So has Kobe and he hasn't been consistently hurt the last two to three years. And I am pretty sure that he is not going to get hurt in the next three. The reason is that he takes care of himself in the offseason, which shows dedication to his career. Unfortunately, TMAC is the complete opposite, thinking that he can still be the player he once was by sitting on his a@@ in the offseason and trying to get in shape a week before the season starts. TMAC doesn't have the heart to be a star player and yet look at his contract and compare it to Kobe's. TMAC-20 million vs Kobe-21 million. Kobe has gotten out of the first round, tmac uhhhhh well were still waiting. People always say, but TMAC is avg like 36 points a game during the playoffs. Yeah but if he doesn't influence his team those 36 points don't count for anything. TMAC really can't be defended anymore.
Clyde Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwon started breaking down around their 12th or 13th year. Barkley started breaking down around his 10th year (even to a point where he was considering retirement in 94 and 95). David Robinson had a major back injury in 1997, his 8th year of his career, and he was never the same after that. Ewing's knees started breaking down pretty early in his career too. Much of Scottie Pippen's game deteriorated in 98 and by 99 and 2000 he was done as an all star. Chris Webber, Penny Hardaway, and Kevin Johnson all had an injury plagued careers. Shaq used to miss 15-30 games annually by his 4th season in the league. Larry Bird, as great a player and hard a worker as he was, had only 9 healthy years in the NBA. He could barely run his last 3 years in the NBA. Grant Hill had 4 years where he couldn't play more than a handful of games, and that was during what was supposed to be his prime years. Look at how often Dwade used to get injured...he's still in his early 20's. Other guys like Jordan, Stockton and Malone, Kareem, Magic Johnson, Reggie Miller, Kobe andLebron, just happen to be more durable than the guys I listed above. Sure hard work helps, but that alone can't prevent it. Sometimes its luck, but most often it just depends on how your body is made up (EVERYBODY is made up differently). Players get worn out over time. You're telling me the guys I listed who started breaking down didn't work hard?? I don't care how talented you are, you don't win 2 scoring titles and put up MVP caliber seasons the way Tmac did from 2000-2007 without working hard. Remember, this guy couldn't get off the bench in Toronto until his last year there. It wasn't by luck or accident that he got this good...just admit that he did put a lot of work into his game, but injuries did prevent him from being great for many years. As far as his body, he does have Scoliosis (an S shaped spine, so I would love to see you guys play NBA ball with a crooked spine and bad knees and an arthritic shoulder...
That video never gets old, and is why Jim Rome forever lacks credibility. It served as a publicity stunt for the newly-formed ESPN2, but backfired, badly damaging Rome's reputation. Chris Evert was, at the time of the interview, winding down her career as one of the all-time female tennis player greats. Jim Everett was an above-average NFL quarterback, I believe then with the LA Rams. Both of them were better in their individual sports than Jim Rome has ever been at anything in his life. By calling Jim "Chris," Rome was insinuating Everett played football like a woman. Har har; overt sexism is hilarious. This video shows why Rome now only kisses up to athletes during the interviews, and waits till afterward to badmouth them. After months of verbally antagonizing Everett for his supposed lack of masculinity, push came to shove, and Rome ended up the one balled up on the floor, helpless, before the entirely justified wrath of "Chrissy" Everett. Even pacifists rooted for Everett to kick *** in this scenario.
