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James Harden: deceptively athletic... or potbelly sloth with mad foot skills?

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by jocar, Aug 6, 2013.

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RiceRockets Member

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krnxsnoopy said: ↑

That's my reaction too. I rep with 185 (10 reps) before I move onto 2 plates. I could probably do 14 or 15 if I "maxed out". Average joes at the gym work out with 185s, its hard to believe NBA players can't do that much if not more.
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Pretty sure basketball players don't aim to be as bulked up and massive as possible.

#101 RiceRockets, Aug 7, 2013

leebigez Contributing Member

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Ballhandling creates chances. Guys like chris mullin,larry bird and paul pierce used ball handling to get by players. Harden is a good foot athlete,not great,but ball handling is his best attribute.

#102 leebigez, Aug 7, 2013
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Athletes, bodyfat, muscles, strength

Slightly off topic, but try looking at video footage over the years; a lot of the NBA stars seem to fight like sissies.

#103 tburris872, Aug 7, 2013
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Akkuron said: ↑

I'm okay with the bodyfat number. If you look at the way he plays, it all makes sense. You don't often see that high vertical and sprint in action because he would rather beat defenders up and draw the foul. That's also where the 10% body fat comes into play, which is by no means a lot, that's a good 2% into the six-pack territory. His slight extra bulk in combination with his athleticism allows him to jump backwards into Kawhi Leonard, taking away his chance to get into any sort of defensive position, and still make the shot to steal the game from the Spurs after absorbing the impact.

Harden's fine. He's beyond that. I don't need to see that vertical used for reverse windmills or something. A layup and a dunk are the same thing as long as you can convert either one. An and-1 is better than an anklebreaker. The fact that Harden seems to be physically able to show off way more than he does, but chooses not to, makes me appreciate his game even more. He has a very mature approach. As much as I love those crowd igniters, in the long run, Harden's style is more beneficial.

Long story short, I don't need my shooting guard winning dunk contests, I'd trade all the highlights in the world for an extra 1% in TS%. Harden seems to agree.
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Well done.

#104 bobmarley, Aug 7, 2013
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One of the more amusing thread titles I've seen for a while, well done OP.

#105 GBRocket, Aug 7, 2013
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Harden's a lot stronger than the other dudes. He could probably play SF / is a "power SG" (which explains why he can take it to the rack so often)

#106 LCII, Aug 7, 2013
el gnomo Member

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sirbaihu said: ↑

Dude can you bench that 15-20 times? That's pretty strong!
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Not sure about 20x, but I can definitely get 185 15x with no spot. That's not even a lot, and like I said, I don't think I'm stronger than Iggy, thus my surprise at the numbers. If he was only 19 years old like another poster suggested, that might explain it, but 4x is still REALLY weak for a college athlete. The guy in this pic looks like he can bench 225 15+ times...

#107 el gnomo, Aug 7, 2013

el gnomo Member

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While we're here, I just found an old article about Dwight's workout routine. Didn't want to start a new thread, so here it is for anyone interested.

Dwight Howard is as jacked as they come in the NBA. His mamoth shoulders strike fear in the hearts of his opponents as his rebounding and defnsive tenacity are constantly controlling NBA games. Howard has lead the NBA in rebounding and blocked shots each of the past two years and there doesn’t seem to be anyone that can challenge him in the upcoming years. Dwight craves heavy weight but also is constanly doing pushups throughout the day. His preferred lifts are listed below.

Bench Press
Coaching Points: Keep core activated and don’t arch back
Sets/Reps: 1x10, 1x8, 1x6, 1x4, 1x2 (increase weight each set)

Lat Pulldown
Sets/Reps: 2-4x10-12
Coaching Points: This is one of the main rebounding exercises Dwight does. We always like a 1:1 relationship with chest-to-back work.

Leg Press
Sets/Reps: 3-4x6-8
Coaching Points: You’re not putting the back at risk, like other exercises do, such as the squat, [which makes] taller players’ backs go into hyperextension.

