Raptors had Greater Focus on Conditioning this past Off-Season

[WuTang_OG]

http://www.cp24.com/sports/greater-focus-on-off-season-conditioning-has-lowry-co-in-top-form-1.3611160

McKechnie, a Scot who was hired by Toronto in 2013 after several seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, said the goal heading into last summer was stricter monitoring of players, and regular communication with their personal trainers and training groups.

Players met with a dietician, then their weight and body fat was measured weekly.

They went one step further with newcomers C.J. Miles and OG Anunoby. The team sent a staff member to San Antonio weekly to check in with Miles. When the Raptors took Anunoby, who was recovering from a torn ACL, 23rd overall in the draft, they quickly set his recovery plan into motion.

"The night we drafted him, we laid out his plan for the summer," McKechnie said. "It was laid out that night, in terms of location, where we'd like to be, and what we'd like to do moving forward to bring him to today."

It's a far cry from earlier times, said McKechnie and Casey, when NBA players would spend much of the off-season with their feet up, and then have to work their way back into shape during training camp.

"Players got left behind very quickly," McKechnie said.

Back at Biosteel Centre, the team's state of the art training centre in Toronto, the floor is fitted with high-tech pressure plates.

"(Players) will run, and hit the (floor) and drive off one side or the other, so you can measure exactly how much pressure is coming from one side," McKechnie said. "So in a case where you have an injury on the right side, we want to show they're driving with equal force from right to left.

"The biggest problem we face is the jumping and the landing, that's obviously coming down from a height."
The benefits of a strict off-season conditioning stretches well beyond the pre-season. It also allows players to better withstand the rigours of an arduous 82-game season.

"They know the harder they work, the more they stay in condition in the summertime, the easier it is to come into training camp and be in great shape for the season. . . which prolongs their career," Casey said. "What tears your career down is breaking your body down in October trying to get in great shape and then playing."

[Scott Hall]

What about focus on their horrible basketball IQ?

[tecumseh18]

What about focus on their horrible basketball IQ?

Anyway, I wonder how much of this was triggered by what happened to JJ last year with the Heat? That must have been a wake up call. Complacent, indeed.

[Inevitable]

This is totally fake news look what was posted the other day

[lolwut]

This is totally fake news look what was posted the other day

There's 10-15 lb of timbits in that box.

[Yallbecrazy]

You hear about the Miami Heat and their conditioning and you have to ask yourself "That seems positive, why can't we implement the same thing?"

[Basketball_Jones]

Such an incredible top notch organization. The focus is on winning multiple titles, they are going all in.

[Def Leppard]

Not to sound like a jerkus perkus (similar to hockus pokus, but in people form). There are lots of sports where you couldn't get away with that kind of conditioning... Even seeing or hearing what those guys eat post game, it's a joke...

Sent from my SM-G920W8 using RealGM mobile app

[ruckus]

What about focus on their horrible basketball IQ?

Anyway, I wonder how much of this was triggered by what happened to JJ last year with the Heat? That must have been a wake up call. Complacent, indeed.

I'm sure that was part of it as well as Sully's descent into unplayability. Prior to Sully, the Raptor's were starting to build a rep of rehabbing careers. They did it for Lou and they did it for Biyombo. Sully's injury and resulting weight gain kinda tore that all down.

I don't know why more teams don't implement a 12 month approach but, it's not a coincidence that the 2 teams (MIA and SAS) that have adopted a bodyweight monitoring system have been 2 of the more consistently successful teams in the past 20 years.

[PhilBlackson]

Sullinger picked the wrong year to be a Raptor.

[Mikistan]

LAUGHING AT ALL THE POSTERS WHO DEFENDED OUR STAFF IN THE PAST - CLEARLY WEREN'T DOING THEIR JOBS WITH HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OUT THE DOOR EVERY YEAR

[nitrous]

15lbs of muscle (fat).

[Johnny Bball]

LAUGHING AT ALL THE POSTERS WHO DEFENDED OUR STAFF IN THE PAST - CLEARLY WEREN'T DOING THEIR JOBS WITH HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OUT THE DOOR EVERY YEAR

Clearly some players weren't willing or able to stick to any plan in the past. And you know exactly who I mean.

