36 Minutes A Game Is Too Much? GMASB!!

[jochhejaam]

I've heard lots of talk about how the Pistons starters, who are averaging about 36 minutes a game, getting burned out by the end of the season? :wtf We're talking about a little over a half an hour of playing basketball, that shouldn't be so strenous on the players that we're talking about late season or post season fades. That's 36 minutes of playing basketball stretched out over a game that takes on average 120 minutes to complete. With that being the case for every minute they actually play they rest 2 1/2 minutes!
If that leaves you petered out at the end of the season get your butt (legs/wind) in shape!

For many of us it isn't/wasn't unusual to play full court pick-up games for a couple hours straight and that was without timeouts.

What do you think?

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

I think you're an idiot if you think pick up ball is anywhere near the level of physicality and endurance that NBA players have to go through every game.

[jochhejaam]

I think you're an idiot if you think pick up ball is anywhere near the level of physicality and endurance that NBA players have to go through every game.
:lol Okay but I was really looking for commentary on the 36 minutes part.

[FreshPrince22]

exactly, Duncan plays 36mpg. That must mean he's going to be worn down the by the end of the season as well correct? I don't get what the difference is in the Spurs having 3 guys that play mid-thirties and the Pistons having 5 guys that play mid-thirties. The thing is, we have no on on our team that is in the top 36 in minutes per game. That's why I don't get the whole "the starters play a lot of minutes thing". Because most teams have 1 or 2 guys that play MORE than ANY of our players.

If these players split up to seperate teams would anyone say a word if they were playing the same exact minutes? No. People just see that they all play that many on the same team and freak out. What people don't realize is that it is very rare to have 5 players in the starting lineup that are THIS good. We don't have role players like a Rasho, Foster, Haslem, etc that other contending teams have in their starting lineup (and I won't even get into the mediocre teams). So we aren't going to have a guy in the starting lineup that doesn't deserve mid-30's in minutes.

[snowboarder]

IF you actually played basketball, you would know....

36 mins is a lot of running nonstop, and it must be harder in the NBA yathink?

u see how much they sweat? does that give u a clue. plus pulling muscles, etc.

reading your post cracked me up :lol

[Rummpd]

Wilt Chamberlain at the age of 33 played every minute of a full season - it all depends on the athlete. I see no problem with R. Hamilton or Billups or Prince playing big minutes but with the banging Rasheed and esp Ben take it might be worth them taking a break.

[jochhejaam]

36 mins is a lot of running nonstop, and it must be harder in the NBA yathink?u see how much they sweat? does that give u a clue. plus pulling muscles, etc.

Nonstop? Hmmm, can't really remember the last NBA game that ended after 48 minutes.
No one stated that it's not "harder" in the NBA, the point is (and it's no surprise to me that you read the post and totally missed it :lol ) is that 36 minutes should not be considered an overtaxing amount of time for an NBA player to be expected to play without "tiring" out at the end of games of the end of a season. Shaq's one of the biggest players in the game and he averaged 38 minutes a game in his first 12 years in the league. Kevin Garnett nearly 40 over his last 9 years, K Malone over 37 mpg, Charles Barkley 37 mpg, Moses Malone over 37 mpg over a 13 year stretch, (Edit) Antoine Walker and Tim Duncan both 38+ mpg.and these weren't the "little" guys (like AI 41 mpg) that can run forever.


So no, 36 mpg should not be considered excessive as some have suggested.

[FreshPrince22]

Wilt Chamberlain at the age of 33 played every minute of a full season - it all depends on the athlete. I see no problem with R. Hamilton or Billups or Prince playing big minutes but with the banging Rasheed and esp Ben take it might be worth them taking a break.

Sheed only plays 34mpg. Not that much for an all-star calibur PF. And he does about as much "Banging" offensively as Ray Allen. Very little. Defensively is another story, but still. He gets plenty of rest. As for Ben.. he plays 36mpg, but you have to consider that he didn't play much in his first few years in the league (unlike franchise players like Duncan who start their career playing a huge role). This is only his 6th year playing starter minutes, and he is in probably the best shape of anyone in the league.

[z0sa]

I think you're just a Pistons homer, to be honest. The Pistons don't just hang around on D and under Flip, not on offense either now. They run and play d well and thats alot of extra energy they have to expel compared to other teams that have slower games and no defense.

Just remember its a long season.

[JMarkJohns]

Only player I'd worry about is Hamilton, namely because of his size, not athletic ability. Same reasons with nash apply to Hamilton. Smallish guard that does nothing but run and get hit offensively, then get screened on defense. It can take it's toll.

35 minutes isn't that bad, though. I'd try and keep it to 32 or fewer, but for a 27/28 year old, it can't be all that bad.