The Perfect Push-Up
Instead of doing sets of standard push-ups, he uses some of the more difficult positions with the equipment. Check out his favorites below:

Reverse Grip Push-Up
Perform push-ups with hands rotated on handles, so that palms face forward
Sets/reps: 3x15-20

Squat with Push-Up
From standing position, squat down and place handles on floor in front of you. Kick feet back and assume push-up position. Lower body while rotating hands to face each other; then drive up and rotate hands back to start position. Jump feet to hands and stand up. Repeat.
Sets/reps: 3x15-20

Source: http://magazine.stack.com/TheIssue/Article/5078/Strength_Training_With_Dwight_Howard.aspx
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#108 el gnomo, Aug 7, 2013
el gnomo Member

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http://www.muscleprodigy.com/the-10-most-jacked-nba-basketball-players-arcl-844.html

Cliffs:
Dwight - 345 lbs max
Ben Wallace - 460 lbs max
Joey Graham - 185 lbs 26 reps (combine record) not sure if still standing
Ron Artest - 460 lbs max
Corey Maggette - 460 lbs max
George Hill - 185 lbs 9 reps
Russell Westbrook - 185 lbs 12 reps

These numbers make a lot more sense to me.

#109 el gnomo, Aug 7, 2013
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el gnomo said: ↑

http://www.muscleprodigy.com/the-10-most-jacked-nba-basketball-players-arcl-844.html

Cliffs:
Dwight - 345 lbs max
Ben Wallace - 460 lbs max
Joey Graham - 185 lbs 26 reps (combine record) not sure if still standing
Ron Artest - 460 lbs max
Corey Maggette - 460 lbs max
George Hill - 185 lbs 9 reps
Russell Westbrook - 185 lbs 12 reps

These numbers make a lot more sense to me.
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Typically its harder to move more weight with a bigger wingspan.

#110 Panda23, Aug 7, 2013
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AirBud#10 said: ↑

He is just as fast, and can jump just as high as those other guys, plus he is a lot stronger. I think he is just fine where he is.
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You forgot Air Jordan had 2 or so virtually no fat at all. You have to compare to the best of the game.

#111 daywalker02, Aug 7, 2013
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jayhow92 said: ↑

In what world is 10.1% body fat considered being fat?
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Yea it depends on body type too. For a lot of people its not very healthy to be under 8 or 9% but it will be perfectly fine for others to be around 6 or less.

#112 Gertso, Aug 7, 2013
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Was about to browse bodybuilding.com forums but found this thread instead.

#113 wil55n, Aug 7, 2013

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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Ed6X8ZaHuCM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

"Behold, I see the heavens opened..."

#114 shastarocket, Aug 7, 2013
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If that's not athletic, I don't know what is.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/ln30QAkZX50" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

#115 FaBo, Aug 7, 2013
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10% body fat is hella impressive for an ordinary person but for a basketball guard that is borderline chubby.

For someone to be 6'5 and playing competitive sports at the NBA level it would take a lot of calories to be ticking in at 10+ % body fat.

I'm not the biggest fan of these combine numbers either. They're a good gauge for an athlete's raw physical talent but it doesn't necessarily translate into the game. You can't honestly tell me that you believe Harden's game is comparable in terms of explosiveness to prime Wade.

#116 charles_zed, Aug 7, 2013
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You know, potbelly is actually a pretty cool nickname for an NBA player.

I think we should keep it!

#117 Raven, Aug 7, 2013
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charles_zed said: ↑

10% body fat is hella impressive for an ordinary person but for a basketball guard that is borderline chubby.

For someone to be 6'5 and playing competitive sports at the NBA level it would take a lot of calories to be ticking in at 10+ % body fat.

I'm not the biggest fan of these combine numbers either. They're a good gauge for an athlete's raw physical talent but it doesn't necessarily translate into the game. You can't honestly tell me that you believe Harden's game is comparable in terms of explosiveness to prime Wade.
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So a regular person who is "hella impressive" in terms of fitness is "borderline chubby" playing in the NBA now?

#118 flamingdts, Aug 7, 2013

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Patterned919 said: ↑

I think that big ass beard makes him look chunkier than he is.

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It makes him shrug his shoulders too, apparently.

#119 Yonkers, Aug 7, 2013
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It's not about what you can do, it's about how you look doing it. I'll take Kevin Willis or Michael Olawakandi any day.

#120 Ziggy, Aug 7, 2013

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