name a few are all back in their prime, and they all have to do what this alien tells them to do to save the planet.

You would pull a thigh muscle on your first sprint, so no.

If Larry Bird signed on with a team today I'd trust him more with subbing in cold at the end of a game and hitting a game winner than almost anyone playing today.

Depends what you mean by old head. Recently retired? Probably. Retired for 10+ years? No way. Even the scrubs in the NBA are peek athletes.

There could be some anomalies though. Wilt Chamberlain was offered a contract by the Nets when he was in his 50s. If I remember correctly, I think the Knicks chased him in his 50s too according to Wilt's autobiography. I might be wrong about the Knicks one

OdomFan wrote:I think it would be more interesting if the Alien shows up in the middle of a live Inside the NBA episode and instantly turns Shaq and Chuck back into their prime selves with the extra terrestrial technology. Then says they're going to do the same thing to every other star that played in the 1990s.

Suddenly MJ, Ewing, Grant Hill, Shaq, Barkley, Miller, Hakeem, Mourning, LJ, Tim Hardaway Sr, Penny and Allen Iverson to name a few are all back in their prime, and they all have to do what this alien tells them to do to save the planet.

Man, Grant Hill and Penny without the injuries..

Lebron joins the alien team and destroys a 60 year old Jordan and claimes himself the goat.

I'm ignoring that some old heads, based on comments they've made, would choose death over playing for 20 minutes in the modern NBA. They'd most likely be hunted defensively last year like what the C's did to Blake Griffin and be given the Tony Allen treatment on offense. I can't see any coach letting that go on for even 10 minutes.