Luka refused to 'get in shape' and got traded
But he probably made the right decision. And now i'll explain why.
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Today’s post is for you basketball fans out there.
I used to be a huge fan of basketball when i was in high school growing up in New York. I was a Knicks fan and those were the days of Patrick Ewing, John Starks and Charles Oakley.
But as ive mainly lived overseas i haven’t followed it as much in recent years.
That being said, one guy that got me a bit excited again about basketball recently is Luka Doncic.
I just love that he is very far from having perfect structure yet he is such a dominating and exciting player to watch.
Kind of like the anti-Micheal Jordan. Haha
The controversial trade
Just recently Luka was traded from the Mavericks to the Lakers and it was a very controversial trade that has been all over the media the past weeks.
The Dallas Mavericks traded their franchise star, Luka Dončić, along with Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris, to the Los Angeles Lakers. In return, the Mavericks received Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round draft pick.
The decision drew heavy criticism from Mavericks fans and media, especially considering the team's recent appearance in the 2024 NBA Finals.
Mavericks General Manager Nico Harrison defended the move, stating, "I believe that defense wins championships," highlighting Davis's defensive prowess as a key factor in the trade. Whereas Luka is not known for his defense or his athletic prowess.
Luka’s conditioning was given as one reason for the trade
Basically reports indicated that the Mavericks were unhappy with Dončić's diet and conditioning regimen, fearing that his poor fitness could lead to future injuries.
They wanted him to do more fitness and eat less so that he would drop the weight.
And he seemed less concerned about this.
His performance, after all, did not seem to be impacted.
And now that he is on the Lakers he is doing awesome. The Lakers seem like the team to beat this season with him and Lebron James showing great signs of synergy early on.
I don’t agree that Luka should have done that conditioning
The assumption behind the Mavericks wanting Luka to be in better shape was that this would improve his performance on the court.
But would it?
Let’s challenge that theory for a second.
He is already clearly compensating to some extent. All you need to do is look at his body and see that it is clearly not the shape you would expect from one of the NBA’s best guards.
And so if you force a guy like that to do a lot more conditioning.. what happens?
Answer: he compensates faster!
And what happens when a person who is one of the NBA’s best shooters starts compensating more?
Answer: he shoots a lot less accurately.
Why? Because the whole skeleton is twisting. His legs, his arms, etc.
And when you shoot a basketball from 24+ feet out hoping to get it in a small hoop that is 18 inches in diameter… you want to retain as much symmetry as you can.
In my view the best thing Luka can do is refrain from all of the extra conditioning.
Well no, let me correct that.
The best thing Luka can do is wear a Reviv to sleep.
And as much as he can during the day.
But assuming that is not an option than he should refrain from training too much.
Closing thoughts
Society thinks that losing weight and training more are the ingredients to better sports performance.
I, on the otherhand, completely disagree.
The example I gave in this earlier article of kicking the butts of my wife and all her friends in padel is a good example of it.
She and her friends play a couple times a week for months. I had done pretty much no exercise for over four years and had never played padel.
I got on the court and obliterated them. Showing better quickness and flexibility then all of them… despite being much bigger and 5+ years older.
I’ve played a few more times with them since then and now they don’t invite me. Because i just destroy them. Hehehehe
Luka did exactly the right thing in not forcing himself to blindly lose more weight and do more exercise.
Maybe he was just feeling what his body needed?
Or maybe he just enjoys those In-N-Out burgers too much :)
Either way… I stand by you Luka!!! :)