NBA Implements HGH test for 14/15. Lebron and Melo lose around 30Lbs immediately

[ChrisE]

Never fear, the media would be all over it if there was PED use in sports, according to the clown from up north.

 

[SeriousSam]

Usain Bolt is a freak of nature as well, but he's full of steroids and other drugs, as is LeBron.

It honestly blows my mind that some people actually believe he hasn't touched PEDs because he's such a "freak of nature".

 

[D-Queued]

That isn't some universal truism, it's an opinion that happens to not be true. One doesn't "become" a freak of nature. The reference denotes one is born with gifts rare even among other athletic outliers.

Lebron was playing professional basketball at the age of 18 against grown men and dominating.

Steroids had nothing to do with that.

Can I suggest that you might be overlooking the obvious?

Just asking.

Dave.

 

[Dear Wiggo]

so because Americans don't care about PED usage it doesn't exist?

That's certainly how it reads.... and is the single most mind boggling thing I will read in a while.

 

[hrotha]

But if that's what Berzin means, why go out of his way to point out how "credible" (lol) those NBA star players are? So confusing.

 

[sittingbison]

That's certainly how it reads.... and is the single most mind boggling thing I will read in a while.

I'm calling complete BS

Your mind was officially boggled only yesterday

...My mind is officially boggled.

 

[ChrisE]

Hi SB. I thought I smelled a mod, as well as losing my eyesight, on the LA thread.

 

[Dear Wiggo]

I'm calling complete BS

Your mind was officially boggled only yesterday

Ok ok. Got me.

 

[MarkvW]

The NBA is "where amazing happens." Totally naturally of course. For all of you people who don't believe in "freaks of nature," I'm sorry you don't believe in miracles.

 

[Oldman]

The NBA is "where amazing happens." Totally naturally of course. For all of you people who don't believe in "freaks of nature," I'm sorry you don't believe in miracles.

Whataya mean? You oughta see the Unicorn roundup over on the Horner thread. Yeehaw!

 

[Red Rick]

Carmelo Anthony needed to lose weight because he was not in very good shape. Losing a couple of pounds of fat isn't indicative of previous PED use.

James needed to lose weight because he was just too big, and the constant demands of having to carry his team night in and night out took its toll. He will have a different role this year, so the weight loss will come in handy. And it wasn't 40 pounds.

I know quite a few Clinicians think every professional athlete in every sport is on a PED regimen, but the fact that the average US sports fan doesn't care much about PED's tells you that cycling is one of the few sports where everyone gets to accuse any rider of doping without knowing anything and is considered legitimate.

Lebron James has been a freak of nature since he was born. He was diesel since high school, and just kept getting bigger the more he worked out. If he took the amount of steroids necessary to get as big as he was, his tendons and ligaments would have all snapped by now.

The average US sports fan just does not care one way or another, and that is reflected (baseball aside) in the penalties.

Only cycling has such a draconian penalty system in place for dopers, one that I've never agreed with. First offense should be 6 months, second a year, third two years.

If the average US sports fan did not care, why the hell did their hero Lance get such a ****storm when he finally confessed? The average sports fan would care about doping if they weren't to stupid to realise doping is all over the place.

"Nah man, doping is only for cyclists"

 

[Red Rick]

As for can139 , you are sadly misinformed about the Clinic. If you really want to understand doping in Sport go on the WADA, CCES, USADA and CAS websites. Read some CCES, USADA and CAS cases. Read some of the better books by former dopers. Read some of the research literature about various PEDS. Then you may learn something about doping. In the Clinic all you will learn is cynicism, negativity and how to make a clever but meaningless retort!

Disagree, there's plenty of posters in the clinic who provide good and knowledgable discussion about anything ranging from suspected athletes to physiology.

The only reason people are cynical is because,

a) doping testing in basically any sport but cycling is a joke
b) when theres money involved, there's probably doping as well.

 

[robertmooreheadlane]

Lebron was playing professional basketball at the age of 18 against grown men and dominating.

Steroids had nothing to do with that.[/QUOTE]

Did you not read my statement that this stuff is now starting in highschool to create the freaks of nature to ensure they get into the right college and therefore a pro contract worth millions.

There will be people suing their high school team coaches for suggesting what they should be taking once all the medical issues finally come to light for these athletes on untested drugs.

Or worse lebron will fall down dead one day from all the overloaded stress his heart is under. Which we all hope never happens to any athlete but does far too often.

 

[D-Queued]

Lebron was playing professional basketball at the age of 18 against grown men and dominating.

Steroids had nothing to do with that.

Did you not read my statement that this stuff is now starting in highschool to create the freaks of nature to ensure they get into the right college and therefore a pro contract worth millions.

There will be people suing their high school team coaches for suggesting what they should be taking once all the medical issues finally come to light for these athletes on untested drugs.

Or worse lebron will fall down dead one day from all the overloaded stress his heart is under. Which we all hope never happens to any athlete but does far too often.

Don't now about Berzin, but I read it.

My biggest argument with your statement is with the words "now starting".

This has gone on for at least a decade. Probably longer. And with HGH as well.

I may have a minor concern with the idea that the kids and their parents are not often knowledgeable or even complicit.

Dave.

 

[Oldman]

Don't now about Berzin, but I read it.

My biggest argument with your statement is with the words "now starting".

