From Bowie, to Oden, to Embiid

[CavaliersFTW]

You've got a guy who actually toughed out his injuries and had a solid if unspectacular career of several years.

Then you get Oden, plays a fraction of a season and attempts a come back many years later but can't seem to do more than a few NBA minutes every few games without lots of swelling on the knees. Now he's disappeared again.

Now we've got Embiid. Hasn't even play a single NBA minute. Will we EVER see this guy play?

WTF is going on with talented big man prospects :(

[Rocketswin2013]

All clearly too big for their joints and bones to handle. Makes Shaq and Wilt that much more impressive.

[DukeDelonte13]

Embiid's navicular stress fracture wasn't even discovered until his work out and physical with the cavs.

He probably played on it while at Kansas.

[chips93]

people have said that his diet was terrible back in cameroon, and that he still wasnt eating well while in college, which might ave contributed to his bones being weak.

its very sad, he has as much talent as any young big man in the league

[ISHGoat]

Very unfortunate string of events. When next to okafor, this guy looks absolutely huge.

[FKAri]

Human body is resilient but it isn't designed to be jumping up and down for 2 hours on a 7 foot frame. They all get injured, its a matter of how long they can play before they break down.

[CavaliersFTW]

Human body is resilient but it isn't designed to be jumping up and down for 2 hours on a 7 foot frame. They all get injured, its a matter of how long they can play before they break down.
WTF is up with guys like Gilmore, Jabbar, Wilt and Shaq then, seriously.

Are those guys freaks of nature not just in athleticism, but also durability? It really does seem like we keep getting robbed of 7 footer prospects the past 10-15 years.

[IncarceratedBob]

Maybe it's a black thing? Kanter is just as talented as any of those guys at least offensively and is healthy no problem. The Gasol Brothers are way better than those 3 and are also healthy.

[FKAri]

WTF is up with guys like Gilmore, Jabbar, Wilt and Shaq then, seriously.

Are those guys freaks of nature not just in athleticism, but also durability? It really does seem like we keep getting robbed of 7 footer prospects the past 10-15 years.

Shaq did break down. The other guys played in an era where putting on mass wasn't a priority.

[PP34Deuce]

I don't know about Bowie but Oden didn't take his rehab serious.

It was publicly known Oden was partying and hitting strip clubs with his millions . He still got another 7 plus million a year contract.

Embiid has natural ability and that's the scary part. The other scary part is he strikes me as the type to eat bad and not really work on his craft.

this is what happens when you place 7 foot athletes on a pedestal. Embiid could get cut right now and some team will pay him 7-8 million because of his size and what he could potentially do.

[T_L_P]

http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/showpost.php?p=10180893&postcount=27


I think Noel will stay healthy. I don't see the same for Embiid. I think he knows his body won't allow him a viable career. He just wants to make some money before it's all over

I wrote this a year ago and it looks truer every day, which fcking sucks because Embiid had ATG potential. :cry:

Edit: I wasn't trying to say he's swindling his team. He obviously wants to be out there, but it seemed like ugly fate from day one that he''d face huge setbacks in his career.

[kunk75]

i miss the days when guys like glenn robinson dropped 30 a game in college. now they draft guys on wingspan and potential after they put up pedestrian stats for 35 college games.


I don't know about Bowie but Oden didn't take his rehab serious.

It was publicly known Oden was partying and hitting strip clubs with his millions . He still got another 7 plus million a year contract.

Embiid has natural ability and that's the scary part. The other scary part is he strikes me as the type to eat bad and not really work on his craft.

this is what happens when you place 7 foot athletes on a pedestal. Embiid could get cut right now and some team will pay him 7-8 million because of his size and what he could potentially do.

[christian1923]

Just another terrible front office decision by Philly

[Lebron23]

Just another terrible front office decision by Philly


At least they drafted Jahlil Okafor.

[CarlosBoozer]

Maybe it's a black thing? Kanter is just as talented as any of those guys at least offensively and is healthy no problem. The Gasol Brothers are way better than those 3 and are also healthy.
Kanter ain't a 7'0 footer

[notatop29pg]

Just another terrible front office decision by Philly

All part of their master plan.

Now they can tank for a further 5 years and say that if it wasn't for freakish injuries to Embiid they'd be perennial contenders.

Well played Philly.

[CavaliersFTW]

Maybe it's a black thing? Kanter is just as talented as any of those guys at least offensively and is healthy no problem. The Gasol Brothers are way better than those 3 and are also healthy.
Well it happened to Yao and Walton too. Also Kanter is like 6-9 not quite a 7 footer if that makes a difference.

[midatlantic09]

people have said that his diet was terrible back in cameroon, and that he still wasnt eating well while in college, which might ave contributed to his bones being weak.

its very sad, he has as much talent as any young big man in the league

I've thought this as well. He doesn't seem like the kind of guy who is serious about his nutrition and doing whatever it takes to be in the best possible condition. He seems like a "grab some hot wings, fries, and a soda" kind of guy rather than a "lean chicken breast with veggies and a protein shake before bed" kind of guy.

