Anyone else find it kind of shocking to see the body transformations Vessell and Wemby had over the summer? We've all heard rumors about LeBron doping with EPO (human growth hormone) for years, and there have been some sarcastic remarks about Keldon's bulking up, but I never took that stuff very seriously. Now I'm starting to wonder.
I've been an avid cyclist for decades, and have a pretty good level of familiarity with the effects of EPO for endurance athletes. It doesn't work the same as anabolic steroids in helping people add bulk, but it does increase endurance through adding red blood cells to the body. This can be used to help athletes looking to add muscle through allowing them to increase the frequency, intensity, and length of weight training sessions.
All that said, I've always been a little agnostic about the use of EPO in sports. It's a drug that has a lot of actual medical benefits, and in the case of some sporting events like the Tour de France, a case can be made that athletes need more red blood cells just to complete what is an absolutely superhuman feat of endurance. That said, I did worry a little when Wemby started talking about all of the biometric testing he and the Spurs did this summer and how that led to his 15 lbs of increased muscle mass. For an ectomorph like Wemby, putting on that kind of muscle at his age should be incredibly difficult -- especially in such a short period of time. Ditto for Vessell, who looks absolutely yoked. I'm even more su ious about it when they talk about doing 6 to 7 open gym workshops between summer league and the start of training camp (plus we know Vessell was in Spain working out with Durant -- Spain btw is a hot bed of PEDs in Europe, at least for cycling). Those guys should have been burning tons of calories doing all of those open gym runs.
There was an era in cycling when blood doping was literally managed by teams, who had everything down to a very precise science. Again, I think a case could be made that this should be totally kosher in professional sports, especially if there are valid medical reasons for athletes taking EPO to help recover from or avoid injuries. I could even be persuaded that a doctor recommended and supervised EPO regimen for ectomorphs that need to add muscle to compete in certain sporting events should be allowed, assuming that it's a temporary and not long-term program. All that said -- I'm not so sure how I would feel if it turned out our guys are deliberately cheating with the indirect or direct help of the Spurs medical staff, especially in the absence of a valid medical reason beyond improved performance.
Anyway, I was prompted to start this thread once I read into the NBA's almost comically insufficient PED testing program. Guys can only be tested 4 times in a season? That's insane. You wouldn't even be able to establish a hematocrit baseline with such a small number of tests. Curious to hear others thoughts on this.
Don’t you think that’s too risky for a top-notched organization like the Spurs, who’s highly respected around the league, teams trying to emulate, but for sure looked with envy for some, to put themselves in that risk? All eyes on Wemby as it is then that? Under Pop?? Nah man
Last edited by John B; 10-07-2023 at 10:17 AM.
Honestly who in cares. PEDs shouldnt be against the rules imo
Those drugs should definitely be banned. Not only for the health detriments to those who use them, and even aside from compe ive advantages, but because everything professionals do trickles down to the larger population. Kids using PEDs to gain an advantage is an awful situation.
That said, I'm not sure gaining strength and mass isn't impossible for those who concentrate on it full time. We see actors do this for roles, too. It's not like Vassell came from nowhere this summer, he was working on this for a long time.
Off-season is the time athletes can concentrate on adding bulk. Not really too big a surprise when some actually do it.
op the way u can spot natural vs hgh bulking is by viewing the jaw line.........dwade & lebrons jaw grew 5 sizes bigger after hgh use........
They're young, Vassell and Wemby as well as Johnson, so bulking up, with the nutritional/physical team around them, shouldn't be much work for those young bucks to do.
Yeah, that's why I've always dismissed the possibility. But then I saw a few articles where players and coaches like George Karl have suggested doping is rampant in the NBA. Just made me wonder more than anything.
NBA is not going to mess with this everybody know Lebron is juicing no way a 40 year old guy could have that much muscle mass to match the endurance to play 60+ NBA games. Also the doping is so sophisticated I am sure the NBA does not have as rigorous doping test such as USADA though I could be wrong.
As far as Keldon and Vassell you would be amazed with the right diet with a good workout how much mass you could put on. Just by taking Creatinine and the right Protein shakes I used to be able to bulk up pretty quickly when I was their age.
If it means les I'll inject silverback gorilla testosterone directly into Wemby and Vassel peeholes tbh
I don't think there is a single team in the NBA that is running a PED program. NBA teams don't need to win games to make a lot of money and it would be very difficult to do it without being caught with all the roster moves a team is doing each year. It's a low reward with a high risk of being caught situation.
If players are taking PEDs, I think they do it during the summer when they are working out together outside teams supervision.
Absolutely when seeing pic of Vassell.
Have not seen Wemby yet.
Absolutely think pro athletes will cheat.
Ex Balco dude who roided up Cheatin Barry Bonds said the cheaters are always 5 steps ahead of the testing.
Q. Can EPO be used for bedroom production?
I bulked up much more without creatine or anything in the same time span. It’s far from shocking.
Exactly.
Op should stick to cycling
I’m on winny right now. It is great. Vassel is a real athlete though, doubt he is juicing.
When millions of dollars are on the line athletes will cheat and it's naive to think otherwise but there's no proof anyone here is doing that.
Go back and look at vassell last year. He was already big.
Oh, and doping doesn’t make you big, it increases your oxygen carrying ability, so your endurance increases.
PEDs should be legal in sports tbh
that . What's wrong with people? Lol, we have such a ed up society that this kind of opinion seems reasonable. What the .
I assumed that all professional athletes dope in some way shape or form. All the supplemental pills they take and the “protein” they use is all well known. I mean the NBA is a tv show. Athletes have 100s of millions of dollars on the line to cheat. Why wouldn’t they? I mean Lebron for instance had a time where he literally couldn’t dunk the ball, took a 2 week vacation to Miami, the city of PEDs and bam all of a sudden is above the rim again. Kobe got like goat blood injected in his knee or some . Same with Dirk. They all do stuff and SA would be no different.
Pop doesn’t preach it I’m sure. But the players usually know a guy who knows a guy…
Doping is adding extra red blood cells to your circulatory system to enhance oxygen processing, increasing speed and endurance. It’s not the same thing as PEDs.
Eh when people say doping they're referring to PEDs
I would expect older players to do it to extend their careers, and reclaim their youth. Bruh we got like 20 year old kids. They lift all day and more and still won’t get tired. They don’t need that .
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