[Patman]

You hear about the Miami Heat and their conditioning and you have to ask yourself "That seems positive, why can't we implement the same thing?"

I bet most teams were thinking the same thing, that monitoring players off-season would seem like "babysitting" and could turn players off. You need receptive players. I'm glad our players are cool with it.

[Mikistan]

LAUGHING AT ALL THE POSTERS WHO DEFENDED OUR STAFF IN THE PAST - CLEARLY WEREN'T DOING THEIR JOBS WITH HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OUT THE DOOR EVERY YEAR

Clearly some players weren't willing or able to stick to any plan in the past. And you know exactly who I mean.

Clearly our staff didnt set hard deadlines/guidelines, and clearly our staff also has no history holding anyone other than young troubled players accountable.

AKA not doing their job.

[MixxSRC]

LAUGHING AT ALL THE POSTERS WHO DEFENDED OUR STAFF IN THE PAST - CLEARLY WEREN'T DOING THEIR JOBS WITH HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OUT THE DOOR EVERY YEAR

Clearly some players weren't willing or able to stick to any plan in the past. And you know exactly who I mean.

Clearly our staff didnt set hard deadlines/guidelines, and clearly our staff also has no history holding anyone other than young troubled players accountable.

AKA not doing their job.

Clearly those players weren't doing theirs either. We got a bunch of players who need to be treated like babies and not professionals

[Fairview4Life]

What about focus on their horrible basketball IQ?

:roll: :nonono:

Anyway, I wonder how much of this was triggered by what happened to JJ last year with the Heat? That must have been a wake up call. Complacent, indeed.

I'm sure that was part of it as well as Sully's descent into unplayability. Prior to Sully, the Raptor's were starting to build a rep of rehabbing careers. They did it for Lou and they did it for Biyombo. Sully's injury and resulting weight gain kinda tore that all down.

I don't know why more teams don't implement a 12 month approach but, it's not a coincidence that the 2 teams (MIA and SAS) that have adopted a bodyweight monitoring system have been 2 of the more consistently successful teams in the past 20 years.

Contracts, probably.

This stuff takes buy in from the players, which is generally easier to get with younger players. Like, OG wasn't going to say no.

[Johnny Bball]

LAUGHING AT ALL THE POSTERS WHO DEFENDED OUR STAFF IN THE PAST - CLEARLY WEREN'T DOING THEIR JOBS WITH HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OUT THE DOOR EVERY YEAR

Clearly some players weren't willing or able to stick to any plan in the past. And you know exactly who I mean.

Clearly our staff didnt set hard deadlines/guidelines, and clearly our staff also has no history holding anyone other than young troubled players accountable.

AKA not doing their job.

Cleary you don't know anything about the past and are completely guessing. Oh they hold players accountable, but people just then blame the coaches, make up excuses .

its funny that when you realize the excuses made for players and finger pointing to other fake causes are exactly the opposite of holding someone accountable.

[Mikistan]

Clearly some players weren't willing or able to stick to any plan in the past. And you know exactly who I mean.

Clearly our staff didnt set hard deadlines/guidelines, and clearly our staff also has no history holding anyone other than young troubled players accountable.

AKA not doing their job.

Clearly those players weren't doing theirs either. We got a bunch of players who need to be treated like babies and not professionals

Cute, but terms of employment and responsibilities of the position you are hired into are set by the employer.
If I'm given 10 million dollars, the coaching staff cut out pre-game shoot around 1 year ago, and they don't contact me in the summers, wtf do you think im going to do? Banana boat.

[MixxSRC]

Clearly our staff didnt set hard deadlines/guidelines, and clearly our staff also has no history holding anyone other than young troubled players accountable.

AKA not doing their job.

Clearly those players weren't doing theirs either. We got a bunch of players who need to be treated like babies and not professionals

Cute, but terms of employment and responsibilities of the position you are hired into are set by the employer.
If I'm given 10 million dollars, the coaching staff cut out pre-game shoot around 1 year ago, and they don't contact me in the summers, wtf do you think im going to do? Banana boat.

Then you're trash