[FreshPrince22]

I think you're just a Pistons homer, to be honest. The Pistons don't just hang around on D and under Flip, not on offense either now. They run and play d well and thats alot of extra energy they have to expel compared to other teams that have slower games and no defense.

Just remember its a long season.

We have the 4th least possessions per game of any team in the league. Just because we score a lot more doesn't mean we "run" more. We actually average less possessions than last year. The offense is just very effecient. Very low turnovers and lots of wide open shots. In fact, we only average 11.2 TO per game. That is actually 0.9 TO less per game than the all time record set of 12.1 TOpg. That's pretty impressive considering we have a new coach with a very thick and complex playbook.

And no, we don't expel nearly as much energy on defense as we used to. We don't have to defend on an every possession basis in these regular season games because we can compensate with more offense. Last year we tried to play this way (which is why we had a bad record to start the season at 12-12), but the offense wasn't there for it to work. This year, it is.

[Sense]

Fatigue always sets in, in all NBA players.

if the Pistons aren't used to that, especially this year...

it could hurt them.

[ahb]

:lol :drunk

Pull the wool over their eyes...

:devil :jack

[sickdsm]

I've tried to tell you, check Flips track record. He abused KG's minutes and nagging injuries for years.

LMAO at pistons not having enough when it matters.

"but we DID beat our last four opponents in the month of jan by 40" Or something equally meaningless.

[MrChug]

I think the issue has less to do with minutes they are playing now. There are 2 realities when it comes to a situation like a team like the Detroit Pistons is currently in. #1. As the season goes on playing so many minutes highly increases the likeliness of injury. #2. In the event of injury OR foul trouble in the playoffs, the bench has NOT proven to be exactly dominant. Therefore, when it counts-the playoffs-they may be at a significant disadvantage to a team like the Spurs. :hat

[FreshPrince22]

I've tried to tell you, check Flips track record. He abused KG's minutes and nagging injuries for years.

LMAO at pistons not having enough when it matters.

"but we DID beat our last four opponents in the month of jan by 40" Or something equally meaningless.

The simple fact is that our starters are playing less minutes overall than last year under Larry Brown, so your post isn't very relevant. We don't have KG.

[FreshPrince22]

In the event of injury OR foul trouble in the playoffs, the bench has NOT proven to be exactly dominant. Therefore, when it counts-the playoffs-they may be at a significant disadvantage to a team like the Spurs. :hat

Yea, and the Spurs bench has been "dominant" :rolleyes

[sickdsm]

The simple fact is that our starters are playing less minutes overall than last year under Larry Brown, so your post isn't very relevant. We don't have KG.


Yeah, i forget that when it mattered the Pistons stepped it up and failed expectiations of an intact defending champions also.

How old is your starting frontcourt? How deep are you there? That's what i thought.

Funny you bring KG into it though. Your right in the fact that you don't have kg, a durable, always there and ready to go player with the past history of never getting injured. Funny how an overdose of minutes does that to a players season/carreers.

Flips a Michael Bennet in an Kenyan marathon.

[Marklar MM]

Yeah, i forget that when it mattered the Pistons stepped it up and failed expectiations of an intact defending champions also.

How old is your starting frontcourt? How deep are you there? That's what i thought.

Funny you bring KG into it though. Your right in the fact that you don't have kg, a durable, always there and ready to go player with the past history of never getting injured. Funny how an overdose of minutes does that to a players season/carreers.

Flips a Michael Bennet in an Kenyan marathon.

So Ben is not considered a durable, always there and ready to go player?

[Sense]

Yea, and the Spurs bench has been "dominant" :rolleyes


Well right now we have Van Exel, Ginobili, Nazr, Barry, and Horry on the bench...



Nothing in the Detroit bench can compare to that starting lineup *cough* i mean bench.

[Sense]

So Ben is not considered a durable, always there and ready to go player?

He missed some games last year didn't he?

The game he came back you guys lost to the Spurs.

[ahb]

I don't remember Ben Wallace missing any games due to injury, although he might have missed one or two following an emergency appendectomy. He missed a few following the death of his brother and some more due to an NBA suspension following the brawl.

He did have the occasional bumps, bruises, cuts, and sprained ankles, and had bone spurs in his feet which notably affected his effectiveness for the latter half of the season and the playoffs. But he played through the pain. That's what Detroit's players usually do.

As for the Spurs' bench, I see Manu Ginobili (an all-star) and Nazr Mohammed (a serviceable player but by no means a good one), occasionally Horry, and the fossilized remains of Nick Van Exel and Brent Barry. That's really nothing special, and in my opinion it's not notably better than Detroit's bench.

[FreshPrince22]

Well right now we have Van Exel, Ginobili, Nazr, Barry, and Horry on the bench...



Nothing in the Detroit bench can compare to that starting lineup *cough* i mean bench.

Funny, All I see is names. It has yet to materialize into anything that impressive on the court.