[kunk75]

I've thought this as well. He doesn't seem like the kind of guy who is serious about his nutrition and doing whatever it takes to be in the best possible condition. He seems like a "grab some hot wings, fries, and a soda" kind of guy rather than a "lean chicken breast with veggies and a protein shake before bed" kind of guy.

if anything he could use some complex carbs and a good lean bulk so he stops breaking like dry pinewood

[midatlantic09]

if anything he could use some complex carbs and a good lean bulk so he stops breaking like dry pinewood

You realize he got up to 280-290, right?

[kunk75]

^lean bulk, not garbage bulk of dollar menu items. a calorie is not a calorie. i'm 230 at 6.5% body fat, my friend is 230 at 24% body fat, we look a whole lot different.

[julizaver]

You've got a guy who actually toughed out his injuries and had a solid if unspectacular career of several years.

Then you get Oden, plays a fraction of a season and attempts a come back many years later but can't seem to do more than a few NBA minutes every few games without lots of swelling on the knees. Now he's disappeared again.

Now we've got Embiid. Hasn't even play a single NBA minute. Will we EVER see this guy play?

WTF is going on with talented big man prospects :(

Al Pacino said it best to buddy in a bar in the Any Given Sunday movie:

The players now have better looking bodies, more muscles, but they are fragile as glass (or something like that) .

[Jailblazers7]

Just another terrible front office decision by Philly

I don't think it's really that bad now that we've drafted Okafor. Him and Noel should fit together very well and if Noel can play then we are golden. Plus we will have like 3-4 first rounders next year + Saric coming from overseas and now we have Stauskus + the rest of the awesome Kings deal. It's not like Noel's injury is totally derailing the future.

[midatlantic09]

^lean bulk, not garbage bulk of dollar menu items. a calorie is not a calorie. i'm 230 at 6.5% body fat, my friend is 230 at 24% body fat, we look a whole lot different.

Why would he go on a bulk? He's already lean at 7'0 260 currently, but was up to 280-290. Embiid isn't a fat guy and probably has a 7% bodyfat.

[PP34Deuce]

Why would he go on a bulk? He's already lean at 7'0 260 currently, but was up to 280-290. Embiid isn't a fat guy and probably has a 7% bodyfat.

he's not Eddy Curry... He's following a path similar to Greg Oden.

at least eddie showed in the league he could be a 20PPG scorer with bad defense.

Embiid just has the body and measurables with natural skill.

[GOBB]

Just another terrible front office decision by Philly

You're a NYK fan. You are used to terrible front office decisions. :roll:

[christian1923]

You're a NYK fan. You are used to terrible front office decisions. :roll:
Lol does that make you feel better about drafting a guy who everyone knew was damaged goods?

[GOBB]

Lol does that make you feel better about drafting a guy who everyone knew was damaged goods?

Makes me feel better than we took Okafor which NYK wanted. Yanno one pick before your team pick despite NYK losing all those games. :oldlol:

[aj1987]

WTF is up with guys like Gilmore, Jabbar, Wilt and Shaq then, seriously.

Are those guys freaks of nature not just in athleticism, but also durability? It really does seem like we keep getting robbed of 7 footer prospects the past 10-15 years.
Yeah, they're freaks of nature. Wilt included. Shaq was playing at a massive size later in his career. 370, if I'm not mistaken, when he was with the Suns. He broke down at that size COMPLETELY. He always had injuries throughout his career though.

People who are that big are prone to injuries when they play as many minutes and as hard. Some are exceptions (like Shaq, Wilt, etc.).

[Clifton]

I'm starting to have a theory that if a guy is a big 7' tall center... stay away. Don't invest anything important into him. They almost all either disappoint or spend their whole careers injured.

Big man = dashed hopes. Never mind the obvious ones... (Bynum, Oden, Yao, etc etc). What about Dwight Howard on the Lakers and the Rockets? What about Bynum on the *Lakers*?? What about Hibbert on the Pacers?

And look at what the Warriors did with their top 5 center sitting on the bench the entire series. I think after 10 years of terrible centers making 7 figures annually to be injured their whole careers, the position of center has come to a quiet end.

[christian1923]

Makes me feel better than we took Okafor which NYK wanted. Yanno one pick before your team pick despite NYK losing all those games. :oldlol:
Good for you, he's gonna be great. He'll bring in nice haul when yall trade him

[GOBB]

Good for you, he's gonna be great. He'll bring in nice haul when yall trade him

Okafor > Porz

[julizaver]

Yeah, they're freaks of nature. Wilt included. Shaq was playing at a massive size later in his career. 370, if I'm not mistaken, when he was with the Suns. He broke down at that size COMPLETELY. He always had injuries throughout his career though.

People who are that big are prone to injuries when they play as many minutes and as hard. Some are exceptions (like Shaq, Wilt, etc.).

Yes, Shaq missed around 300 games in his 19 seasons and in a interview after retiring he regreted about it.
He really should take more care about his 7 foot body. 360 pounds is too much for 7 foot tall basketball player. He should stay around 320 - 330 pounds (while he would be best at 310-315) instead of ariving constantly overweight in the preseason. His best rebounding and shotblocking year was his rookey season, where he was at his lightest - around 300.