This has gone on for at least a decade. Probably longer. And with HGH as well.

I may have a minor concern with the idea that the kids and their parents are not often knowledgeable or even complicit.

Dave.

I believe the FDA and Justice Dept consider it a near epidemic trend. When the legal wing of Govmint gets involved it has been a problem for awhile.

 

[DirtyWorks]

Did you not read my statement that this stuff is now starting in highschool to create the freaks of nature to ensure they get into the right college and therefore a pro contract worth millions.

There will be people suing their high school team coaches for suggesting what they should be taking once all the medical issues finally come to light for these athletes on untested drugs.

The NCAA's permissive policies regarding PED's will come to light eventually. It's only a matter of time. Unfortunately, I think many college sports supporters will do their level best to protect the doping.

I've never examined the federation that sets rules for High School sport. There could be some interesting things going on there.

 

[Briant_Gumble]

7 footers existed in the NBA long before growth hormone was available. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the players currently in the NBA reached their height through the assistance of growth hormone but I'm sure it's rare. I'd guess parents doping their kids is pretty rare as well though of course there will always be a guy like Richard Williams.

 

[twisted pairs]

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1528731-does-the-nba-have-a-ped-problem
http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/51305/gaps-in-nba-drug-testing

Some have already tested positive;
"The NBA announced on Feb. 13, 2013 that the Orlando Magic forward would serve a 20-game ban after testing positive."

But few are singled out/caught;
"Basketball has had only a few failed doping tests -- none from top-tier players."


The testing is poor at best;
"NBA tests players a maximum of four times during the regular season and twice during the summer."

"... players are given advance notice of the tests."

The testers are biased;
"The NBA’s anti-doping program is run by Stephen M. Taylor, M.D., who reports to NBA executive vice president and general counsel Rick Buchanan."


The motivation and opportunity is very strong.
"With virtually no risk of detection and millions of dollars to gain, who wouldn't cheat?"

I'll add to that the parallel between cycling and NBA in that players often come from lower income environments where the risk/reward of PED'ing and getting caught in imbalanced toward taking the risk.


Definitive proof of a problem? Of course not. This whole thread is conjecture. However, were I a betting man ...

 

[WinterRider]

Hmmm... didn't I read a post something about LeBron's magical transformation somewhere recently?



Nice post Dave.



What he said.

Dave.

Although the OP's theory is interesting, the Los Angleles Lakers have a team nutritionist who has been pushing the low carb diet there for at least a couple years. I read an interesting article on this last year, and apparently a good chunk of the team bought in to the program, lost a bunch of weight, and all felt their game improving as a result.

They did this when there was no HGH test looming.

Regardless of any PEDS Lebron might me taking, it is not unreasonable that his weight loss is actually the result of a low carb diet. I switched to the same diet and quickly lost 30 pounds so I could start climbing hills faster, if I can do it, why not an NBA superstar. I imagine his vertical leap and acceleration would be greatly improved if he's not lugging around a bunch of extra body fat.

 

[D-Queued]

7 footers existed in the NBA long before growth hormone was available. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the players currently in the NBA reached their height through the assistance of growth hormone but I'm sure it's rare. I'd guess parents doping their kids is pretty rare as well though of course there will always be a guy like Richard Williams.

The benefit(s) of HGH are not necessarily related to someone's standing height.

Now, improvements to standing vertical jump is a different story.

wrt Lebron, some might find it odd that a (nearly) 300 pounder can jump almost double the NBA average.

Then again, NBA fanboys exist even in obscure places like bicycle forums and probably think this is normal.

Dave.

 

[MonkeyFace]

The benefit(s) of HGH are not necessarily related to someone's standing height.

Now, improvements to standing vertical jump is a different story.

wrt Lebron, some might find it odd that a (nearly) 300 pounder can jump almost double the NBA average.

Then again, NBA fanboys exist even in obscure places like bicycle forums and probably think this is normal.

Dave.

300 lb freak? We have seen that before with the Round Mound of Rebound ,Charles Barkley. Charles was a complete freak and given how little he cared bout conditioning, I doubt he ever used PED's.

 

[Oldman]

300 lb freak? We have seen that before with the Round Mound of Rebound ,Charles Barkley. Charles was a complete freak and given how little he cared bout conditioning, I doubt he ever used PED's.

Not any that helped his gambling or weight loss abilities anyway.

 

[Energy Starr]

The benefit(s) of HGH are not necessarily related to someone's standing height.

Now, improvements to standing vertical jump is a different story.

wrt Lebron, some might find it odd that a (nearly) 300 pounder can jump almost double the NBA average.

Then again, NBA fanboys exist even in obscure places like bicycle forums and probably think this is normal.

Dave.

You crack me up. How do you know how much Lebron weighs or how he can jump, or how high the NBA average is?

 

[jam pants]

You crack me up. How do you know how much Lebron weighs or how he can jump, or how high the NBA average is?

He probably reads, then does some analysis and synthesis, and tosses in a dose of pragmatism.

"Cycling's full of PED abuse, but this other sport I love is clean!"

 

[Granville57]

How do you know how much Lebron weighs or how he can jump, or how high the NBA average is?

It's a mystery!

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=how+high+can+lebron+james+jump


Btw, Dave, you need to clear out some PMs in your inbox.