And Manu isn't a bench player. Finley is. Manu is just coming off the bench so they can work him back from the injury. Van Exel, Barry, and Finley have been big dissapointments so far. None of them play any defense. Van Exel has turned into a bad shot machine. Barry is/was/always will be a non-factor. Finley has shown flashes, but is far from consistant in his smaller role. He has a history of playoff choke jobs anyways.

And let me remind you of Finley's history against Tayshaun. The last 3 years (5 games) he has averaged 35mpg and 8ppg on 24% shooting (11 of 45 from the field). Tayshaun owns him.

People are just so caught up with big names. We just have guys that come in and provide energy. And if his double double off the bench on Christmas day didn't remind you, we've still got Dice. The best bench player on either team (once Manu gets back to starting).

[DisgruntledLionFan#54,927]

Bowen, TP and TD all average about the same number of minutes as Tay, CB and Sheed. Manu's been hurt and the Spurs lack a don't really have a starting 5...

It's a wash...

[JamStone]

Fatigue always sets in, in all NBA players.

if the Pistons aren't used to that, especially this year...

it could hurt them.


Fatigue is definitely a concern for the Pistons five starters. As it is with 70% of NBA starters who play 32 mpg. This Pistons team IS used to fatigue. They've played at least 99 games in each of the last three seasons. They've played in four seven-game playoff series that went the tilt. Last year, they had an even thinner bench than they do this year. They know about fatigue. And, despite that, the Pistons found themselves in game 7 of the NBA finals. Most NBA starters will deal with fatigue at some point in the season. They still got to buckle down and perform and produce.

I wonder why this is such an issue fans from other teams bring up with the Pistons, this fatigue factor the Pistons starters will go through. The Pistons starters all play around 35 mpg. Tim Duncan and Tony Parker both play about 35 mpg. Kobe Bryant, LeBron, and Allen Iverson all play over 40 mpg, and superstars have done so year in and year out. Is there some sort of "fatigue immunity" for superstar basketball players who average 25 ppg?? Is there a pill? In fact, fatigue should be much more of a concern for teams who heavily rely on the production of one or two players who play near 40 mpg than it is with a balanced team like the Pistons. Should Kobe or Iverson or LeBron feel the effects of fatigue, their respective teams are screwed. So, scrub or role players who play 15-20 mpg on those teams are supposed to step it up as opposed to four other quality starters that play 35 mpg??

The whole fatigue thing with the Pistons starters doesn't make much sense.



I've tried to tell you, check Flips track record. He abused KG's minutes and nagging injuries for years.


After all your criticisms of Flip Saunders and how he abused Kevin Garnett's minutes, KG's minutes this year (39.4 mpg) ARE NOT DOWN. Start your Dwayne Casey rants now.



They run and play d well and thats alot of extra energy they have to expel compared to other teams that have slower games and no defense.


z0sa, it's "EXPEND" energy, not "EXPEL" energy. You're not ostracizing it.

[Sense]

Fatigue is definitely a concern for the Pistons five starters. As it is with 70% of NBA starters who play 32 mpg. This Pistons team IS used to fatigue. They've played at least 99 games in each of the last three seasons. They've played in four seven-game playoff series that went the tilt. Last year, they had an even thinner bench than they do this year. They know about fatigue. And, despite that, the Pistons found themselves in game 7 of the NBA finals. Most NBA starters will deal with fatigue at some point in the season. They still got to buckle down and perform and produce.

I wonder why this is such an issue fans from other teams bring up with the Pistons, this fatigue factor the Pistons starters will go through. The Pistons starters all play around 35 mpg. Tim Duncan and Tony Parker both play about 35 mpg. Kobe Bryant, LeBron, and Allen Iverson all play over 40 mpg, and superstars have done so year in and year out. Is there some sort of "fatigue immunity" for superstar basketball players who average 25 ppg?? Is there a pill? In fact, fatigue should be much more of a concern for teams who heavily rely on the production of one or two players who play near 40 mpg than it is with a balanced team like the Pistons. Should Kobe or Iverson or LeBron feel the effects of fatigue, their respective teams are screwed. So, scrub or role players who play 15-20 mpg on those teams are supposed to step it up as opposed to four other quality starters that play 35 mpg??



The Pistons have gone to the finals twice in the last 2 seasons, and only once did they meet defense in there.

The Lakers were WAY too fatigued in your series, and in the Spurs series it seemed the same, but apparently they didn't keep up even after the Spurs ran with the Suns.

Fatigue should be a factor knowing how tough the playoffs can get against good teams.


And that's why the Pistons have problems in the last 2 finals runs.

The Spurs never had a 7 game series in the past 2 season, including .4.

The Pistons had 2 I believe, or 1.

Fatigue will be a big factor once again in the playoffs for the Pistons and I'll stay with that prediction.